Falcons Forge Past Golden Flashes In Four For First MAC Victory

Friday, September 23

Kent, Ohio

6:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

Photo by: Luke Allen, BGSU Athletics

September 23, 2022 | Volleyball

Box Score BGSU-Kent State Box Score Support Our Student-Athletes

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

KENT, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball program registered a win in the team's first conference match of the season, topping Kent State in four sets Friday night (Sept. 23). The Falcons began with an electric first set, holding the Golden Flashes to just eight points while hitting over .400 as a team. The Falcons claimed the second set before Kent State forced a fourth set on extra points in the third. The fourth set went to extra points as well, but the Falcons closed out the set, and the match, with a 4-1 run to claim the victory.

The win pushes the Falcons to 6-6 on the season while being 1-0 within the Mid-American Conference. On the court, double-doubles by Petra Indrova, Lauryn Hovey and Jaden Walz paved the way. Yelianiz Torres was atop the digs stat column with 23 while landing a team-high three aces.

How It Happened
Set 1: Bowling Green 25, Kent State 8

The Falcons jumped out to a quick lead over the Golden Flashes, tallying the first three points of the MAC season for the team.
Bowling Green utilized a 6-1 stretch, including a 4-0 run, later in the set to expand the BGSU lead to 11-4 and force a timeout from Kent State.
Out of the timeout, the Falcons continued to push the score, growing to an 8-0 run and 10-1 stretch with a 15-4 lead and another timeout from the Golden Flashes.
The run continued for the Falcons out of the second timeout, stretching to a 19-4 lead on a 14-1 stretch with a 12-0 run.
The Orange and Brown closed out the set with a 4-0 run to take the first set 25-8 and go up 1-0 on the night.

Set 2: Bowling Green 25, Kent State 21

The second set started close with Kent State using a 3-0 run to take a 6-3 lead. However, the Falcons continued to chip away to tie it back up at 8-8. A 7-1 stretch, including a 5-0 run, for the Falcons pushed BGSU ahead 13-9, taking a 15-11 lead into the media timeout.
Bowling Green put together another 4-1 stretch later in the set to extend the lead to 21-15 and force a timeout from Kent State.
The Falcons used a 3-0 run to bring the lead to 24-17, but the Golden Flashes responded with a 4-0 run of their own to close the gap to 24-21. The Falcons took the set 25-21 to go up 2-0.

Set 3: Kent State 26, Bowling Green 24

The third set began with the two teams trading points with ties deep into the set before a 3-0 run for Kent State gave the Golden Flashes a 14-11 lead and forced a Bowling Green timeout.
Soon after the timeout the Falcons went on a 5-0 run to push ahead with a 17-15 lead, resulting in a timeout from the Golden Flashes. The run extended to 6-0 after the timeout for an 18-15 BGSU lead.
The Golden Flashes worked back into the set, tying it up at 21-21 before taking the lead at 22-21 with a 3-0 run with the Falcons taking a timeout.
The Falcons moved back in front, but Kent State went on a 4-0 run to take the set and force a fourth at 26-24.

Set 4: Bowling Green 28, Kent State 26

Kent State carried the momentum of the third set into the fourth with a 4-0 run to begin the set.
The Falcons were able to have a 4-1 stretch of their own to narrow the gap and bring it to a 5-5 tie before a 5-0 run later in the set pushed Bowling Green ahead 10-7 and forced a Kent State timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Flashes saw a 5-1 stretch to take a 12-11 lead before BGSU tied it up at 12-12.
A 5-0 run for the Falcons pulled the lead back in favor of the Orange and Brown with a 17-13 score to force another Kent State timeout.
Kent State battled back into the set to tie the score at 20-20 before going ahead 22-21 with a 6-2 stretch.
Going into extra points, the Falcons were able to close out the set with a 4-1 run to win the set 28-26 and the match 3-1.

Falcon Stat Leaders
Kills: Petra Indrova (16)
Assists: Jaden Walz (25)
Digs: Yelianiz Torres (23)
Aces: Yelianiz Torres (3)
Blocks: Lauryn Hovey (5)

Falcon Stat Facts

The Falcons allowed just eight points in the first set, the fewest points allowed in a 25-point set for the team thus far. The previous low this season was 14 against both Northern Kentucky and American.
Petra Indrova tallied her fourth double-double of the season for the Falcons, logging 16 kills and 13 digs. Indrova also had her most efficient match of the season, hitting .341 for the match.
Lauryn Hovey was able to log a double-double as well for Bowling Green, finishing with 11 kills and 21 assists for her second double-double of the season. Her tally for assists also sets a new career-high, surpassing her 15 against Mississippi State last week. Hovey also registered a new career-high for attack attempts in a match with 33.
Jaden Walz added a double-double to the Falcon effort as well with 25 assists and 10 digs. The double-double marks her fifth of the season.
The win marks five straight for the Falcons against the Golden Flashes and seven straight on the road in Kent.

Quote From Coach Tomic
"We are proud of our team for earning our first MAC win of the season, but more importantly for how we did it. This was a gritty win against a tough KSU team. I thought both teams played relentless defense that created many long rallies which forced us to be disciplined and patient. The first two sets showed at what high level we can play and how efficient our offense can be. We showed toughness, resilience, and composure when it mattered the most, and that's what championship-level teams do.

We are dedicating tonight's win to legendary Kerm Stroh, who means so much to BGSU, BGSU Athletics and our program. He left a lasting legacy and we will miss him deeply." [Kerm Stroh passed away Thursday].

Up Next
The Falcons and Golden Flashes will play the second match of the weekend series on Saturday (Sept. 24) with a 4:00 p.m. first serve. From there, the Falcons will return home on Sept. 30 to host the Ohio Bobcats.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons volleyball team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGSUVolleyball
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsuvolleyball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics' and 'Bowling Green State University Volleyball'
TikTok - @bgsuvolleyball
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'