Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, November 18
Kalamazoo, Mich.
6:30 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
No. 3 Ball State
Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics
BGVB Bound For MAC Tournament Battle With Ball State Saturday
November 17, 2023 | Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will continue their 2023 season in the MAC Tournament, beginning in the first round with Ball State. The Falcons and Cardinals are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start on Saturday (Nov. 18) in Kalamazoo, Mich. following the Ohio-Toledo match at 4 p.m. The winner of the BGSU-Ball State match will advance to play No. 2 Buffalo on Sunday (Nov. 19) at 6:30 p.m.
The Falcons enter the postseason with a five-match win streak and have won 10 of their last 11 contests. Of those 10 wins, eight have come via 3-0 sweep for the Orange and Brown. Playing in the first round will be a somewhat new task for the Falcons after receiving a bye each of the last three seasons. The last time that Bowling Green played in the first round of the MAC Tournament was the 2019 season, winning 3-0 over Buffalo.
Familiar Tournament Foe
The Ball State Cardinals have been a familiar opponent for the Falcons in the MAC Tournament with this matchup marking the fourth time in the last five years the two teams have met. However, this time is the first of those four meetings to come before the championship match. The Cardinals finished the season with a 3-0 loss to Toledo and are 2-3 in their last five matches. Ball State has shown hot and cold streaks this season, posting a 10-match win streak from Sept. 16-Oct. 17, but that followed a seven-match losing streak from Sept. 1-15.
Scouting Ball State
Middle blocker Aniya Kennedy leads the Ball State attack this season with 409 kills followed by fellow middle Marie Plitt with 278. Setter Megan Wielonski not only leads the teams in assists with 1,108, but also tops the stat sheet for aces with 33. On the defensive side, Madison Buckley has 90 blocks followed by Plitt with 83. Havyn Gates leads the team in digs with 429 with Wielonski next at 266.
All-Time Against The Cardinals
The match between Bowling Green and Ball State will mark the 70th all-time and the first neutral site match between the two since 2006. This will be the 13th time the two have met in the MAC Tournament with the Falcons winning the last postseason match with a 3-2 win in the 2022 MAC Championship. Earlier this season, the two faced once with Ball State claiming a 3-1 win, despite close scores in each of the four sets played (21-25, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25).
Aces Wild
Over the last three matches the Falcons have landed 26 aces in 10 sets, including 10 in the three-set win over Miami (OH) in the regular season finale. As a team, BGSU has landed 203 aces this season, ranking 13th in the nation, for an average of 1.83 aces per set, which is 36th in the nation. As for the MAC, Bowling Green is third for both stats, trailing Akron (221 aces, 1.97 per set) and Buffalo (215 aces, 1.90 per set).
On The Attack
BGSU has won 10 of the last 11 matches and a large factor has been hitting percentage. During the 11-match streak, the Falcons are hitting .312 as a team and averaging 14.16 kills per set. The strong stretch has raised Bowling Green's season mark to .251, placing them in the Top 50 in the nation and third in the MAC. During the 11-match span, the Falcons have hit .300 or better six times and have hit .400 or better three times, including a season-best .470 against Kent State (Oct. 20).
Hitting Stride In November
November has been a strong month for the Falcons in recent history. After starting the month off with five straight wins, Bowling Green has now won 12 straight matches in the month of November after going 7-0 last season during the month. Going back to the 2019 season, the Orange and Brown are now 23-5 in November. The 2020-21 COVID season didn't play in the month due to a January-April schedule.
Walz Double-Doubles
Over the last 11 matches, Jaden Walz has recorded six double-doubles for the Falcons to bring her season total to a team-leading 10. During the stretch, Walz is averaging 11.24 assists per set and 3.0 digs per set. She logged a career-high 53 assists in five sets against Central Michigan and also tallied a career-high 16 digs in just three sets against Kent State. Over the course of the season, Walz is averaging 7.72 assists per set and 2.1 digs per set.
Hovey Continues Quest Through Record Book
So far this season, Lauryn Hovey has landed 50 aces for the Falcons to lead the team. The total for Hovey has earned her spot in the Bowling Green record book, placing her fifth all-time for aces in a season. The next step for Hovey is Holly Costein's 1990 total of 51 followed by Costein in 1992 with 54 and Linda Popovich in 1986 with 55. The record is held by Jessica Andrasko with 79 in 1993.
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'
The Falcons enter the postseason with a five-match win streak and have won 10 of their last 11 contests. Of those 10 wins, eight have come via 3-0 sweep for the Orange and Brown. Playing in the first round will be a somewhat new task for the Falcons after receiving a bye each of the last three seasons. The last time that Bowling Green played in the first round of the MAC Tournament was the 2019 season, winning 3-0 over Buffalo.
Familiar Tournament Foe
The Ball State Cardinals have been a familiar opponent for the Falcons in the MAC Tournament with this matchup marking the fourth time in the last five years the two teams have met. However, this time is the first of those four meetings to come before the championship match. The Cardinals finished the season with a 3-0 loss to Toledo and are 2-3 in their last five matches. Ball State has shown hot and cold streaks this season, posting a 10-match win streak from Sept. 16-Oct. 17, but that followed a seven-match losing streak from Sept. 1-15.
Scouting Ball State
Middle blocker Aniya Kennedy leads the Ball State attack this season with 409 kills followed by fellow middle Marie Plitt with 278. Setter Megan Wielonski not only leads the teams in assists with 1,108, but also tops the stat sheet for aces with 33. On the defensive side, Madison Buckley has 90 blocks followed by Plitt with 83. Havyn Gates leads the team in digs with 429 with Wielonski next at 266.
All-Time Against The Cardinals
The match between Bowling Green and Ball State will mark the 70th all-time and the first neutral site match between the two since 2006. This will be the 13th time the two have met in the MAC Tournament with the Falcons winning the last postseason match with a 3-2 win in the 2022 MAC Championship. Earlier this season, the two faced once with Ball State claiming a 3-1 win, despite close scores in each of the four sets played (21-25, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25).
Aces Wild
Over the last three matches the Falcons have landed 26 aces in 10 sets, including 10 in the three-set win over Miami (OH) in the regular season finale. As a team, BGSU has landed 203 aces this season, ranking 13th in the nation, for an average of 1.83 aces per set, which is 36th in the nation. As for the MAC, Bowling Green is third for both stats, trailing Akron (221 aces, 1.97 per set) and Buffalo (215 aces, 1.90 per set).
On The Attack
BGSU has won 10 of the last 11 matches and a large factor has been hitting percentage. During the 11-match streak, the Falcons are hitting .312 as a team and averaging 14.16 kills per set. The strong stretch has raised Bowling Green's season mark to .251, placing them in the Top 50 in the nation and third in the MAC. During the 11-match span, the Falcons have hit .300 or better six times and have hit .400 or better three times, including a season-best .470 against Kent State (Oct. 20).
Hitting Stride In November
November has been a strong month for the Falcons in recent history. After starting the month off with five straight wins, Bowling Green has now won 12 straight matches in the month of November after going 7-0 last season during the month. Going back to the 2019 season, the Orange and Brown are now 23-5 in November. The 2020-21 COVID season didn't play in the month due to a January-April schedule.
Walz Double-Doubles
Over the last 11 matches, Jaden Walz has recorded six double-doubles for the Falcons to bring her season total to a team-leading 10. During the stretch, Walz is averaging 11.24 assists per set and 3.0 digs per set. She logged a career-high 53 assists in five sets against Central Michigan and also tallied a career-high 16 digs in just three sets against Kent State. Over the course of the season, Walz is averaging 7.72 assists per set and 2.1 digs per set.
Hovey Continues Quest Through Record Book
So far this season, Lauryn Hovey has landed 50 aces for the Falcons to lead the team. The total for Hovey has earned her spot in the Bowling Green record book, placing her fifth all-time for aces in a season. The next step for Hovey is Holly Costein's 1990 total of 51 followed by Costein in 1992 with 54 and Linda Popovich in 1986 with 55. The record is held by Jessica Andrasko with 79 in 1993.
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'
Players Mentioned
OPP
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