Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sunday, November 19
Kalamazoo, Mich.
6:30 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
No. 2 Buffalo
Photo by: Kimberly Moss
Bowling Green, Buffalo Set To Square Off In MAC Semifinal Sunday
November 19, 2023 | Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will continue their 2023 season in the MAC Tournament with the Buffalo Bulls in the MAC semifinals. Bowling Green and Buffalo are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start on Sunday (Nov. 19) in Kalamazoo, Mich. with the winner advancing to the MAC Championship on Monday (Nov. 20).
The Falcons are in the midst of a six-match win streak, their longest of the season, and have won 11 of their last 12 contests. Of those 11 wins, eight have come via 3-0 sweep for the Orange and Brown. In the second round, the Falcons will be facing a familiar opponent in Buffalo, who Bowling Green faced just eight days ago. BGSU and UB opposed each other in last year's MAC Semifinal round as well with BGSU taking a 3-0 final.
Back To The Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls are no stranger to the Falcons. Buffalo and BGSU played a pair of matches just eight days ago on Nov. 10 and 11. Buffalo has won five of their last seven matches with the two losses being against Bowling Green. Their only other losses during MAC play came against Ohio (3-0), Western Michigan (3-1) and Toledo (3-2). As for non-conference play, the Bulls lost to only Xavier (3-2) and No. 16 Arkansas (3-0) to propel them to a 23-7 record for the season, including being 12-6 when playing away from their home arena, whether it be road or neutral site opponents.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo had a conference-leading four players named to the All-MAC First Team. Mandy Leigh, Abby Leigh, Courtney Okwara and Katrin Trebichavska were all named. They also had Manoela Forlin named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. The Bulls have been one of the best offensive teams in the MAC this year, coming in second for aces, assists, kills and attack percentage.
All-Time Against The Bulls
The match between Bowling Green and Buffalo will mark the 52nd all-time with the Falcons holding the series advantage with a record of 41-10 against the Bulls. The Orange and Brown have tallied 10 straight victories over Buffalo, including one in the MAC Semifinals a year ago. Last year, the Falcons recorded a 3-0 sweep over Buffalo. BGSU and UB also met barely over a week ago. The Bulls won the first set of the series, but the Falcons responded with six straight sets for the weekend sweep.
Hitting Stride In November
November has been a strong month for the Falcons in recent history. After starting the month off with six straight wins, Bowling Green has now won 13 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 24-5 in November. The 2020-21 COVID season didn't play in the month due to a January-April schedule.
On The Attack
BGSU has won 11 of the last 12 matches and a large factor has been hitting percentage. During the 12-match streak, the Falcons are hitting .313 as a team and averaging 14.31 kills per set. The strong stretch has raised Bowling Green's season mark to .254, placing them in the Top 50 in the nation and third in the MAC. During the 12-match span, the Falcons have hit .300 or better seven times and have hit .400 or better three times, including a season-best .470 against Kent State (Oct. 20).
Hovey Aces Through Record Book
So far this season, Lauryn Hovey has landed 52 aces for the Falcons to lead the team. The total for Hovey has earned her a spot in the Bowling Green record book, placing her fourth all-time for aces in a season. The next step for Hovey is Holly Costein's 1992 total of 54 followed by Linda Popovich in 1986 with 55. The record is held by Jessica Andrasko with 79 in 1993.
Hovey Closing In On Kills Top 10
In addition to the aces, Lauryn Hovey is also leading the team in kills with 459. The total has Hovey sitting just outside the Top 10 in program history for kills in a season, needing 461 to tie Melissa Lewis (1998) to 10th all-time. After Lewis, the next step for Hovey would be Jo Lynn Williamson's 479 kills during the 1986 season and Paige Penrod's 491 during the 2012 campaign.
Walz Impressive Stat Line
In the match against Ball State, Jaden Walz filled the stat sheet. She recorded a career-high 66 assists, the most by a Falcon since Hanna Laube's 67 in the 2021 MAC Championship. She added 11 digs for her team-leading 11th double-double of the season while filling out the stat sheet with four aces, three block assists and a kill. Over the last 12 matches, Walz has recorded seven double-doubles for the Falcons.
Hovey, Tyler, Mandly All Reach Double-Digit Kills
Against Ball State, Lauryn Hovey (28), Mia Tyler (20) and Kat Mandly (19) all reached double-digit kills for the Falcons with all three hitting .280 or higher. Tyler and Mandly also both matched their career-highs for kills in a match. So far this season, Hovey, Tyler and Mandly have recorded double-digit kills in the same match eight times. In those eight matches, BGSU holds a record of 6-2.
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 are in the midst of a six-match win streak, their longest of the season, and have won 11 of their last 12 contests. Of those 11 wins, eight have come via 3-0 sweep for the Orange and Brown. In the second round, the Falcons will be facing a familiar opponent in Buffalo, who Bowling Green faced just eight days ago. BGSU and UB opposed each other in last year's MAC Semifinal round as well with BGSU taking a 3-0 final.
Back To The Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls are no stranger to the Falcons. Buffalo and BGSU played a pair of matches just eight days ago on Nov. 10 and 11. Buffalo has won five of their last seven matches with the two losses being against Bowling Green. Their only other losses during MAC play came against Ohio (3-0), Western Michigan (3-1) and Toledo (3-2). As for non-conference play, the Bulls lost to only Xavier (3-2) and No. 16 Arkansas (3-0) to propel them to a 23-7 record for the season, including being 12-6 when playing away from their home arena, whether it be road or neutral site opponents.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo had a conference-leading four players named to the All-MAC First Team. Mandy Leigh, Abby Leigh, Courtney Okwara and Katrin Trebichavska were all named. They also had Manoela Forlin named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. The Bulls have been one of the best offensive teams in the MAC this year, coming in second for aces, assists, kills and attack percentage.
All-Time Against The Bulls
The match between Bowling Green and Buffalo will mark the 52nd all-time with the Falcons holding the series advantage with a record of 41-10 against the Bulls. The Orange and Brown have tallied 10 straight victories over Buffalo, including one in the MAC Semifinals a year ago. Last year, the Falcons recorded a 3-0 sweep over Buffalo. BGSU and UB also met barely over a week ago. The Bulls won the first set of the series, but the Falcons responded with six straight sets for the weekend sweep.
Hitting Stride In November
November has been a strong month for the Falcons in recent history. After starting the month off with six straight wins, Bowling Green has now won 13 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 24-5 in November. The 2020-21 COVID season didn't play in the month due to a January-April schedule.
On The Attack
BGSU has won 11 of the last 12 matches and a large factor has been hitting percentage. During the 12-match streak, the Falcons are hitting .313 as a team and averaging 14.31 kills per set. The strong stretch has raised Bowling Green's season mark to .254, placing them in the Top 50 in the nation and third in the MAC. During the 12-match span, the Falcons have hit .300 or better seven times and have hit .400 or better three times, including a season-best .470 against Kent State (Oct. 20).
Hovey Aces Through Record Book
So far this season, Lauryn Hovey has landed 52 aces for the Falcons to lead the team. The total for Hovey has earned her a spot in the Bowling Green record book, placing her fourth all-time for aces in a season. The next step for Hovey is Holly Costein's 1992 total of 54 followed by Linda Popovich in 1986 with 55. The record is held by Jessica Andrasko with 79 in 1993.
Hovey Closing In On Kills Top 10
In addition to the aces, Lauryn Hovey is also leading the team in kills with 459. The total has Hovey sitting just outside the Top 10 in program history for kills in a season, needing 461 to tie Melissa Lewis (1998) to 10th all-time. After Lewis, the next step for Hovey would be Jo Lynn Williamson's 479 kills during the 1986 season and Paige Penrod's 491 during the 2012 campaign.
Walz Impressive Stat Line
In the match against Ball State, Jaden Walz filled the stat sheet. She recorded a career-high 66 assists, the most by a Falcon since Hanna Laube's 67 in the 2021 MAC Championship. She added 11 digs for her team-leading 11th double-double of the season while filling out the stat sheet with four aces, three block assists and a kill. Over the last 12 matches, Walz has recorded seven double-doubles for the Falcons.
Hovey, Tyler, Mandly All Reach Double-Digit Kills
Against Ball State, Lauryn Hovey (28), Mia Tyler (20) and Kat Mandly (19) all reached double-digit kills for the Falcons with all three hitting .280 or higher. Tyler and Mandly also both matched their career-highs for kills in a match. So far this season, Hovey, Tyler and Mandly have recorded double-digit kills in the same match eight times. In those eight matches, BGSU holds a record of 6-2.
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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S
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OH
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S
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