BGSU’s MAC Tournament Run Comes To Close In Semifinal Round

Saturday, November 22

Bowling Green, Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

17-15,10-8MAC

No. 2 Western Michigan

17-15,13-5MAC

Bowling Green

Western Mich.

Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics

November 22, 2025 | Volleyball

Box Score BGSU-WMU Box Score Support Our Student-Athletes Photo Gallery

Multiple Falcons Move Up Record Book Rankings

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team saw their MAC Tournament run come to a close Saturday night (Nov. 22) in the Stroh Center with a semifinal loss to Western Michigan, 3-1. The Falcons and Broncos went back-and-forth in each set, accumulating 23 ties and 14 lead changes over the course of the match with each set having a combined minimum of six. For the Falcons, they conclude the tournament with a 17-15 standing over the course of the 2025 campaign.

How It Happened
Set 1: Western Michigan 25, Bowling Green 21

The Falcons opened with a 3-0 run before the first WMU point of the set. Another 3-0 BGSU run followed, beginning with a 6-1 advantage.
Western Michigan responded with a 7-1 stretch to move out in front, 8-7, in the set before the teams began trading points.
The ties stretched at each point up to 13-13 before back-to-back points for Western Michigan made it 15-13 at the media timeout.
Bowling Green tallied the first point out of the timeout, but two for WMU made it a 4-1 stretch in their favor with a 17-14 score and a BGSU timeout.
The Broncos added one after the break, but a 4-1 stretch for BGSU pulled Bowling Green within one, 19-18. Western Michigan responded with a 3-0 run, pushing their lead to 22-18.
The Falcons tallied consecutive points after the timeout, but Western Michigan closed out the set with a 3-1 span for a 25-21 score.

Set 2: Bowling Green 25, Western Michigan 21

Western Michigan began the second set with a 3-1 lead. The teams traded points from there until a 3-0 WMU run made it 8-4.
Bowling Green responded with a 5-0 run to take a 9-8 lead in the set. The Broncos tied it up with ties following up to a 13-13 score.
The Falcons moved back in front with a pair of points, including an ace from Avery Anders to give BGSU a 15-13 lead at the media timeout.
After the break, the teams traded points until a 4-1 stretch for the Falcons extended their score to 20-16, prompting a WMU timeout.
Western Michigan tallied the first point out of the timeout, but a pair for BGSU pushed the score to 22-17 with the second WMU timeout of the set.
The teams traded points from there to the end of the set with BGSU evening the match with a 25-21 score.

Set 3: Western Michigan 25, Bowling Green 20

The third set began with trading runs. BGSU started out 3-0, but a 4-0 run for WMU followed for a 4-3 score.
The Falcons responded with another 3-0 run, leading 6-4. The two went back-and-forth until a 3-0 run for WMU made it a 9-9 tie.
BGSU utilized another 3-0 run to reclaim the lead, 12-9, but the Broncos fought back with a 3-0 run of their own, tying it up at 12-12.
Bowling Green moved in front with a pair of points, but a 3-0 run for Western Michigan followed for a 15-14 score at the media timeout.
WMU stretched their run to 5-0 with two more points after the media break with the Falcons taking a timeout with the score at 17-14.
The Falcons worked for a 3-1 burst out of the timeout, cutting the lead down to 18-17. However, the Broncos managed to put together a 3-0 run for a 21-17 tally with the second BGSU timeout.
The teams traded points through the end of the set with Western Michigan taking a 25-20 score.

Set 4: Western Michigan 25, Bowling Green 20.

Western Michigan opened the fourth set with a 3-0 run, but a 6-1 stretch for the Orange and Brown gave the Falcons a 6-4 advantage.
The two teams went back-and-forth until a 4-0 run for WMU swung the score to them at 11-9 with an 11-11 tie soon following.
The tie moved to 12-12, but a 3-0 run for Western Michigan made it 15-12 at the media timeout.
The Falcons worked to pull within one, 16-15, but a 3-0 run for the Broncos stretched the score back to 19-15, including BGSU using a timeout in the process..
BGSU added a point, but a 3-0 run for the Broncos followed with the score at 22-16, including the second BGSU timeout.
Each team tallied a point after the timeout, but a 3-0 run for the Falcons closed the gap to 23-20 with a Western Michigan timeout.
The Broncos were able to regroup in the stoppage, closing out the set, 25-20, after the timeout.

Falcon Stat Leaders
Kills: Lauryn Hovey (11)
Assists: Amanda Otten (40)
Digs: Sydnie Hernandez (15)
Aces: Avery Anders, Sydnie Hernandez (3)
Blocks: Lauryn Hovey, Helen Wilford (6)

Falcon Stat Facts

As a team, the Falcons registered 60 digs, the most for the team in a four-set match this season, surpassing their 58 from the season-opener against Temple.
Jessica Andrews landed eight kills for the Falcons, giving her 234 on the season. The mark sets a new career-high for her after previously having 233 last season. Andrews added five digs, four block assists and two aces to her effort.
Sydnie Hernandez led the team in digs with 15 and added three aces, tied for the team lead. Hernandez now has 41 aces this season, moving up to fourth for single-season aces during the Rally Scoring Era. She also set a new career-high after having 40 last season. As for career aces, she is just nine away from entering the top 10 for the Rally Scoring Era.
Helen Wilford tied for the team lead in blocks with six while also landing a career-high nine kills. Wilford's blocks give her 124 block assists and 136 total blocks this season. For block assists, she ties Kaitlyn Skinner for eighth during the Rally Scoring Era, just two short of the all-time top 10. As for total blocks, she ties Skinner and Kendra Halm for ninth during the Rally Scoring Era.
Avery Hobson landed seven kills for the Falcons while adding five digs, one assist and one block. Hobson also totaled 32 attacks, giving her 1,075 attacks for the season. That moves her into the program's top 10 for the Rally Scoring Era for single-season attacks, jumping from outside the top 10 up to eighth.
Lauryn Hovey filled the stat sheet for Bowling Green. She led the team in kills with 11 and tied for the team-lead in blocks with six. She also came close to a double-double with eight digs while closing out her stat line with an assist.
Avery Anders tied for the team-lead in aces in the match with three, also matching her career-high for the stat.

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