Bowling Green Takes Undefeated Michigan State To Four Sets

Friday, September 19

East Lansing, Mich.

6 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

5-6,0-0MAC

Michigan State

9-0,0-0Big Ten

Bowling Green

Michigan St.

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

September 19, 2025 | Volleyball

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Hovey Moves Up Four Career Lists In BGVB Record Book

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team took on the undefeated Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing Friday night (Sept. 19). The Spartans jumped out to a two-set lead, but the Falcons fought back in the third. After battling the set into extra points, Bowling Green was able to claim the set with a 26-24 score to force a fourth. Michigan State managed to hold on for the four-set win, maintaining their undefeated season while BGSU moves to 5-6 on the year.

How It Happened
Set 1: Michigan State 25, Bowling Green 20

Michigan State tallied the first two points of the match, but a swing from Lauryn Hovey gave BGSU their first point of the match. Similar sequences followed with the Falcons tallying a point for every two for MSU, creating a 6-3 Spartan lead.
The Falcons chipped away with a 3-1 stretch, including an ace from Jessica Andrews, to cut the lead down to one, 7-6. Michigan State landed a point, but two more followed for BGSU, tying the set at 8-8.
The Spartans responded with a 3-0 spurt, reclaiming their lead at 11-8. A 3-1 stretch for the Falcons followed, cutting the deficit down to one again, 12-11.
The two teams went back-and-forth to a 15-13 score at the media timeout of the first set.
Out of the timeout, the Falcons landed a point to pull back within one, but back-to-back points for Michigan State pushed their lead back to 17-14. The lead stretched to 19-15 MSU with Bowling Green calling timeout.
Coming out of the break, kills from Marin Dunaway and Helen Wilford cut the lead down to 19-17, but MSU answered with two of their own to push the lead back to 21-17. The score moved to 22-18 with the second BGSU timeout.
The two teams traded points through the end of the set for a 25-20 score.

Set 2: Michigan State 25, Bowling Green 18

Michigan State jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but back-to-back BGSU points pulled the Falcons within one, 4-3. The two teams traded pairs of points, including a Hovey ace, carrying the score to 6-5.
The Spartans answered with a 4-0 burst, increasing their lead to 10-5 with Bowling Green taking a timeout.
A point for Michigan State out of the timeout pushed the run to 5-0 and the score to 11-5 with an Ava Buddelmeyer kill ending the run.
The Falcons worked to chip away at the deficit, bringing it down to 12-8 with a 3-1 stretch. MSU, however, responded again with a 3-0 run to rebuild their lead to 15-8 with a timeout.
After the break, Avery Hobson landed a kill for the Orange and Brown to end the run. A 4-1 run soon followed for the Falcons, cutting the lead down to 17-13.
Michigan State responded with a 3-0 run to push their lead back to 21-14. From there, the teams traded points through the end of the set for a 25-18 score.

Set 3: Bowling Green 26, Michigan State 24

Michigan State opened the set with a 4-1 lead, but a 3-1 stretch for the Falcons pulled Bowling Green within one, 5-4.
The two teams traded points until a 3-0 run for BGSU pushed the Falcons in front with an 8-7 advantage.
Two points for MSU swung the score to the Spartans, but ties followed at 9-9 and again at 10-10. A 3-0 run for Michigan State ended the string of ties for a 13-10 MSU lead.
The teams traded points back-and-forth to the media timeout with the score at 15-12. After the break, the Spartans landed a point before a 3-0 BGSU run followed, cutting the score down to 16-15 with an MSU timeout.
Michigan State tallied a point after their timeout, but a pair of BGSU points, including an ace from Andrews, tied it up at 17-17.
The Spartans responded with a 3-0 run to reclaim the lead, 20-17, with the Falcons taking a timeout of their own.
The trading of runs continued with a 4-0 run for the Falcons, moving out to a 22-20 advantage despite a MSU timeout in the midst of the run.
The Spartans worked to tie the set at 22-22, but a point for the Falcons gave them an advantage. MSU tied it again at 23-23, but BGSU reclaimed the advantage before MSU tied it once again, this time at 24-24.
A kill from Hovey pushed BGSU back in front, 25-24, with an ace from her giving the Falcons the set in extra points.

Set 4: Michigan State 25, Bowling Green 16

The Falcons started the fourth set with a 2-1 score, but a 5-0 run followed for Michigan State to take a 6-2 lead.
Bowling Green ended the run and quickly put together a run of their own, reaching 3-0 to draw within one, 7-6.
Another 3-0 run for the Falcons later in the set closed the gap to a 9-9 tie. BGSU pushed in front with an 11-10 advantage before MSU tied it up at 11-11.
The tie carried to 12-12, but the Spartans were able to inch ahead with a 3-0 run for a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. Michigan State expanded the run to 6-0 and the lead to 18-12 with a BGSU timeout.
MSU pushed the run to 7-0 and the lead to 19-12 before a kill from Hobson ended the run. The teams traded points from there to a 21-14 score with consecutive MSU points making it 22-14 with the second BGSU timeout.
From there, the teams went back-and-forth through the end of the set with Michigan State claiming the set and the match.

Falcon Stat Leaders
Kills: Avery Hobson (12)
Assists: Amanda Otten (36)
Digs: Sydnie Hernandez (15)
Aces: Jessica Andrews, Lauryn Hovey (2)
Blocks: Helen Wilford (3)

Falcon Stat Facts

Lauryn Hovey landed eight kills for the Falcons, bringing her career total to 1,432. The mark moves her past Corey Domek on both the all-time and Rally Scoring Era lists. Hovey is now third during the Rally Scoring Era and sixth all-time.
Hovey totaled 33 attacks in the match, now up to 3,093 for her BGSU career which moves her up two spots to eighth during the Rally Scoring Era. She added two blocks as well, giving her 296 career blocks, moving up to eighth on the Rally Scoring Era list.
Amanda Otten set the Bowling Green attack with 36 assists and just missed a double-double with nine digs. Otten landed two kills and an ace while logging a solo block.
Avery Hobson paced the BGSU attack with a team-high 12 kills in addition to seven digs and a block.
Edyta Waclawczyk was efficient on the attack for the Falcons, landing seven kills on 16 error-free attacks for a season-best .438 hitting percentage.
Jessica Andrews registered two aces, tying for the team lead, while adding five kills and a season-high three digs.
Sydnie Hernandez led the team in digs with 15 while adding two assists and an ace.
Helen Wilford topped the BGSU block with three while registering five kills and an assist.

Up Next
Bowling Green will conclude the non-conference portion of their 2025 regular season schedule on Saturday (Sept. 20) with a 3 p.m. first serve against Binghamton. The Falcons will then begin MAC play next week at home, first facing Ohio on Sept. 25 with a 6 p.m. start at the Stroh Center.

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