15 Moments in 15 Years of the Stroh Center: BGSU Volleyball Shocks the Stroh, Upsets No. 13 BYU

This summer, join BGSU Athletics in a look back at the first 15 years inside the Stroh Center. Our series continues with a retrospective of Bowling Green Volleyball's shocker against the ranked Cougars.

Previously in the series…
1 – Opening the Doors
2 – Volleyball Opens the Building with a BG Win
3 – Hoops Hit the Hardwood
4 – The NCAA Tournament Comes to BG
5 – Stars Step into the Stroh
6 – Falcons Upset Undefeated and No. 14 Ranked Dayton Flyers

Momentum was on their side, the crowd rose to their feet, and Bowling Green was ready to make history.

But the weekend didn't start that way.

In fact, the Falcons struggled. The hosts of the Best Western Invitational dropped a match to Marquette Friday night and to No. 25 Creighton Saturday afternoon.

Now, on the night of Aug. 31, 2013, their toughest test awaited them: No. 13 BYU.

This season's start was familiar to BGSU. In 2012, they began the year 0-2 at the Marquette Challenge. They then rolled through the MAC, going 13-3 in the conference and 22-11 overall. Their success culminated in a MAC Championship and a 3-2 NCAA Tournament win against Yale.

The Cougars also saw tremendous success in 2012. They went 28-4 (13-3), were undefeated at home and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

However, this was a new year. BYU lost to Creighton Friday afternoon but rebounded to defeat Marquette.

Bowling Green was in trouble early in the match. The Cougars narrowly took the first set (25-20) and second set (25-22) to go up 2-0 on the Falcons.

That changed after set two.

With a surge of energy, BGSU started strong in the third set. After a kill from Kelsey Bates, Bowling Green led 10-5. The momentum flipped after a timeout from BYU, as the Cougars rebounded to score 8 of the next 9 to lead 13-10.

The squads traded points until BYU reached a 22-21 advantage. Now, with the match precariously hanging in the balance, the Falcons notched four straight kills from Paige Penrod, Danielle Tonyan and Kaitlyn Skinner.

Set three was BGSU's.

After an early deficit in the fourth set, Head Coach Danijela Tomic forwent a timeout and trusted her team. This proved fruitful, and Bowling Green responded by scoring 10 of the next 12 points. A Tonyan-led swing pushed the Falcons to a 25-21 set four win.

Now tied with the 13 th best team in the nation, the Stroh was feverish. Fans were on their feet and ready to send BYU back to Utah.

With the momentum captured, BGSU recorded seven kills and three blocks to lead 14-9. Match point.

However, the Cougars wouldn't go away easily, and three straight points made it 14-12. If they were to win, Bowling Green had to earn it.

After a timeout, junior center Erica Fullenkamp placed the ball perfectly for Penrod's attack. With the roar of the crowd, the ball threaded the Cougars' defense and the Falcons completed the historic upset.

This was BGSU's first victory of 2013 and their first win against a ranked opponent in school history.

Upsetting BYU would be the highlight of the year, and one of the most memorable moments of the decade for the program.

Tomic went on to leave a momentous legacy at Bowling Green, winning three MAC Tournament Championships and five MAC regular-season titles. She also coached 24 First Team All-MAC athletes and seven Second Team All-MAC award winners. Two of her athletes were AVCA All-Americans: Petra Indrova (2021, 2022) and Lauryn Hovey (2024).

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