Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics
15 Moments In 15 Years Of The Stroh Center: BGSU Hosts MAC Volleyball Tournament Four Times
July 28, 2026 | Volleyball, Stroh Center
This summer, join BGSU Athletics in a look back at the first 15 years inside the Stroh Center. We continue the trek through history with a review of the four times that the venue has hosted the MAC Volleyball Tournament.
Previous Moments in the Series…
1 – Opening The Doors
2 – Volleyball Opens the Building With a B!G 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
7 – BGSU Volleyball Shocks the Stroh, Upsetting No. 13 BYU
8 – Stroh Takes Center Stage For MAC Gymnastics Championships
9 – BGSU Bests the Bulls Before Record Crowd
The Stroh Center has provided one of the toughest volleyball environments in the MAC for visiting teams during the building's history. Few things articulate that more than the four times Bowling Green has hosted the MAC Volleyball Tournament in the Stroh, an honor that requires winning a regular season title to do so.
2019
The first opportunity for the Falcons to host the MAC Tournament inside the Stroh Center came during the 2019 campaign following a 13-3 MAC record in 2018 to earn hosting rights. The Tournament for the Falcons, serving as the No. 3-seed, opened on Friday night against No. 7 Buffalo after a first round bye for BGSU.
The Orange and Brown wasted little time on their home court, dominating the match for a 3-0 sweep that was jumpstarted by a 15-8 beginning in the first set. Katelyn Meyer led the way with 23 kills, just six off the program record for kills in a three-set match while maintaining an astounding .415 hitting percentage. She was aided in the attack by Isabelle Marciniak with 35 assists while BGSU broke the MAC Tournament record for aces in a three-set match with 10, including four from Jacqueline Askin.
The win over Buffalo advanced the Falcons into the semifinals, taking on No. 2 Central Michigan. The Orange and Brown took the first two sets before the Chippewas forced a fourth with a third-set win, however, the Falcons closed the door for a 3-1 victory.
Bowling Green was bolstered by a 7-0 run during the first set, rolling into a 25-14 first set score to set the tone. CMU closed the gap with just a 25-22 second set score in favor of the Falcons before a 7-0 run for CMU during the third set changed the course. The Falcons fought back in the fourth set, despite a Central Michigan 6-0 run, to take the match. Marciniak led the way with a triple-double, posting 42 assists, 18 digs and 10 blocks while moving up to second in program history for career assists. On the attack, Meyer landed 18 kills followed closely by Petra Indrova with 16 on a .364 hitting percentage. On the defensive side, Katie Kidwell tallied nine block assists while Julia Walz logged 24 digs and Kerstie Shaw added a career-high 19.
The Falcons saw their run in the tournament fall just short with a thrilling five-set championship match against No. 4 Ball State. The Falcons took the first set before Ball State jumped ahead with the second and third sets. Bowling Green won the fourth to force a deciding fifth set, but the Cardinals held on. Statistically, the Falcons were led by Julia Walz who tallied 34 digs in the match.
2020-21
During the COVID season, the MAC switched hosting rights to the team that won the regular season that season. With a 20-1 record, including a MAC-record 18-match winning streak to start the season, the Falcons cruised to a No. 1 seed slot in the MAC Tournament and didn't stop there.
The postseason run for the Falcons began with a five-set victory over No. 4 Miami (OH) in the semifinal round. Miami took the opening set, but back-to-back set wins for the Orange and Brown, including a 27-25 score in the third, swung the momentum. The RedHawks forced a fifth set, but a 15-12 BGSU advantage secured the victory.
The Falcons were paced by the trio of Meyer, Askin and Indrova. Meyer topped the stat sheet with 19 kills followed by Askin's 17 on a .304 hitting percentage with Indrova rounding out the list with 13 kills on a .323 hitting percentage. As for the defensive end, Walz tallied 22 while Yelianiz Torres contributed 20 of her own. The Falcons tacked on nine team aces as well to secure the win.
In the MAC Championship, the Falcons took on No. 2 Western Michigan, going four sets with the Broncos on their way to securing the title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. BGSU claimed the first set before WMU fired back in the second to even it out, but 25-22 and 25-20 scores in the third and fourth sets, respectively, punched the Falcons' ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
The trio of Indrova, Meyer and Askin once again led the way with all three landing 15+ kills while the team hit .305 over the course of the match. Indrova topped the list with 17 followed by 16 from Meyer and 15 from Askin. All three were named to the All-Tournament Team with Meyer being named the MVP.
2024
In 2024, the Falcons nearly repeated their conference dominance from a few seasons prior, earning a 16-2 MAC record and hosting rights for the MAC Tournament with the regular season host still hosting that season.
For the Falcons, their tournament run fell short, falling to eventual-MAC Champion Western Michigan Broncos in five sets during the semifinals round with the teams trading sets throughout the match. In the middle, Jessica Andrews and Alexis Mettille combined for 30 kills on 58 attacks with just one error for a .500 hitting percentage.
While the MAC Tournament run fell short, the Falcons still managed to make history during the season with a historic postseason run in the NIVC. Bowling Green went on to defeat Binghamton and Wright State in the Stroh Center during the first two rounds of the NIVC, both by 3-1 finals. From there, the Orange and Brown hit the road with a 3-1 win in DePaul and a reverse sweep over St. John's in the NIVC Semifinals.
The postseason run came to a close in the NIVC Championship for Bowling Green against Arizona. The Falcons and Wildcats went down to the wire, going five sets to decide an NIVC Champion, trading sets through the first four before Arizona broke through for the fifth set.
2025
In 2025, hosting rights for the MAC Tournament reverted back to the previous season's regular season champion, resulting in Bowling Green hosting in back-to-back years. During the season, the Falcons' battled to a 10-8 conference record to earn the sixth-seed in the field, facing No. 3 Ohio in the first round.
After missing time, Lauryn Hovey returned to the lineup for the Falcons in impressive fashion, logging a career-high .630 hitting percentage behind a team-leading 18 kills. Hovey's performance sparked BGSU to a 3-1 victory in the match. As a team, the Falcons hit .369 in the match, set by Amanda Otten's 40 assists. In addition to Hovey's mark, Jessica Andrews landed 11 kills on 17 error-free attacks for a .647 hitting percentage while Helen Wilford landed six kills on 10 error-free attacks for a percentage of .600. In the MAC semifinals, the Falcons came up short to No. 2 Western Michigan in four sets.
1 – Opening The Doors
2 – Volleyball Opens the Building With a B!G 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
7 – BGSU Volleyball Shocks the Stroh, Upsetting No. 13 BYU
8 – Stroh Takes Center Stage For MAC Gymnastics Championships
9 – BGSU Bests the Bulls Before Record Crowd
The Stroh Center has provided one of the toughest volleyball environments in the MAC for visiting teams during the building's history. Few things articulate that more than the four times Bowling Green has hosted the MAC Volleyball Tournament in the Stroh, an honor that requires winning a regular season title to do so.
2019
The first opportunity for the Falcons to host the MAC Tournament inside the Stroh Center came during the 2019 campaign following a 13-3 MAC record in 2018 to earn hosting rights. The Tournament for the Falcons, serving as the No. 3-seed, opened on Friday night against No. 7 Buffalo after a first round bye for BGSU.
The Orange and Brown wasted little time on their home court, dominating the match for a 3-0 sweep that was jumpstarted by a 15-8 beginning in the first set. Katelyn Meyer led the way with 23 kills, just six off the program record for kills in a three-set match while maintaining an astounding .415 hitting percentage. She was aided in the attack by Isabelle Marciniak with 35 assists while BGSU broke the MAC Tournament record for aces in a three-set match with 10, including four from Jacqueline Askin.
The win over Buffalo advanced the Falcons into the semifinals, taking on No. 2 Central Michigan. The Orange and Brown took the first two sets before the Chippewas forced a fourth with a third-set win, however, the Falcons closed the door for a 3-1 victory.
Bowling Green was bolstered by a 7-0 run during the first set, rolling into a 25-14 first set score to set the tone. CMU closed the gap with just a 25-22 second set score in favor of the Falcons before a 7-0 run for CMU during the third set changed the course. The Falcons fought back in the fourth set, despite a Central Michigan 6-0 run, to take the match. Marciniak led the way with a triple-double, posting 42 assists, 18 digs and 10 blocks while moving up to second in program history for career assists. On the attack, Meyer landed 18 kills followed closely by Petra Indrova with 16 on a .364 hitting percentage. On the defensive side, Katie Kidwell tallied nine block assists while Julia Walz logged 24 digs and Kerstie Shaw added a career-high 19.
The Falcons saw their run in the tournament fall just short with a thrilling five-set championship match against No. 4 Ball State. The Falcons took the first set before Ball State jumped ahead with the second and third sets. Bowling Green won the fourth to force a deciding fifth set, but the Cardinals held on. Statistically, the Falcons were led by Julia Walz who tallied 34 digs in the match.
2020-21
During the COVID season, the MAC switched hosting rights to the team that won the regular season that season. With a 20-1 record, including a MAC-record 18-match winning streak to start the season, the Falcons cruised to a No. 1 seed slot in the MAC Tournament and didn't stop there.
The postseason run for the Falcons began with a five-set victory over No. 4 Miami (OH) in the semifinal round. Miami took the opening set, but back-to-back set wins for the Orange and Brown, including a 27-25 score in the third, swung the momentum. The RedHawks forced a fifth set, but a 15-12 BGSU advantage secured the victory.
The Falcons were paced by the trio of Meyer, Askin and Indrova. Meyer topped the stat sheet with 19 kills followed by Askin's 17 on a .304 hitting percentage with Indrova rounding out the list with 13 kills on a .323 hitting percentage. As for the defensive end, Walz tallied 22 while Yelianiz Torres contributed 20 of her own. The Falcons tacked on nine team aces as well to secure the win.
In the MAC Championship, the Falcons took on No. 2 Western Michigan, going four sets with the Broncos on their way to securing the title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. BGSU claimed the first set before WMU fired back in the second to even it out, but 25-22 and 25-20 scores in the third and fourth sets, respectively, punched the Falcons' ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
The trio of Indrova, Meyer and Askin once again led the way with all three landing 15+ kills while the team hit .305 over the course of the match. Indrova topped the list with 17 followed by 16 from Meyer and 15 from Askin. All three were named to the All-Tournament Team with Meyer being named the MVP.
2024
In 2024, the Falcons nearly repeated their conference dominance from a few seasons prior, earning a 16-2 MAC record and hosting rights for the MAC Tournament with the regular season host still hosting that season.
For the Falcons, their tournament run fell short, falling to eventual-MAC Champion Western Michigan Broncos in five sets during the semifinals round with the teams trading sets throughout the match. In the middle, Jessica Andrews and Alexis Mettille combined for 30 kills on 58 attacks with just one error for a .500 hitting percentage.
While the MAC Tournament run fell short, the Falcons still managed to make history during the season with a historic postseason run in the NIVC. Bowling Green went on to defeat Binghamton and Wright State in the Stroh Center during the first two rounds of the NIVC, both by 3-1 finals. From there, the Orange and Brown hit the road with a 3-1 win in DePaul and a reverse sweep over St. John's in the NIVC Semifinals.
The postseason run came to a close in the NIVC Championship for Bowling Green against Arizona. The Falcons and Wildcats went down to the wire, going five sets to decide an NIVC Champion, trading sets through the first four before Arizona broke through for the fifth set.
2025
In 2025, hosting rights for the MAC Tournament reverted back to the previous season's regular season champion, resulting in Bowling Green hosting in back-to-back years. During the season, the Falcons' battled to a 10-8 conference record to earn the sixth-seed in the field, facing No. 3 Ohio in the first round.
After missing time, Lauryn Hovey returned to the lineup for the Falcons in impressive fashion, logging a career-high .630 hitting percentage behind a team-leading 18 kills. Hovey's performance sparked BGSU to a 3-1 victory in the match. As a team, the Falcons hit .369 in the match, set by Amanda Otten's 40 assists. In addition to Hovey's mark, Jessica Andrews landed 11 kills on 17 error-free attacks for a .647 hitting percentage while Helen Wilford landed six kills on 10 error-free attacks for a percentage of .600. In the MAC semifinals, the Falcons came up short to No. 2 Western Michigan in four sets.
Players Mentioned
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