Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Isaiah Vazquez/BGSU Athletics
15 Moments In 15 Years Of The Stroh Center: Volleyball Sets BGSU Athletics Record With 18-0 Start
August 18, 2026 | General, 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 look back at the 2020-21 BGSU Volleyball season that started out with a BGSU Athletics record 18-0 start.
Previous Moments in the Series…
The Stroh Center has always provided a home court advantage to the Orange and Brown, but few seasons have proven to be a testament to that more than the 2020-21 BGSU Volleyball season. A season that not only set a program record and a MAC record, but a BGSU Athletics overall record.
The 2020-21 campaign started out with uncertainty, not only for the Falcons but every school in the country. With COVID-19 still impacting athletics, the 2020 volleyball season was pushed to the spring of 2021. For Bowling Green, the volleyball team made the season worth the wait, but not without its trials.
In the season opener at the Stroh Center, the Falcons won the first two sets against Northern Illinois, but the Huskies battled back to force a decisive fifth set to begin the year. However, the Falcons forged ahead behind 20 kills from Katelyn Meyer, 21 digs from Julia Walz, 51 assists from Hanna Laube and a double-double from Petra Indrova with 16 kills and 11 digs. The comeback was just the first chapter in the monumental story the team would go on to write that season.
Fueled by the comeback in the fifth set, the Falcons set the tone for the season. After the five-setter to start the campaign, Bowling Green rattled off four-straight sweeps to move to 5-0. However, on Feb. 5, the hot start to the season came under fire for the first time since the opener.
Miami (OH) opened the second match of their two-match set with a pair of set wins. The Falcons, though, didn't go away. Wins in the third and fourth sets evened the match and sent the game into a fifth set where it came down to the wire. With the score at 14-13, a joust at the net went the way of Laube, securing the set, the match, the series sweep and the 6-0 start for the Orange and Brown.
The test from the RedHawks only fortified the resolve of the Orange and Brown, following it up with back-to-back sweeps over Ball State as well as a 3-1 win over Ohio. The challenges again returned, however, at Kent State with back-to-back five set victories to move to 11-0 to start the season, becoming the third team in the nation to reach 11-0 that season and the first for BGSU Athletics in over 10 years.
The streak continued for the Falcons with a 3-0 sweep over Central Michigan on March 4, setting the stage for history on March 5. The Falcons claimed the first two sets of the match against the Chippewas. CMU avoided the sweep in the third set, but Bowling Green closed the match with a 3-1 victory, advancing to a record-breaking 13-0. The mark broke the program record for best start to a season in program history, snapping the 12-0 start by the 2011 team while also tying the 1992 team for the best MAC start in program history.
Back-to-back sweeps over Eastern Michigan followed the record-breaking victory with the second win over the Eagles making the BGSU start 15-0. The record matched the best start in BGSU Athletics history, tying the 1964 men's tennis team. Win number 15 also secured BGSU's spot in the MAC Tournament with six matches remaining in the regular season.
The record-breaking 16th win for the Falcons came in rivalry fashion, claiming a four-set win over Toledo at Savage Arena on March 16, securing the best start in BGSU Athletics history. They followed with five-set and four-set wins over Akron, moving to 18-0 to mark the longest winning streak in program history, regardless of point of the season, passing the 2006 squad's 17-match winning streak.
The historic start came to a close for the Falcons at 18, but the lone regular season loss was followed by back-to-back sweeps over Buffalo to close out the regular season 20-1. The 20th win marked the team's second consecutive 20-win season and the first back-to-back 20-win seasons for BGSU since recording three straight from 2006-08.
As for the MAC Tournament, the impressive 20-1 season more than secured Bowling Green home court for the tournament. The tournament started similarly as the season, going five sets with Miami (OH), including a 27-25 third set win, to move on to the championship. In the MAC Championship, the Falcons bested Western Michigan, 3-1, to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
The NCAA Tournament took the Falcons to Omaha, Neb. with the entirety of the tournament being played at Chi Health Center Arena. The Falcons matched up with Weber State in the first round of the tournament, falling in four sets, but not without a host of historic moments that painted the season as one of the most decorated and accomplished in BGSU Athletics history.
Following the season, the accolades added to the story of the season. Danijela Tomic received her second MAC Coach of the Year award at the helm of the Orange and Brown. Indrova and Meyer were both named First Team All-MAC with Laube adding a Second Team All-MAC recognition as well as being the MAC Co-Setter of the Year. Tomic was also named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year and Indrova was named AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention as well.
- Opening the Doors
- Volleyball Opens the Building With a B!G Win
- Hoops Hit the Hardwood
- The NCAA Tournament Comes to BG
- Stars Step into the Stroh
- Falcons Upset Undefeated and No. 14 Ranked Dayton Flyers
- BGSU Volleyball Shocks the Stroh, Upsetting No. 13 BYU
- Stroh Takes Center Stage for MAC Gymnastics Championships
- BGSU Bests the Bulls Before Record Crowd
- BGSU Hosts MAC Tournament Four Times
- Falcon History Finds Permanent Home in Schmidthorst Heritage Hall
- BGSU Buzzer Beaters In The Stroh
The Stroh Center has always provided a home court advantage to the Orange and Brown, but few seasons have proven to be a testament to that more than the 2020-21 BGSU Volleyball season. A season that not only set a program record and a MAC record, but a BGSU Athletics overall record.
The 2020-21 campaign started out with uncertainty, not only for the Falcons but every school in the country. With COVID-19 still impacting athletics, the 2020 volleyball season was pushed to the spring of 2021. For Bowling Green, the volleyball team made the season worth the wait, but not without its trials.
In the season opener at the Stroh Center, the Falcons won the first two sets against Northern Illinois, but the Huskies battled back to force a decisive fifth set to begin the year. However, the Falcons forged ahead behind 20 kills from Katelyn Meyer, 21 digs from Julia Walz, 51 assists from Hanna Laube and a double-double from Petra Indrova with 16 kills and 11 digs. The comeback was just the first chapter in the monumental story the team would go on to write that season.
Fueled by the comeback in the fifth set, the Falcons set the tone for the season. After the five-setter to start the campaign, Bowling Green rattled off four-straight sweeps to move to 5-0. However, on Feb. 5, the hot start to the season came under fire for the first time since the opener.
Miami (OH) opened the second match of their two-match set with a pair of set wins. The Falcons, though, didn't go away. Wins in the third and fourth sets evened the match and sent the game into a fifth set where it came down to the wire. With the score at 14-13, a joust at the net went the way of Laube, securing the set, the match, the series sweep and the 6-0 start for the Orange and Brown.
The test from the RedHawks only fortified the resolve of the Orange and Brown, following it up with back-to-back sweeps over Ball State as well as a 3-1 win over Ohio. The challenges again returned, however, at Kent State with back-to-back five set victories to move to 11-0 to start the season, becoming the third team in the nation to reach 11-0 that season and the first for BGSU Athletics in over 10 years.
The streak continued for the Falcons with a 3-0 sweep over Central Michigan on March 4, setting the stage for history on March 5. The Falcons claimed the first two sets of the match against the Chippewas. CMU avoided the sweep in the third set, but Bowling Green closed the match with a 3-1 victory, advancing to a record-breaking 13-0. The mark broke the program record for best start to a season in program history, snapping the 12-0 start by the 2011 team while also tying the 1992 team for the best MAC start in program history.
Back-to-back sweeps over Eastern Michigan followed the record-breaking victory with the second win over the Eagles making the BGSU start 15-0. The record matched the best start in BGSU Athletics history, tying the 1964 men's tennis team. Win number 15 also secured BGSU's spot in the MAC Tournament with six matches remaining in the regular season.
The record-breaking 16th win for the Falcons came in rivalry fashion, claiming a four-set win over Toledo at Savage Arena on March 16, securing the best start in BGSU Athletics history. They followed with five-set and four-set wins over Akron, moving to 18-0 to mark the longest winning streak in program history, regardless of point of the season, passing the 2006 squad's 17-match winning streak.
The historic start came to a close for the Falcons at 18, but the lone regular season loss was followed by back-to-back sweeps over Buffalo to close out the regular season 20-1. The 20th win marked the team's second consecutive 20-win season and the first back-to-back 20-win seasons for BGSU since recording three straight from 2006-08.
As for the MAC Tournament, the impressive 20-1 season more than secured Bowling Green home court for the tournament. The tournament started similarly as the season, going five sets with Miami (OH), including a 27-25 third set win, to move on to the championship. In the MAC Championship, the Falcons bested Western Michigan, 3-1, to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
The NCAA Tournament took the Falcons to Omaha, Neb. with the entirety of the tournament being played at Chi Health Center Arena. The Falcons matched up with Weber State in the first round of the tournament, falling in four sets, but not without a host of historic moments that painted the season as one of the most decorated and accomplished in BGSU Athletics history.
Following the season, the accolades added to the story of the season. Danijela Tomic received her second MAC Coach of the Year award at the helm of the Orange and Brown. Indrova and Meyer were both named First Team All-MAC with Laube adding a Second Team All-MAC recognition as well as being the MAC Co-Setter of the Year. Tomic was also named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year and Indrova was named AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention as well.
Monday, August 17
Sunday, August 16
Sunday, August 16
Sunday, August 16