Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Open Up Home Slate in Best Western Invitational
September 03, 2026 | Volleyball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team opens its home schedule this weekend in the Best Western Invitational. The four-team, round robin tournament will take place Sept. 4-5. This year's field will feature host Bowling Green, Arkansas State, Northern Kentucky and American. The Falcons will play two matches on Friday and one on Saturday. All BGSU matches in the Best Western Invitational will be available to stream on ESPN+ while all neutral site contests will stream on the WBGU YouTube.
Best Western Invitational (Times EST)
Friday, September 4
American vs. Northern Kentucky | 10 a.m.
Arkansas State at Bowling Green | 1 p.m.
Arkansas State vs. Northern Kentucky | 4 p.m.
American at Bowling Green | 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 5
American vs. Arkansas State | 11 a.m.
Northern Kentucky at Bowling Green | 5 p.m.
First Serve
Anastasija Bozic tallied double-digit kills in all three matches but shined the brightest in the five-set reverse sweep over Northern Kentucky. Bozic took over offensively for BGSU, landing a career-high 24 kills for the first 20-kill match of her career. She did so while maintaining a .306 hitting percentage on 62 attacks. Bozic added seven digs in the match, as well as in the first match against Ohio State, while filling out her stat line against the Norse with four block assists, three assists, and two aces.
VETERAN FALCONS LEAD WAY
The Falcons will return a large chunk of their 2025 production to the 2026 roster this season, especially in the back row. The Falcons will return 82.6-percent of their 1,686 digs from last season, including the top four stat leaders in the category. As for the attack, the Falcons return 71.4-percent of their kills as well as 76.4-percent of their assists. Rounding out the list, BGSU returns 69.0-percent of their aces from last season and 50.8-percent of their blocks.
OTTEN CLIMBING THE LADDER
Senior setter Amanda Otten racked up 103 assists in the Falcon's first three outings and has accumulated 2,436 assists during her time in BG. The total ranks seventh during the program's Rally Scoring Era with the Rally Scoring record currently held by Isabelle Marciniak at 3,916 from 2016-19. As for the career rankings, Otten sits 210 assists away from cracking the top 10 all-time in program history which would match Heather Greig's total from 1996-99. Otten's highest single-season total came in 2024 with 1,179 assists, ranking seventh on the program's Rally Scoring Era list for a single-season.
WAYNAR UP UP AND AWAY
Cecily Waynar has registered 21 blocks through the inital three matches of the season which ranks ninth in the nation. The redshirt sophomore was credited with a career-high 10 total blocks in Saturday's five set reverse sweep over Northern Kentucky. Waynar etched her name in the BGSU record book with four solo blocks in the win. The total matches the program's Rally Scoring Era record for solo blocks in a five-set match, becoming the fifth player to do so, joining Taylor Twite, Amanda Otten and Katie Kidwell with Kidwell doing so twice.
UP NEXT
The Falcons continue tournament play in the Xavier Invitational on Sept. 11-12. The Orange and Brown will match up against a field consisting of Austin Peay, Saint Louis and host Xavier. Bowling Green will face Austin Peay at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 before Saturday's two-match slate against Saint Louis at 10 a.m. and Xavier at 7:30 p.m.
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'
Best Western Invitational (Times EST)
Friday, September 4
American vs. Northern Kentucky | 10 a.m.
Arkansas State at Bowling Green | 1 p.m.
Arkansas State vs. Northern Kentucky | 4 p.m.
American at Bowling Green | 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 5
American vs. Arkansas State | 11 a.m.
Northern Kentucky at Bowling Green | 5 p.m.
First Serve
- The Falcons open up their 2026 home schedule and will look to win their home opener for the eighth-straight season. The streak is the longest for consecutive home opener victories in program history.-Bowling Green will kick off the weekend against Arkansas State with the opportunity to improve to 4-0 for the ninth time in program history and first since the 2020 season when the Falcons won 19 straight contests on their way to a program-best 22-2 record.
- Bowling Green won all three of its matches in the Jim Stone Challenge hosted by Ohio State and kicked off the season with a four-set victory over the Buckeyes which marked the first win over a power conference school since 2023.
- The Falcons' begin their home schedule which includes 13 matches that are scheduled to be played in the Stroh Center.
- Bowling Green is in the program's 51st varsity season with the program beginning during the 1976 season. This year marks the 44th season in the Mid-American Conference for BGVB, officially joining the sports in the MAC in 1983.
Anastasija Bozic tallied double-digit kills in all three matches but shined the brightest in the five-set reverse sweep over Northern Kentucky. Bozic took over offensively for BGSU, landing a career-high 24 kills for the first 20-kill match of her career. She did so while maintaining a .306 hitting percentage on 62 attacks. Bozic added seven digs in the match, as well as in the first match against Ohio State, while filling out her stat line against the Norse with four block assists, three assists, and two aces.
VETERAN FALCONS LEAD WAY
The Falcons will return a large chunk of their 2025 production to the 2026 roster this season, especially in the back row. The Falcons will return 82.6-percent of their 1,686 digs from last season, including the top four stat leaders in the category. As for the attack, the Falcons return 71.4-percent of their kills as well as 76.4-percent of their assists. Rounding out the list, BGSU returns 69.0-percent of their aces from last season and 50.8-percent of their blocks.
OTTEN CLIMBING THE LADDER
Senior setter Amanda Otten racked up 103 assists in the Falcon's first three outings and has accumulated 2,436 assists during her time in BG. The total ranks seventh during the program's Rally Scoring Era with the Rally Scoring record currently held by Isabelle Marciniak at 3,916 from 2016-19. As for the career rankings, Otten sits 210 assists away from cracking the top 10 all-time in program history which would match Heather Greig's total from 1996-99. Otten's highest single-season total came in 2024 with 1,179 assists, ranking seventh on the program's Rally Scoring Era list for a single-season.
WAYNAR UP UP AND AWAY
Cecily Waynar has registered 21 blocks through the inital three matches of the season which ranks ninth in the nation. The redshirt sophomore was credited with a career-high 10 total blocks in Saturday's five set reverse sweep over Northern Kentucky. Waynar etched her name in the BGSU record book with four solo blocks in the win. The total matches the program's Rally Scoring Era record for solo blocks in a five-set match, becoming the fifth player to do so, joining Taylor Twite, Amanda Otten and Katie Kidwell with Kidwell doing so twice.
UP NEXT
The Falcons continue tournament play in the Xavier Invitational on Sept. 11-12. The Orange and Brown will match up against a field consisting of Austin Peay, Saint Louis and host Xavier. Bowling Green will face Austin Peay at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 before Saturday's two-match slate against Saint Louis at 10 a.m. and Xavier at 7:30 p.m.
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'
Players Mentioned
Saturday, August 29
Saturday, August 22
Wednesday, August 05
Monday, August 03