Falcons Hit The Road To Face Akron And Buffalo

FALCONS HIT THE ROAD TO FACE AKRON AND BUFFALO
After playing three of its first four MAC matches at the Stroh Center, the Bowling Green State University volleyball team will begin a four-match road swing this weekend with matches at Akron (Oct. 7) and Buffalo (Oct. 8). Last weekend, Bowling Green earned its first conference win of the season by defeating Kent State, 3-1, on Oct. 1. The Falcons own an overall record of 11-6, and are 1-3 in the MAC.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will be broadcasting both matches this weekend. To access the links to the broadcasts, visit the volleyball schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com. Additionally, both matches will have live stats. Links to live stats and both broadcasts can also be found at BGSUFalcons.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow BGSU Volleyball on Twitter at @BGSUVolleyball for in-match updates.

TOMIC'S THOUGHTS
This is an important weekend for us and we hope to build on THE momentum that we gained after our Saturday win. However, we know that we are only as good as our next match. Akron and Buffalo are going to be ready to fight and defend their home court, and we expect two competitive matches. It will take a maximum effort from all of our players and a disciplined execution of the game plan for us to be successful. We have shown many times this year that when we play as a team and when our players do their job and fulfill their role, we are a hard team to beat.

SCOUTING THE AKRON ZIPS
Akron is the only school in the East Division without a conference win, as the Zips will enter Friday's match with a 0-4 MAC record. Akron owns an overall record of 5-11. The Zips have dropped matches to Ohio, Kent State, Buffalo and Toledo. UA ranks fifth in the conference in kills and service aces, but rank in the bottom third in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, digs and blocks. Karley Kusan sits sixth in the MAC in assists per set at 9.67, while Callie Mack ranks eighth in service aces (0.29/set), and Brenna Mack ranks 10th in digs (3.69/set).

SCOUTING THE BUFFALO BULLS
The Bulls are off to a rough 2-15 start in 2016, but like the Falcons, captured their first MAC win of the season over the weekend, as they defeated Akron in five sets on Sept. 29. Buffalo's other win, which came on Sept. 17 at Bucknell, was also a five-set match. Buffalo ranks third in the conference in blocks per set with 2.10, but the Bulls sit 11th or 12th in every other major team-based statistic. The Bulls do have a very dangerous offensive weapon in Cassie Shado, who ranks second in the MAC with a .392 hitting percentage. Buffalo, along with Bowling Green and Central Michigan, are own identical 1-3 conference records.

BGSU BEATS KENT STATE FOR FIRST MAC WIN
After losing its first three conference matches, Bowling Green knocked off Kent State by a score of 3-1 on Oct. 1 to get right back into MAC Tournament contention. Including BGSU, there are a total of five schools with less than two MAC wins. And with four schools missing out on the tournament, the Falcons are certainly in a possession to separate themselves from the pack with still 12 conference matches to go. In the victory over KSU, Jelena Sunjic notched 19 kills and hit .312 (19-4-48), while Madeline Garda registered 29 digs.

SCHOLTEN NEARLY NOTCHES SECOND DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior setter Kate Scholten has Bowling Green's only double-double this season, as she notched 37 assists and 10 digs in a win over SIUE on Sept. 17. Scholten had two strong matches over the weekend, and nearly picked up two more double-doubles. She had 39 assists and eight digs against Ohio on Sept. 30, and then registered 49 assists and nine digs in the victory over Kent State on Oct. 1. Scholten is having a big season as the Falcons' primary setter, and currently ranks second in the MAC in assists per set (10.65).

THE BEST LIBERO IN THE LAND
Madeline Garda, BGSU's senior libero from West Chester, Ohio, leads all of Division I volleyball in digs per set at 6.38. To put that into perspective, no other player in the country is even averaging 6.00 digs per set. With her 40-dig weekend, Garda also vaulted into first in the nation in total digs with 383. ranks second in the land in total digs with 343. Below is the list of the top 10 liberos in the country, according to digs per set.

1. Madeline Garda (Bowling Green)   6.38
2. Cassie Wes (Columbia)   5.56
3. Lexus Cain (SFA)   5.52
4. Challen Geraghty (Kent State)   5.51
5. Courtney Pence (Illinois State)   5.45
6. Sarah Villa (UTEP)   5.43
7. Markie Schaedig (Arkansas State)   5.41
8. Gabrielle Eyl (Northeastern)   5.33
9. Tessa Fournier (Seton Hall)   5.33
10. Taylor Austin (James Madison)   5.33

DON'T WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS
Unlike the title of the famous Green Day hit song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends," the Falcons had zero interest in seeing the month come to a close. Bowling Green has had an incredible month of September. The Falcons got off to a blazing 9-1 start, and finished the month with a 9-4 record. BGSU just missed out on a 10th win, as they downed Kent State on Oct. 1. Across the month, Bowling Green swept six different teams, experienced a seven-match winning streak, and won a total of 13-consecutive sets.

SUNJIC HAS BEEN SUPER AS A SENIOR
Jelena Sunjic is averaging a ridiculously-impressive 4.27 kills per set, which ranks first in the MAC. Her .351 hitting percentage is fourth best in the MAC. Sunjic surpassed 1,000 career kills earlier in the season, and currently has 1,074 kills to her name. Sunjic has had at least 15 kills in nine matches, while she's posted double-digit kills in 13 matches. In BGSU's most recent match, a win over Kent State, the senior tied her season high with 19 kills, while also hitting .312.

MALONEY MAKING AN IMPACT AND LEAVING A LEGACY
Alyssa Maloney is certainly having a senior season that she soon won't forget. The senior is averaging 2.98 kills per set, and is hitting .334 on the year. She has posted double-digit kills in 11 matches, and she has hit over .400 in six matches. Maloney has hit at least .500 five times, and has eclipsed the .300 mark a staggering nine times. Maloney has registered 605 career kills.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, LITERALLY
The Falcons entered conference play having won seven-straight matches, which was the program's longest winning streak since 2011. Bowling Green was playing about as perfect as you can possibly play, as BGSU, incredibly, had entered the Miami (Sept. 22) match having won 13-conseuctive sets. Additionally, the Falcons had won their last four matches via the sweep. Since sets were played up to 25 points, which began in 2001, the Falcons have only won four-straight matches, with all four matches being sweeps, two other times (2006, 2011).

GARDA BREAKS PROGRAM'S SINGLE MATCH DIGS RECORD
Madeline Garda turned in the greatest week of libero play in BGSU volleyball history over Sept. 7-10. She totaled 118 digs, which averages out to be 6.94 digs/set and 29.5 digs/match. Her three matches at the EIU Panther Classic (Sept. 9-10) were nothing short of incredible. She started the week off with 37 digs versus Louisiana Tech, which was one dig shy of the program record. She then notched 33 digs in a win over Eastern Illinois, before breaking the school record with a 40-dig effort against Drake. The previous record holder was Chelsey Meek, who posted 38 digs in 2007 in a match against Eastern Michigan. Meek totaled her 38 digs in a five setter, while Garda broke the school record in a four-set match.

NO STROH, NO PROBLEM
Bowling Green played its first six games at the Stroh Center in 2016, but the Falcons have played their best volleyball on the road this season. BGSU is 5-5 in Bowling Green, but the Orange and Brown are 6-1 away from the Stroh Center, with the only loss coming to MAC-West favorite Northern Illinois (Sept. 24). The Falcons are 2-1 in true road matches, and 4-0 in neutral site matches. In those seven matches, BGSU has lost just seven sets.

BOWLING GREEN IS ALL ABOUT THAT #MACTION
The Falcons continue to lead a number of team-based statistical categories. BGSU leads the MAC as a team in hitting percentage (.263), assists (13.25/set), and kills (14.07/set). And although the Falcons rank second in digs (16.32/set), Madeline Garda leads the nation in digs per set at 6.38. BGSU also sits second in opponent hitting percentage (.183). Jelena Sunjic tops the MAC in kills at 4.27/set, while Isabel Kovacic ranks eighth (3.02). Katie Scholten ranks second in assists per set (10.65).

BOWLING GREEN COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN TOUR
The Falcons toured Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Italy spanning May 15-24. Coach Danijela Tomic was able to introduce her team to her family, as she is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Jelena Sunjic and Isabel Kovacic hail from Croatia and had the exact same opportunity. BGSU was able to visit a number of beautiful and historic cities on the tour, including Sarajevo, Kraljeva Suteska and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Metkovic, Split, Zadar, Pag, Rovinj and Porec in Croatia; and Venice, Verona and Milan in Italy. The team was also able to gel on the court, playing a total of five matches.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Madeline Garda

Isabel Kovacic

Alyssa Maloney

Katie Scholten

Jelena Sunjic

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics