Coming off an impressive 3-0 sweep over Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, the volleyball team is now ready to battle it out in the Mid-American Conference with two home matches against Miami and Marshall tonight and Saturday night.
These are big matches for the Falcons and will determine if BG will have a shot at winning the MAC East Division.
“In order for us to continue striving toward the East Division Championship we need these two wins because right now we have Akron at 5-3 (in the MAC), Miami at 5-3, we’re at 4-3,” Van De Walle said.
The Falcons will start out battling the RedHawks in Anderson Arena at 7 p.m. Friday.
“BG versus Miami is always a great match,” said head coach Denise Van De Walle. “Whether we play down there or up here it is always a good match.”
Miami is coming off a 3-0 victory over Akron last weekend. The RedHawks are 8-7 overall and 5-3 in the MAC, while the Falcons are 11-4 overall and 4-3 in the MAC.
“I think it’s going to be a good match,” said sophomore Bridget Protas. “I think we’re ready.”
The Falcons have had a little trouble in the past with Miami as the RedHawks lead the series 32-16. However, BG won the meeting in four games last year.
“This is a must-win situation,” Van De Walle said. “I feel that we’ll be prepared. We’ll be ready by the time it comes. It should be a great match.”
Marshall competed against two MAC teams last weekend, defeating Central Michigan 3-1 and losing to Northern Illinois 0-3. The Thundering Herd has a 4-12 overall record and a 2-6 record in the MAC.
“I think we’ll do really good against Marshall,” Protas said. “We’ll be playing on our home floor.”
Marshall hasn’t been in the MAC for long, but as long as they have been in the same division as the Falcons, BG has dominated the series 6-1. Last year the Falcons swept the Thundering Herd twice in three games.
“I think our middles will do pretty good,” Protas said. “We have a strong middle. They put up a lot of points.”
The Falcons will be performing in front of past team members as Saturday night is the volleyball team’s alumni day.
“We have between 10 and 15 players coming back to be recognized,” Van De Walle said. “We have two or three players off that 1991 championship team – the only time that we went to the NCAA tournament.”
