In the past several volleyball matches, Ashley Herzberg doesn’t think the teams the Falcons faced actually beat them.
‘We’re kind of beating ourselves,’ she said. ‘If you look at the scores, we’re winning in almost all of the games at points and by a lot. I think we need to work on finishing and keeping the determination all the way to 25 points.’
BG will hope to stay determined this weekend when they head to Buffalo today and Akron tomorrow for two weekend matches.
The Falcons (9-16, 2-8 Mid-American Conference) have lost to both Buffalo (14-9, 5-5 MAC) and Akron (11-13, 3-7 MAC) already this season.
Despite the previous losses to these teams, Alex Zlabis thinks the team is ready.
‘All week we’ve been focusing a lot on staying positive and working hard and giving a lot of effort,’ she said. ‘It’s not over yet. It can change at any minute.’
This season, the Bulls have helped opponents to an impressive .189 attack percentage. They’ve done this by averaging 2.05 blocks per set and serving well with 1.28 aces per set.
They have the leading server in the MAC in Lindsey Schlegel, who is averaging 0.47 aces per set.
Though Buffalo has a pretty good record thus far, they haven’t had much success in recent history. They have won only eight matches combined in the past two years and have not won more than 14 matches in a season since 1997.
Akron enters the weekend ranked 11th in the conference with a .189 attack percentage and is last with 1.54 blocks per set. They also average 13.03 digs per set.
Zlabis doesn’t think the team can underestimate them, though.
‘Akron will be tough,’ she said. ‘They have some good hitters. But if our defense really steps up this weekend and passing is good, that can really help us win.’
The Zips’ Brionna Patterson averages 4.07 kills per set, which is third in the conference, and had 24 against the Falcons earlier this season.
Not being at home will be tough for BG this weekend.
‘Both teams play very well at home,’ said coach Denise Van De Walle. ‘We’ve got our hands full, but we’re up for the challenge.
Herzberg, along with the rest of the team, is still keeping her head up.
‘We have a good chance to beat Akron and Buffalo this weekend,’ she said. ‘I know we have the possibility to turn this season around and win the MAC Tournament.’