The BGSU volleyball team continues to dominate this season with a 3-1 match win over Ohio.
They are now 9-0 on the season with the win. Ohio falls to 4-3 on the season with the loss.
The last two sets in the match would prove to be an all out dog fight.
“Not that we started to play bad, I thought Ohio made some adjustments in their lineup and they took their game to the next level. They were more in system, they were just more efficient,” BGSU head coach Danijela Tomic said.
Senior Jacqueline Askin led the team in kills in the match with 21. Sophomore Petra Indrova and junior Katelyn Meyer both were second in kills with 16.
Sophomore Madelynn Luebcke continued to be a force on defense with six block assists to lead the team.
The Falcons came out in full force. BGSU opened the set with an 8-2 lead, forcing Ohio to take a timeout.
The Falcons then went on multiple 4-0 runs to get the 18-7 lead. They were able to control the net early in the set and had Ohio scrambling.
Askin had a team leading five kills out of the 14 team kills in the first set.
The Bobcats held strong and hung around. BGSU closed out the first set, 25-16.
It was another strong set for BGSU. Both teams had success on the offensive side. BGSU would hit for 46.2% in the set compared to the 32.1% Ohio had hit.
Indrova would dominate in the set. Indrova had seven kills and a service ace in the set.
BGSUwould keep a steady lead during the set, ending all possibilities of a Bobcats run. The Falcons would be helped by the five service aces they got during the set.
The Falcons cruised to a 25-17 set win. They will be up 2-0 in sets heading into the third set.
The third set would begin with each team struggling to separate themselves. Eventually, Ohio would have a 20-15 lead over BGSU.
Askin and Indrova each had five kills in the set. They provided most of the offense for the Falcons in the third set.
The Bobcats would hit 25% while the Falcons struggled with a 10.9%. The two service errors by BGSU proved to be the difference.
Ohio won the set 25-22, while BGSU still had the match lead 2-1.
Despite dropping the set, the team still kept their focus on the match ahead.
“We all had that conviction. We kept reminding each other no matter if we get the point or not, we were going to win,” Askin said.
The fourth set started off with a 4-0 run by the Falcons. Then the Bobcats would claw back in the set to tie it up at five a piece.
BGSU would hold a steady lead throughout the set though. Ohio would hang around and always stayed within striking distance.
Meyer and Askin both had seven kills in the set. Luebcke controlled the front net with two block assists in the set.
Once they got close to victory, BGSU closed out the set 25-22 and claimed the 3-1 match win.
The end of the third set helped the Falcons gain the momentum needed to finish out the match.
“We were able to build that momentum going into the fourth set. The fourth set also went point for point, even after 20. We found a way to win, that’s what winners do,” Tomic said.
The Falcons will return to action tomorrow against Ohio at the Stroh. Gametime is set for 5 p.m. EST and will be available on ESPN +.
