It was a great weekend for the Bowling Green volleyball team, as the Falcons won back to back sweeps against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The two victories improved the Falcons to a 15-6 overall record, and a conference record of 5-3. Now, on a five-game winning streak, the Falcons are now third in the MAC East Division.
On Friday, the Falcons faced the Eastern Michigan Eagles. In dominating fashion, BG won in three sets; with scores of 25-17, 25-15, 25-9. Senior outside hitter, Jelena Sunjic, led the team with 15 kills, Alyssa Maloney and Isabel Kovacic contributed with six kills each of their own. In total, the Falcons tallied 37 kills to 23 for Eastern Michigan. Senior libero/defensive specialist, Madeline Garda, led the team with 23, increasing her nation-leading total of digs to 467. The Falcons also posted 7 blocks in the matchup against the Eagles.
Head Volleyball Coach Danijela Tomic was impressed by her team’s all-around performance, stating, “I am proud of our team and how focused we were from the second half of the first set until the end of the match, our aggressive serving and offensive efficiency were the keys in our win. Getting EMU out of system from behind the serving line helped our blockers to have one of our better performances of this season. In addition, as a team, we were scrappy defensively, which helped create swing opportunities that were converted into kills.”
On Saturday, the Falcons rounded out their Michigan road trip with a match against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Winning in three sets, the Falcons outscored the Chippewas 25-14, 25-20, 25-18. The Falcons were hitting on all cylinders, as many players contributed to the team’s kill total. Sunjic led the way with 13, Kovacic contributed with 11, Nicole Slimko totaled eight kills, while Maloney pitched in with seven. Garda totaled 18 digs, as she continues to lead the nation with an average of 6.64 digs/set. The Falcons also posted a high hitting percentage of .343.
Freshman Isabelle Marciniak, had a breakout performance, as Coach Tomic expressed her praise for the setter by saying, “We are all very happy to earn two important wins on the road, we reached another milestone we set for ourselves, and we did it tonight with very good offensive execution. Our freshman setter Isabelle Marciniak ran a good offense, and the hitters made smart shots most of the time.”
With momentum building as the Falcons continue to extend their winning streak, BG is now on to a weekend of much-needed home games after a series of several road trips. On Friday, the Ball State Cardinals come to town to take on the Falcons in the Stroh Center. Finally, on Saturday, BG hosts the great Battle of I-75. Bowling Green will take on the Toledo Rockets in a much anticipated rivalry game between to the two conference foes. The Falcons will look to continue their successful winning streak as the MAC conference championship is quickly approaching.
