Heading into the University of Illinois Invitational this weekend in Chicago, the Falcons volleyball team was 7-3 and on a four-game winning streak. With three scheduled matches against UMass Lowell, SIUE and UIC, the Falcons were eager to be on the road again after getting their first road win of the year the previous weekend.
The Falcons had success, winning all three matches in dominant fashion, extending their winning streak to seven, just before opening conference play against Miami on Thursday.
To kick off the invitational for Bowling Green on Friday against UMass Lowell, the Falcons showed early on that they were the better team on the court. The Falcons swept the River Hawks in three sets, with scores of 25-10, 25-15, and 25-11.
Madeline Garda, who leads all liberos in the nation with 7.33 digs a set, recorded 22 digs. Jessi Holley led the team in kills with 13.
With a dominant hitting percentage of .468, Bowling Green seemed to hit all their spots. The Falcons outperformed UMass Lowell in every facet of the game with 29 more kills, six less errors, six more aces and 27 more assists.
It was well-rounded effort by the team, where many players contributed to the victory.
“It was great to see all of our players get a chance to play and perform well,” Coach Danijela Tomic said.
On Saturday, the Falcons started their double-header with a much more competitive match against SIUE. Winning in three sets, the Falcons outscored SIUE 25-14 in the first set, 25-19 in the second set and 25-23 in the third set.
Jelena Sunjic and Isabel Kovacic led the team in kills at 10 kills each. Garda posted another impressive outing with 27 digs, adding to her national lead. The Cougars of SIUE struggled most of the night, posting a dismal .086 hitting percentage.
To end the weekend in Chicago, the Falcons played the now 11-2 UIC Flames. With scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-20, the Falcons recorded their third sweep of the weekend.
With a great performance by Sunjic, who posted 17 kills in the match, the Falcons suffered little adversity in the match and were comfortably leading throughout most of it. With a combined digs-total of 37 by Garda and Kallie Seimet, the Falcons had an impressive defensive outing.
“We improved our consistency, which was our goal, and three sweeps this weekend were a result of that improvement. All of our players have contributed to our successes so far, and that’s something that is making this team special. We plan to carry this momentum into MAC play, which starts next week, while continuing to improve as a team and individually,” Tomic said.
After finishing non-conference play, the Falcons are eager to start their conference schedule as they face the Redhawks of Miami University this Thursday.
“We are excited and happy about the strong finish to our preseason,” Tomic said.
The game on Thursday also happens to be dollar day at Bowling Green, where admittance to the game is only $1.
