This weekend, the Falcons volleyball team will be looking to bounce back after going 0-2 last week to start Mid-American Conference play.
The Falcons started their conference play by playing arguably the two best teams in the MAC, Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois. Miami is projected to win the MAC East division this season, while Northern Illinois is projected to win the MAC West.
Head Volleyball Coach Danijela Tomic acknowledged the level of difficulty the Falcons faced to start their conference schedule: “The positive from this is that some of our young players got very valuable playing experience and our four seniors were true leaders, and overall played well. We will get back to the gym next week and continue working on getting better in the areas that we were exposed in playing two of the toughest teams in the MAC.”
The Falcons have been a surprise this season. After a disappointing season last year, the Falcons have bounced back and put together a 10-3 non-conference schedule.
Seniors Jelena Sunjic, Alyssa Maloney, and Madeline Garda have been the leaders of this team. With Sunjic and Maloney averaging a combined 7.23 kills a set, the Falcons have developed a potent offensive attack which features other key players such as Isabel Kovacic, Jessi Holly, and Middle-Setter Katie Scholten. On the defensive side, the unquestioned leader is Madeline Garda. Garda, who leads the nation in digs, is averaging 6.47 digs a set.
When Coach Tomic was asked how she felt about Garda’s success, she said, “It’s good for PR (public relations), but I’m just proud of our team and Madeline’s success now as a senior.”
Now up for the Falcons, back to back home games. The Falcons will host the Ohio Bobcats on Friday, and then the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday.
Ohio is currently 6-8 and are on a three game winning streak. Ohio started MAC conference play at 2-0 this past weekend, defeating Akron and Buffalo. Ohio averages 12.37 kills a set, with Jamie Kosiorek leading the team with an average of 3.12 kills a set. Ohio is more of a defensive team, averaging 14.04 digs/set and 1.71 blocks/set.
Kent State is 9-6 and is currently on a five game winning streak. After starting conference play at 2-0, with wins over Buffalo and Akron, Kent State is starting to gain momentum in the MAC, and could be a key player in the MAC Standings come the end of the year. The team is averaging 13.4 kills a set with Kelsey Bettinger leading the way, averaging 3.57 kills a set. Kent State is also an effective defensive team, averaging 15.93 digs a set. Leading Kent State in that category, Challen Gergathy, is averaging an impressive 5.64 digs a set.
It will be a very important weekend for the Falcons as they try to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Miami and Northern Illinois last week. The Falcons will look to win these must-win games against Kent State and Ohio, so they can stay alive in the MAC standing.
