Nice encore, Falcons.
Ten days after the Bowling Green State volleyball team swept Akron on their home court, the Falcons didn’t get a sweep against the Zips this time around.
But a 3-1 victory was good enough to give BGSU a victory in the first-round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament last night at Anderson Arena.
“Oh my gosh … this one feels great,” head coach Denise Van De Walle said after the game. “The win that we had a week ago Sunday was important because we were still playing for seeding. This one meant everything, because it was to stay alive in the tournament.
The Falcons were led by Taylor Twite, who had 10 kills and a 1.000 hitting percentage during a 30-28 win in the first game.
Following BGSU’s 30-24 loss in the second set where the Zips hit .212 and connected on 17 kills, Van De Walle said she emphasized the team’s play at the net during halftime.
Although Akron took an early 12-11 lead and quickly surged ahead by five at 22-17 in game three, but Emily Manser’s three consecutive kills ignited a 6-0 run for the Falcons and gave them a 23-22 advantage.
With the score tied at 26 and the Zips gaining momentum, Melissa Mohr’s block at the net sparked a 4-1 run to end the game, givinge the Falcons a 30-27 win.
BGSU’s performance in game four was giddy with confidence and swagger as the Falcons never trailed after the opening point, winning handily 30-21 and hitting .447 with 23 kills during the game.
Twite, who had a game-high 22 kills on the night, hit .340 and had seven blocks at the net. Stephanie Swiger and Mohr chipped in with 13 and 14 kills apiece, respectively.
Madeline Means was one of four Falcons with double-digit digs with 26 and Chrissy Gothke, filling in for an injured Amber Mareski, had a game-high 63 assists to go along with 17 kills and five kills.
Manser, who had 14 kills and 10 digs, said the team was determined to get the win since the rest of the MAC Tournament will be at Anderson Arena.
“This is really exciting for me … I never been to a MAC Tournament before and almost all the girls here haven’t, besides Mel {Mohr},” she said. “It’s going to be an exciting experience.”
The Falcons will host No. 3 seed Marshall on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
