Week of 9/26: MAC Volleyball Round-up

Steve Iwanek, Sports Content Director

September 26, 2023

As the month of September is in it’s final days, the beginning of MACtion is here, as the teams within the conference have gotten the chance to introduce themselves to each other.

For some, this is a chance to be confident in their chances after a rough non-conference slate, while for others, it’s all about maintaining a gap from the rest of the field.

Here is a look at the current standings (courtesy of getsomemaction.com)

STANDINGS:

SCHOOL	CONF	CPCT.	OVERALL	PCT.	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
EAST DIVISION
Buffalo	2-0	1.000	12-2	.857	3-0	4-1	5-1	W4
Bowling Green	1-1	.500	7-6	.538	4-2	2-1	1-3	L1
Akron	1-1	.500	6-7	.462	1-2	3-3	2-2	L1
Ohio	1-1	.500	6-8	.429	2-3	1-2	3-3	W1
Kent State	0-2	.000	4-9	.308	0-3	2-3	2-3	L3
Miami	0-2	.000	4-10	.286	0-5	3-0	1-5	L3
WEST DIVISION
Western Michigan	2-0	1.000	12-2	.857	3-0	5-1	4-1	W2
Ball State	2-0	1.000	5-8	.385	4-1	0-3	1-4	W3
Toledo	2-0	1.000	4-9	.308	3-4	0-3	1-2	W2
Northern Illinois	1-1	.500	3-11	.214	0-2	1-5	2-4	W1
Central Michigan	0-2	.000	6-8	.429	3-0	1-4	2-4	L3
Eastern Michigan	0-2	.000	2-12	.143	0-0	0-6	2-6	L6

NOTABLE STORYLINES:

Bowling Green once again had their name attached to at least one member of the MAC East Division Players of the Week awards list. After having three Falcons last week (Jessica Andrews, Amanda Otten, Jaden Walz), sophomore Lauryn Hovey and freshman Benedetta Marcon took home MAC East Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week respectively. Hovey had 38 kills split across two matches against Northern Illinois, while Marcon recorded 39 digs in the two matches combined.
A pair of Toledo Rockets cracked the MAC West Players of the Week award list for the first time this season. Taylor Alt earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week, racking up 40 blocks in two matches against Eastern Michigan. Meanwhile, Ryann Jaqua earned MAC West Defensive Player of the Week, averaging 6.88 digs/set last week, while racking up a season-high 28 digs in Toledo’s win on Thursday.
Buffalo and Western Michigan continue to remain red-hot as the season approaches the halfway point. Both are 12-2 overall and have continued to dominate in the statistical categories. As of today, 9/26, Buffalo is number one in the conference in team hitting percentage, opponent assists, opponent hitting percentage, opponent kills, and opponent blocks, while Western Michigan is tops in kills, opponent service aces, assists, and overall points.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (courtesy of getsomemaction.com):

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 Women’s Volleyball
	Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
	Central Michigan	Eastern Michigan	6:00 P.M.	Ypsilanti, Mich. (Conf.)	Stats ESPN+
	Kent State	Ohio	7:00 P.M.	Athens, OH (Conf.)	ESPN+

Thursday, September 28, 2023 Women’s Volleyball
	Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
	Kent State	Akron	6:00 P.M.	Akron, Ohio (Conf.)	Stats
	Bowling Green	Western Michigan	6:00 P.M.	Kalamazoo, Mich. (Conf.)

Friday, September 29, 2023 Women’s Volleyball
Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
Bowling Green	Western Michigan	6:00 P.M.	Kalamazoo, Mich. (Conf.)
Kent State	Akron	6:00 P.M.	Akron, Ohio (Conf.)	Stats
Ball State	Eastern Michigan	6:00 P.M.	Ypsilanti, MI (Conf.)	TV: E3/E+ Stats Video
Ohio	Buffalo	6:00 P.M.	Buffalo, N.Y. (Conf.)	Stats
Miami	Northern Illinois	7:00 P.M.	DeKalb, Ill. (Conf.)

Saturday, September 30, 2023 Women’s Volleyball
Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
Miami	Northern Illinois	4:00 P.M.	DeKalb, Ill. (Conf.)
Ohio	Buffalo	4:00 P.M.	Buffalo, N.Y. (Conf.)	Stats
Ball State	Eastern Michigan	4:00 P.M.	Ypsilanti, MI (Conf.)	TV: E3/E+ Stats Video
Toledo	Central Michigan	7:00 P.M.	Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Conf.)	Stats Video