It was not that long ago that I sat on the bus rides home with Bowling Green Volleyball and the entire bus was completely silent.

Players frustrated, coaches struggling to find the answer, the mood just starting to feel a bit deteriorated.

Now? the team is just a vibe, and the rest of the Mid-American Conference better start paying attention to it.

The Falcons (11-11 OVR, 5-6 MAC), have won four straight matches, and have now moved into a tie for third place in the MAC East Division.

“We executed as a team and we had a good game plan,” said head coach Danijela Tomic. “We thought the game plan was solid but it was always about execution and and our team did that. I thought Jaden (Walz) ran a really good offense but then our hitters also did their job. But offense cannot be done without serve-receive, so it was just a total team win.”

That’s exactly what this past week has been for the orange and brown- a trio of team wins.

Not Lauryn Hovey wins, not Jaden Walz wins, team wins. For Falcon fans? That is really reassuring because they are finally seeing all facets start to put together.

“This is about us learning how to play three sets and stay focused,” said Tomic following Friday’s win over Kent State. “I want our average to be so good that it’s hard to beat us and the team responded well and actually closed the set.”

So now the question for the casual observer I bet is this- how have they done it?

Let me talk to ya.

We start with the topic of self-inflicted wounds, which was a huge issue for BG during their six game losing streak. During that time, BG  averaged 21.4 errors a match, a staggering number for a team that was known for it’s systematically clean play.

Since last Saturday against Ohio? BG has registered the following error numbers- 18 (Ohio) eight (Miami), five (Kent State Friday), and eight (Kent State Saturday).

That is an average of 9.75 a match, over a 50% reduction from the previously-mentioned number.

“We’ve definitively been working a lot in practice on it; trying to do different drills on it, so definitively our setter (Walz) has been putting us in great positions for that as well,” said Mia Tyler following Saturday’s win.

Trust us, we can tell.

Another reason why the Falcons have been able to turn the tables on their season and give themselves a legitimate chance again?

The three beasts on offense- Hovey, Tyler, and Kat Mandly.

During this four-game winning stretch, Hovey has been averaging 15.75 kills and 2.5 aces, including registering nine aces in the weekend series with the Golden Flashes.

For Tyler, she’s the been the secondary cog on the offensive end, averaging 11.25 kills and a near-47% hitting percentage, the most efficient out of any player for the orange and brown in this stretch.

Meanwhile for Mandly, she seems to be finding her groove after a slow start to the year, averaging 9.25 kills and also registered seven aces during this stretch.

So pair this stretch of play, along with low errors due to better first contact and excellent setter play, and you have a team that is starting to find it’s peak at the right time.

Sure, one can argue the statistically weaker strength of schedule right now, but so what?

At the end of the day, the only match that matters is the one that is in front of a team, and right now for BG, they are taking care of their business in front of them.

And that is calming for a fanbase that was starting to grow really concerned just two weeks ago. Now? those worries have subsided… for now.

BG heads north this coming week for a duel with a pair of MAC West foes, as on Thursday, the Falcons face Eastern Michigan, followed by a match Friday in Mount Pleasant against Central Michigan.

Both matches on paper seem winnable, and right now, I’d say BG’s chances are pretty strong.

Why?

This team is playing at a championship level again.

For more stories related to BGSU Athletics, follow Falcon Media Sports Network on X (@bg_fmsn).