It may be tough to tell by BGSU volleyball’s 1-2 record, but the Falcons have held a successful first invitational. A dominating win over Chicago State and two hard-fought battles against Illinois and Cincinnati showed immense promise for a new-look team.
Not to mention playing at home atop an immaculate new court from Mo and Jon Stansbery.
Head coach Danijela Tomic and the Falcons take their talents to Dayton for their second invitational, the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational, where they will face the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, #22 ranked Dayton, and Wright State.
Maryland, Baltimore County
Many fans, like myself, may have had to look up what UMBC stands for. If you dug deeper into their volleyball team, you’d learn they had a fantastic year in 2023.
As a member of the Atlantic East Conference (AEC), the Retrievers won eight games, losing only two, and besting Bryant and Binghamton for the AEC Tournament Championship. They earned a berth in the NCAA tournament, unfortunately drawing #8 USC and losing in three sets.
Going even further back, UMBC has not had a losing season since 2019, in four seasons earning three AEC regular-season championships, four AEC tournament championships, and four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Truly a strong resume the Retrievers.
In three games in 2024, UMBC is 0-3 with all three losses coming from Purdue’s Stacey Clark Classic. Like BG’s first invitational opponents, the competition was strong with Purdue and Kansas State completing sweeps, and UC Davis taking three out of four sets.
UMBC played 10 out of 14 rostered players in the three games. Mia Bilusic leads the offense with 26 kills, three aces, 32 points, and a handful of assists. Setters have split time between Serin Maden and Izzy Ostvig recording 41 and 38 assists respectively with 17 digs and a handful of blocks between the two.
The Falcons play the Retrievers on Friday, Sept. 6 at 3 p.m.
#22 Dayton Flyers
Dayton have only three losses total in 2023, one each to Marquette, Louisville, and Washington State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They added to that an Atlantic10 (A10) Regular-season and Tournament Championship.
The A10 expects Dayton to repeat their success, as in the coaches poll, the Flyers were predicted to finish first in the regular season and win the A10 postseason. If completed, Dayton would find another NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024.
Dayton has not had a losing record since 1994 with 15 first-place finishes in the A10. UD has won 10 of their 17 NCAA Tournament first-round contests since 2003, including their win over Pepperdine in 2023.
BG is 12-16 all-time against Dayton, losing the last three matches after winning the 12 before that. The last time the Falcons took a win against the Flyers was in 2005.
Like BG, Dayton has incredible power capabilities. In their three 2024 games, six players entered double-digit kills led by Lexie Almodovar with 21. Maybe more impressive is their stifling defense, allowing only a .156 hitting percentage, digging 100 hits, and blocking 24.
The Orange and Brown will face the Flyers on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3 p.m.
Wright State
Bowling Green bested the Raiders last year in a 3-1 contest in the Hampton Inn Invitational in Bowling Green last year. Wright State closed out their last ten games of the season 9-1, winning the Horizon League Tournament Championship and playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Raiders are 3-0 against Appalachian State, Xavier and Ohio in their first three non-conference games. Maybe scarier for BG than three sweeps to start Wright State’s season is their exhibition game win against Cincinnati, a team that swept the Orange and Brown in their last matchup on Sunday, Sep. 1.
Outside hitter, Mya Ayro is the leading scorer for the Raiders with 42 kills and 44 total points, while setter Lauren Yacobucci has set 107 assists in 9 sets, almost 12 assists per set with 31 digs and 4 blocks.
Similar to BG, the roster of Wright State is quite young; five freshmen and three sophomores, just two juniors, two seniors and three grad students.
In the Horizon League preseason coaches poll released on Aug. 28, Wright State was picked to be the league champion. The Raiders were also picked by all nine other coaches in the conference to win their tournament and take the automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The young rosters meet on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 3 p.m.
Two tough matchups for Bowling Green in the first invitational, and now three tough matchups in their second invitational. All three opponents appeared in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, were immensely successful in their conferences, and 2/3 have been picked to win their conference and tournament.
Both Lauryn Hovey and Mia Tyler come into the weekend chasing 30 kills, only a handful back for both players. Hovey and Lindsey LaPinta also chase 30 digs while Amanda Otten seeks the 60-assist mark.
