BGSU volleyball (3-3) will hit the road for the second straight week, traveling to the Windy City in the two-location DePaul Tournament.
The Orange and Brown open against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on Thursday at 6 p.m., before taking on Brown at 1 p.m. on Friday and DePaul on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Game one for the Falcons will take place at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, hosted by UIC, on Thursday before switching venues to McGrath-Philips Arena, hosted by DePaul, on Friday and Saturday.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will have calls for all three games on WBGU 88.1 FM.
Matchup History
Bowling Green is most familiar with the Flames of UIC, facing off 12 total times with six wins and six losses. The last matchup was in 2021, with UIC taking the match at home 3-1.
The Falcons’ matchup against Brown is the complete opposite, with BGSU never matching up against the Ivy League college.
DePaul has some history with the Falcons, playing a total of five times, with the most recent coming in 2022. The Blue Demons have an advantage in the series (3-2); however, Bowling Green has won the last two meetings.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green is sitting at an even.500 record (3-3) as they approach the final invitational of the regular season.
The Orange and Brown have had some massive performances from their veterans, such as junior opposite Lauryn Hovey’s seven-ace performance against UMBC, which puts her eighth in the country in aces per set (0.79).
Grad student defensive specialist Lindsey LaPinta is also coming off of a big performance last weekend, digging out 18 kill attempts, which earned her a career-high in digs.
Scouting UIC
The Flames are hot going into the DePaul Invitational, starting 4-0 in tournament play before landing at 5-1.
UIC holds the highest hitting percentage in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) (.269) and is also top of the MVC in opponent assists per set (10.20) and opponent digs per set (10.80).
Defense is the key for UIC with 52.0 total blocks, which is second in the MVC behind Valparaiso.
Scouting Brown
Brown has a little less experience than the rest of their tournament opponents, only playing in three total games, walking away with a record of 2-1.
The Bears are in a four-way tie for second in the Ivy League Conference behind only Harvard (3-0).
Brown’s offense is second in the Ivy League in points per set (17.00) and service aces per set (2.42), while their defense tops the Ivy League in opponent hitting percentage (.137), opponent assists per set (8.33), opponent kills per set (9.92), and opponent digs per set (9.50).
Scouting DePaul
DePaul also comes into the tournament on a roll with a 5-1 record, including a three-game Bradley Tournament sweep.
The Blue Demons are tied for second in the Big East Conference, lagging behind UConn by a single match.
Statistically, DePaul is in the middle of the pack for nearly every category, sixth in blocks per set (2.00) and hitting percentage (.184).
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Bowling Green will need Tyler’s offensive talents as they face three of their stronger non-conference opponents.
The senior outside hitter is second in points for the Falcons (54.5) as well as kills (51) and total attacks (.188).
Tyler had a strong performance against Wright State last weekend, with 8 kills, 1 block, and 8.5 total points.
Woodard is the points leader for UIC (92.0) starting in all 25 matches for the Flames, averaging 3.68 points per set.
The graduate student middle blocker has put up double-digit points in every single match for UIC, peaking at 20.5 points against FGCU on August 31st.
The senior middle blocker leads the Bears in blocks with 12.0, averaging a team-high block per set (1.0).
The Oak Park, Illinois, native is also a reliable scorer, landing third on the team in points per set (2.42) and fifth in attack percentage (.264).
The graduate student outside hitter leads the Blue Demons in points (116.0), points per set (4.83), and kills (106).
Pressly also has a major impact in her serve game tied for first (8); however, she leads the team in service errors (5).
