BGSU women’s volleyball (6-6) defeated the Ball State Cardinals (7-5) in a five-set thriller in their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) game of the season in Muncie, Indiana.
Ball State started strong in the first set, showing early that it would be a difficult matchup for the orange and brown.
However, BGSU junior opposite hitter Lauren Hovey recorded three kills and an ace to bring the Falcons ahead.
Ball State responded well and consistently led the Falcons for most of the first set.
Things were headed in the Cardinal’s direction until fifth-year middle blocker Alexis Mettille slammed down a block to breathe life into BG late in the set.
Unfortunately, Bowling Green fell short and lost the first set, 25-20.
The Falcons got the second set started off right with a fantastic ace from sophomore setter Amanda Otten.
Bowling Green dominated in the second with a perfectly placed ball from junior middle blocker Jessica Andrews and three aces from freshman defensive specialist Sydnie Hernandez.
After a few forced outs from Ball State and an amazing night from both Otten and Andrews, Bowling Green was able to pull away with the second set by a score of 25-18.
The third set started in Bowling Green’s favor with freshman defensive specialist Avery Anders‘ first ace of her collegiate career.
The third was a massive back-and-forth battle between the Falcons and the Cardinals, but Bowling Green’s front line wouldn’t back down, and the Falcons were able to win the third set in an intense overtime, 30-28.
The fourth set started with an amazing kill from Otten. But the fourth set was controlled by the Cardinals, with freshman outside hitter Carson Tyler recording 20 kills on the evening, placing the ball on the back left of the court on nearly every point. Ball State pulled away with the fourth to even the match at two sets apiece, 25-17.
Going into the fifth set, Bowling Green knew they had something to prove and started hot, forcing a Ball State timeout at five to two.
Bowling Green continued to dominate the fifth and ended the game with a 15-11 victory, giving the Falcons their first Mac win of the year.
Senior outside hitter Mia Tyler led BGSU with a season-high 17 kills, while Otten paced the Falcons with a season-high 48 assists. Meanwhile graduate student defensive specialist Lindsey LaPinta paced Bowling Green with 14 digs and Mettille recorded a team-high six blocks.
Looking forward, the Falcons rematch Ball State in Muncie, Indiana, on September 28th, with the first serve set for 4 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will have the call on WBGU 88.1 FM, beginning at 3:45 for pregame. Rebroadcasts of the calls will also be available after the game on the BG Falcon Media YouTube channel.
