BGSU volleyball (8-6) traveled to the Savage Arena for the Battle of I-75, where they defeated the Toledo Rockets (9-6) 3-2, coming back with three straight set wins to take the victory and improve to 3-0 against the Mid-American Conference (MAC)  

Here’s how it went down:  

First set  

To begin the set, Toledo jumped to a 5-1 lead in the first set, imminently getting the Falcons on their toes.   

Heading into head coach Danijela Tomic’s first timeout, the Orange and Brown were down 9-3 against their I-75 rivals.  

Straight out of the timeout, BG’s sophomore right side Amanda Otten snapped BG’s scoreless streak with a one-handed hit over the top of the net, an attack error and two kills by senior outside hitter Mia Tyler got BG within two points of the Rockets, now 9-7.  

Two straight kills via Otten and a service ace by freshman defensive specialist Syndie Hernandez got the Falcons within a one-point deficit, 19-18 the Falcons knocking on the Rocket’s door after being down by six earlier yet again.  

Despite several late rallies by the Orange and Brown, Toledo took the first set with a final score of 25-22.  

Bowling Green recorded five total errors during the first set.   

Second set (Toledo up 1-0)  

The second half began much closer than the first. Tyler’s seventh kill of the night got BG down by only one score, down 6-5 to start the set.  

The opening minutes of the second set were tightly contested, with BG within one point of the Rockets for long periods, itching to get their first lead.  

A 3-0 scoring run by Toledo caused coach Tomic to use her first timeout of the set, BG down 12-9 nearly halfway through the set.  

Toledo’s margin grew even wider, now up 18-13, as coach Tomic used her second timeout. 

Bowling Green got their first lead off the day off a Hernandez service ace, up 22-21 against the Rockets.  

Bowling Green and Toledo, tied 24-24, went into extra sets, with the Rockets winning 26-24 against the Orange and Brown.  

Third set (Toledo up 2-0)  

Down 2-0 in sets, the Orange and Brown opened with a 4-2 lead in the third set, their largest lead of the night thus far.  

Four straight BG points, three via plays from fifth-year middle blocker Alexis Mettille, put the Orange and Brown up 13-9, forcing a Toledo timeout.  

Junior opposite hitter Lauryn Hovey forced two attack errors on Toledo’s Sierra Pertzborn, BG now up 17-11, forcing Toledo to use their second timeout.   

After two sets of close losses, Bowling Green finally took their first set victory with a 25-18 final to force a fourth set.  

After two sets with 12 attack errors, the Falcons recorded their first set of the day without a single error.  

Fourth set (Toledo up 2-1)  

Heading into the fourth set of the night, Bowling Green jumped back into their momentum, securing a 9-5 lead.   

Both teams battled and battled, the same story as was the rest of the night, going down to extra sets where Bowling Green took the 26-24 set victory, tying the sets 2-2.  

Fifth set (tied 2-2)  

Starting the extra set of the night, Tyler found her way back to two kills to put the Falcons up 6-3 early in the fifth set.  

Tied 10-10, Bowling Green scored five straight points to defeat the Toledo Rockets in the battle of I-75, with a final score of 15-10, with a kill from Edyta Waclawcyzk.  

Tyler finished with 17 kills for the Falcons, with Hovey contributing 12 kills. 

Toledo’s senior outside hitter, Taylor Alt, finished with 19 kills for the Rockets.  

Otten finished with a career-high 53 assists in a single game.  

Bowling Green improves to 8-6 on the season and 3-0 against the MAC. The Falcon’s next matchup will be a big one, against Western Michigan at the Stroh Center for a two-game series, starting on Friday, Oct. 4th, at 6 p.m.