BGSU volleyball (16-8) defends home court against the Toledo Rockets (15-10)
After the Falcons’ successful trip to Miami in which they swept the Redhawks, the Orange and Brown defend home court against their biggest rival, the Toledo Rockets. The Falcons currently sit atop the Mid-American Conference with a conference record of 11-2 and look to extend their conference lead against their rival.
Earlier this season, the Falcons traveled to Toledo’s home court and took home the W in a five-set thriller.
Bowling Green has struggled to defend home court this season with a record of 5-5. The Rockets have had the same kind of struggle on the road with a record of 3-6. So it should be interesting to see whether the Falcons can defend their home court or if the Rockets can steal one away from Bowling Green.
Matchup History:
The Falcons have dominated this matchup against their rival Rockets. Bowling Green’s all-time record against Toledo is 60-18. In their last ten matchups with Toledo, the Falcons have been able to get a record of 8-2.
Bowling Green have particularly dominated this matchup when playing at the Stroh. The Falcons have an all-time home record of 29-5 when facing the Rockets at home.
Bowling Green:
The Falcons are the hottest team in MAC volleyball right now. They sit in first place in the conference and are looking to extend their win streak to seven.
With all of the wins in their streak coming from MAC opponents, the Bowling Greens’ confidence must be at an all-time high. With the season coming to a close soon, the Falcons must use that confidence to win every game that they can.
Toledo:
The Rockets are coming off of back-to-back 0-3 losses against Western Michigan. So it is safe to say that Toledo is ice cold at the moment.
There’s no better time to catch fire and get back in the win column than against your rivals. It’s the perfect opportunity to build momentum and set up a strong winning streak to close out the season.
Key Players:
#16 Middle Blocker: Alexis Mettille, Bowling Green
The fifth-year middle blocker has been one of the Falcons’s most consistent offensive players on the season. Alexis Mettille had ten kills in her last match against the Miami Redhawks, hopefully, she can keep that offensive momentum going against the Rockets.
Something else to watch in this matchup is Mettille’s blocking ability. Mettille has 102 blocks on the year and is hoping to continue that blocking ability against the Rockets.
#14 Opposite Hitter: Lauryn Hovey, Bowling Green
Junior Opposite Hitter Lauryn Hovey had a team-high 12 kills in the team’s last matchup against Miami. Hovey has been an offensive juggernaut for the Orange and Brown this season.
In the last matchup against Toledo, Hovey had 12 kills as well in a five-set thriller. Hopefully, Hovey and the Falcons can continue their current offensive onslaught against the Rockets.
#17 Outside Hitter: Taylor Alt, Toledo
Despite getting swept in Toledo’s last matchup, fifth-year outside hitter Taylor Alt was one of the few bright sides of the match for the Rockets. She racked up a team-high 11 kills and is hoping to continue that offensive momentum she had last game against Bowling Green.
The last time BG and UT faced off, Alt had a game-high 19 kills. If she can repeat that kind of performance, then the Rockets will have a really good chance to knock off the Falcons.
#21 Outside Hitter: Izzy Granger, Toledo
Junior outside hitter Izzy Granger had the second most kills with 12 when the Rockets last faced the Falcons. Granger gave the Falcons problems last time they faced, so shutting her down will be a key strategy for the Orange and Brown.
Granger is in a cold spell at the moment, as she only has ten kills in her last two games combined. If she can get going offensively, then that will be a key factor for the Rockets’s strategy against the Falcons.
You can catch the rivalry matchup of the Falcons and Rockets through the voices of Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Chas McNeil on WBGU 88.1 F.M. at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.
