Jack Rintamaa
Bowing Green, OH - Falcons celebrating after taking the first set from the Rockets at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Who can beat BGSY volleyball right now?
That’s the question the rest of the Mid-American Conference will be asking, as the Orange and Brown (18-8, 13-2 MAC) took care of business Friday night against Northern Illinois (3-22, 1-14 MAC).
Here’s how it happened:
Set 1: 26-24 (BG lead 1-0)
The teams played evenly in the first frame, exchanging some leads and finding themselves tied 14-14. Shortly after, the Falcons placed distance between the teams, closing in on a set 1 win with a 23-19 lead.
The Huskies refused to roll over, responding with five straight points to take a 24-23 advantage. 2 straight Lauryn Hovey kills made the score 25-24 BG, and a Jordan Newblatt kill marked 26 points, claiming the first set for the Falcons.
Set 2: 25-21 (BG lead 2-0)
Northern Illinois flexed their muscles early in the second set, going up 6 to 3, but the Falcons immediately responded with three straight points to tie the match at six a piece.
The Falcons outscored the Huskies 6-2 to take a 12-8 lead, their largest lead of the set.
NIU was able to find four straight points later in the set thanks to a service error and two attacking errors from the Falcons, but ultimately, the Orange and Brown never let go of the lead and put the set away 25-21
Set 3: 26-24 (BG wins 3-0)
The Huskies started the third set looking to avoid elimination and played as such, jumping out to an early 2-5 lead. BG tied it up on three straight points, and the teams continued back and forth before NIU broke away.
Taking an 11-8 lead, the Huskies managed to stay ahead and extend it to 20-14. The Falcons were unfazed, scoring six straight points to even the game at 20 all. T
he teams traded points back and forth to tie at 24, at which point two straight Falcon points ended the set 26-24, and the clean match sweep for BG.
Notable Stats:
BG outhit NIU .240 to .169 overall, hitting more efficiently than the Huskies in each set.
Mia Tyler led all players with 11 kills.
Amanda Otten led the match with 33 assists.
Jessica Andrews’ .500 hitting percentage led the Falcons, and her nine kills tied for 2nd.
Friday’s win marks the Falcons’ 8th straight match won, with 6/8 being sweeps.
The Falcons will look to complete the sweep of NIU at 5 p.m. in Dekalb on Saturday. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will be on the call, with pregame starting around 4:45 p.m. on WBGU 88.1 FM.