This week of Mid-American Conference volleyball was filled with sweeps, with only a few games going into a fourth set and none seeing a fifth.
The sweeps on Friday by the Falcons, Chippewas, and Broncos all secured them a spot in the MAC playoffs. Ball State clinched their spot on Saturday also with a sweep.
Let’s get into it.
Election night success for BG:
On Tuesday, the Toledo Rockets took on the Bowling Green Falcons at the Stroh Center. The squads traded the first two sets before the Falcons won out in the last two, winning the match three sets to one.
The Ohio Bobcats went to Kent State to battle the Golden Flashes. They swept Kent State quickly, although the Flashes put up a fight and made the last set close at 25-23.
Eastern Michigan welcomed Central Michigan to their home court and only won the third set. The Chippewas bounced back after a tough loss and proved they’re still a top team in the MAC.
The last game on Tuesday was also a sweep, this time mounted against Northern Illinois at the hands of Western Michigan. The Broncos continue to win after their success last week.
Now, moving on to the weekend.
Bowling Green cleans up against NIU.
The Falcons traveled to DeKalb, Illinois, over the weekend to face off against the Huskies. Northern Illinois played some of their best volleyball this season, but the Falcons still swept them both on Friday and Saturday.
Junior opposite hitter Lauren Hovey had 17 kills on Saturday, the highest kill count between both teams in this series. She also had 18 digs through both games and four service aces.
With three straight wins this week, continuing their win streak to nine, the Falcons stay in first place in the MAC and seal a playoff presence at 14-2. Meanwhile, the Huskies fall to 1-15 on the year.
Broncos dismantle Redhawks
Western Michigan took care of business when Miami came to town this weekend. The Broncos won both games in sweeping fashion and had the Redhawks beaten in almost every major statistical category in both matches.
Junior setter Logan Case played extremely well on both Friday and Saturday. The Broncos’ setter had 75 assists and two aces on the weekend.
Despite a slow start to the season, the Broncos have caught fire these past few weeks. In order to make their bid for first place, they will need to win out and hope that BG loses their final two games.
The Redhawks fall to 1-15 on the year, and it does not seem that they will be making it to the playoffs this year, regardless of what happens.
Bobcats take care of business against the Bills.
Buffalo went to Athens this weekend to take on the Bobcats in what should have been a close matchup between two strong teams. Ohio had different plans.
OU beat the Bills in four sets on Friday and then in three straight sets on Saturday. The Bobcats are proving themselves as competitors late in the season.
Thanks to the two wins, Ohio is at 10-6 on the year to snag a playoff slot, they’ll need to either win out against the Falcons next week.
If they split the series or drop both games, Toledo and Eastern Michigan will need to play poorly for the Cats to maintain a playoff berth.
Buffalo now falls to 10-6, the same as the Bobcats, to make the MAC playoffs, they will need to pick up their play and get out of this lull.
The Cardinals drop the Rockets.
Ball State came to Toledo to face the Rockets in a matchup with high stakes between two playoff contenders.
The Cardinals flew past Toledo and swept them both days of the series. Their win streak continues to eight games, while the Rockets have dropped five in a row.
Toledo will need to bounce back next week if they hope to make the MAC playoffs. Ohio and/or Buffalo will need to lose both their games, and the Rockets will need to win both against Kent State.
Ball State, meanwhile, clinched their playoff spot after winning on Saturday. Although they probably won’t be the top seed, they have played great all season and deserve this shot in the tournament.
Akron cruises to two wins against Eastern Michigan
The Zips were the underdogs heading into this matchup against Eastern Michigan on the road. However, they stunned everybody in the MAC by sweeping the Eagles twice.
The EMU kill leader on Saturday was freshman middle blocker Anna Guard, with five. While Freshman outside hitter Delaney Gash led Akron with 14 kills.
The match left both teams with records of 7-9 and out of playoff contention, regardless of what they or other teams do.
Chippewas make quick work of the Golden Flashes.
Kent State faced off against the Chippewas on their home court. Central Michigan won both games of the series in a sweep.
The Golden Flashes dropped to 1-15 on the year, while CMU is now 13-3, the second-best in the conference. They hope to reclaim first place from BG after next week, pending BG losses and wins for the Chips.
There has been so much MACtion this volleyball season, and the last week of the regular season is sure to have more of it.
