The stage is set for a Bowling Green (21-8, 16-2 MAC) and Western Michigan (18-12, 13-5 MAC)rematch in the MAC Tournament.
If you recall, BGSU lost to WMU in the MAC Championship match in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 2023, the home of the Broncos. In 2024, the Falcons face them in the semifinal in Bowling Green’s Stroh Center, possibly Western Michigan’s second and Bowling Green’s sixth MAC Championship appearance in a row.
BGSU has the advantage of a day’s rest, while WMU played a game against Buffalo, granted not a close one. The Broncos had a dominant victory, dropping only the third set, the only time Buffalo scored 20+ points in the match.
It was an impressive display from WMU’s offense, which had four players with 10+ kills. Middle blockers Mary Clare Brusek and Madison Merz combined for 28 kills, while their outside hitters Julia Marr and Keona Salesman scored 24 kills, 52 kills out of 61 total for WMU.
The Broncos have come into their own recently. They finished the season with a nine-game win streak, followed by a split in the last series against number three-seeded Ball State. Additionally, three of the five conference losses have come from the one and two seeds and all five from tournament teams.
However, the Falcons fit well against Western Michigan, even though it should be a close game. The best blocking team in the MAC had their best blocking game of the season against WMU, with 26 total blocks in two games for BG.
This is mainly because Western Michigan is one of the most blocked teams in the MAC, with 2.3 average blocks per set. This puts a massive spotlight on the front row of the orange and brown, including Alexis Mettille, Jessica Andrews, and Amanda Otten.
Danijela Tomic’s Bowling Green teams (2012-now) are 3-2 against Western Michigan in the MAC tournament. WMU most recently beat BG in the 2023 MAC Championship and in the 2017 semifinal match, both in five sets (3-2 WMU), whereas the Falcons bested the Broncos in the 2020-21 MAC Championship in four, the 2016 quarterfinal in four and the 2012 semifinal in five.
Overall, Tomic is 13-7 against head coach Colleen Munson and the Broncos, winning two in 2024, losing all three matches in 2023, and preceding that with a six-game win streak against Munson from 2019-2022.
The Falcons and Broncos will match up at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23. Falcon Media Sports Network will have a broadcast starting at 3:45 on WBGU 88.1 FM.
