On Thursday, BGSU volleyball (23-9, 16-2 MAC) played the Wright State Raiders (24-7, 16-2 Horizon League) in the Super 16 round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship at the Stroh Center.
With the win, the Falcons advance to the Great 8 and will face the winner of DePaul or Omaha on the road.
“What a great win…this is the first time for me to get two wins in the postseason,” said head coach Danijela Tomic postgame
“This is special, for many reasons,” said Tomic. “To earn a win against an excellent Wright State team that had a great season and [is] just really well coached.”
This is how things went down:
First Set:
The set stayed very close to the start, scoring 8-8 early on. BG grad student libero Lindsey LaPinta remained out for the Orange and Brown, with freshman defensive specialist Sydnie Hernandez taking the libero role yet again.
Bowling Green took the lead going into the first media timeout of the match. They led the Raiders 15-11 after a service error by Wright State grad student outside hitter Sam Ott.
Ott had some strong swings after the break, bringing Wright State to within one with a kill before Coach Tomic called her first timeout. The score remained tight at 21-18 with the Falcons forcing Raiders head coach Travers Green to call his first TO.
The Orange and Brown didn’t waver despite the attempt to stop their momentum. The Falcons poured on the rest of the points needed to win the set without allowing Wright State to score again. BG went up 1-0 in the match with a final set score of 25-18.
Second Set:
Wright State went up to an early lead of 7-4 to start the set. After a short break, the Raiders then pushed their lead to 10-5, prompting a BG timeout.
Poor play from the Falcons caused another timeout from Coach Tomic. Wright State went up on Bowling Green 15-6, taking complete control of the set.
The Orange and Brown fought back despite going down big. The Raiders were still up 21-12, but the Falcons looked much better than they had earlier in the set.
Wright State still took the set 25-13, halting a possible BG comeback and tying up the match at one set apiece.
Third Set:
This set started very close, with the two squads trading blows. The Raiders tied the set at 9 after a well-placed roll by Ott.
Wright State took a small lead but the Falcons battled back with some hard-hitting swings. Bowling Green went into the media timeout up 15-14.
The 20-point mark was reached by the Orange and Brown first, as they led 20-18 thanks to some incredible defensive plays, not just with their blocking but also with their back-row play.
The Raiders closed the gap and tied the set up at 22, which caused a BG timeout, their first of the set. The Falcons got to set point first, with a strike from junior middle blocker Jessica Andrews.
Redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Belle Laube then had a service ace and won the set for Bowling Green. The Falcons went up 2-1 in the match after winning the third set 25-23.
Fourth Set:
Coach Tomic was forced to call an extremely early timeout in this set as her squad went down 5-1 to the Raiders. However, the Falcons again got back in it and tied things up at 8-8.
Bowling Green then went on a run to make the score 15-11. Junior opposite hitter Lauryn Hovey was crushing the ball to put the Falcons in the driver’s seat.
Andrews then had an incredible block to shut down Wright State and force a TO from Coach Green. The Falcons led 19-13.
After an unsuccessful challenge by the Raiders was followed Bowling Green reached match point. The Falcons went on to take the victory due to a service error by junior setter Andrea Bortulin.
Despite their loss, Wright State played hard, “They’re a really scrappy team” said BG junior setter Amanda Otten, who had 41 assists in the win.
“[Wright State] has some pretty heavy hitters but we have been focusing on […] throughout the whole season attacking with our team, defense, playing together [and] back row communication.”
Sydnie Hernandez had herself a great showing at the libero spot the past two matches, getting 13 digs in the match against Binghamton and 15 in this match.
“I love her calmness,” said Tomic when asked about the freshman libero, “her composure is impressive for a freshman.”
Coach Tomic was asked after the match to describe her team this season in one word. “That’s a hard question, just one word. I’ll use the word ‘Tough’. This might be one of the most mentally tough teams.”
“We are good enough to win this whole thing [NIVC],” Coach Tomic said. “I think it’s a realistic goal.”
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