BGSU volleyball has had a leader with at least one year of head coaching experience every season since 1984.
In the last 42 years, the Falcons have had only two coaches (Denise Van De Walle and Danijela Tomic) and only two seasons with a new face at the helm.
Promoted in December 2024, first-year head coach Alex DelPiombo is not a new face to Falcon volleyball, yet she has gargantuan shoes to fill in her first-ever test as a head coach.
These shoes of both Van De Walle and Tomic are best suited for a player with a .588-win percentage and 12 Mid-American Conference (MAC) titles, making them a perennial MAC contender over the last 42 seasons.
Even with a new head coach, four assistants, and six players, the program has barely missed a beat. DelPiombo has done her best to ensure a continued belief in success, using many of the same measures to continue growing the size of the Orange and Brown ‘shoe’.
“I think everything has gone really well,” said junior setter Amanda Otten about the offseason and personnel changes. “Especially since Alex (DelPiombo) was already on the staff, it’s very familiar for us. She also brought in Alexa and Chelsi, and they’ve been great.”
Alexa Wharton and Chelsi Carter were the first two coaching hirings DelPiombo completed as head coach. Wharton, who will work with setters and the Falcon attack, previously coached at Tiffin, Memphis, Green Bay, and Wisconsin-Whitewater, playing at Heidelberg.
The addition of Carter aids the back row and defense, as she has coached at Alabama, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and Alabama Birmingham. She played libero for the Blazers for one season and at Samford for four.
“Alex [DelPiombo] killed hiring,” said Wharton on the hiring of Carter, Lukas Pytlak, Dominic Bennett, and herself. “Chelsi [Carter] and I both balance each other so well, and adding Lukas [Pytlak] and Dominic [Bennett] to the fold has only enhanced everything that we’ve done. We are all new, but it feels like we’ve been there and done that for a while now.”
Balance is a trait the team feels has been improving, although the natural staff chemistry has already been noticed by the players.
“They’re two very different coaches,” said Otten about her new mentors. “Chelsi [Carter] is a lot fierier and Alexa (Wharton) is much more composed, but we have figured out the balance between them.”
A team returning so many players can have a difficult time adjusting to a new look staff and new ideas of the game of volleyball. A 2024 First Team All-MAC setter, Otten feels the team’s gradient bond is thanks to DelPiombo’s staff construction and the new assistants’ execution.
“It’s been a pretty smooth transition,” said Otten. “I’ve always enjoyed hearing other people’s opinions on what they think could be better or changed. It’s been pretty similar in the feedback we’ve been getting, but changes have not been difficult.”
Although there are six new players and four new staff members, the foundation of the successful 2024 team is still present. This includes Otten as a First Team All-MAC setter, Lauryn Hovey as the 2024 MAC Player of the Year and three time First Team All-MAC opposite hitter, Jessica Andrews as a highly stable First Team All-MAC middle blocker, and Sydnie Hernandez and Avery Anders, freshmen tandem defensive specialists who will be in a race for the libero role in 2025.
Among the question marks for BG volleyball is a major hole on the left side for the staff to fill. Both outside hitters, Mia Tyler and Jordan Newblatt, competed for the spot last season, each graduating with over 100 sets played in 2024. Wharton has six outside hitters on the team and little idea who will represent the position long term.
“It’s up in the air on who we’re going to see,” said Wharton about the outside hitters. “Avery Hobson is a transfer from Duquesne; she’s been doing great for us here in preseason. Anastasia Bozic is an international player who has been really strong. Eddie (Edyta Waclawczyk), who is a returner, has gotten significant time; you could see her this fall. Ava Buddelmeyer, a freshman, has been working hard. Marin (Dunaway) as well, and all of our outsides have made it such a tough race.”
Like the left side, defensive specialists are another difficult decision for the coaching staff. And, like Wharton, Carter loves the nature of the race and the best it brings from the players in earning a spot on the floor.
“It’s a dogfight, and that’s what we want,” said Carter on the defensive specialist group. “Nothing’s going to be set in stone until the lineup is written. I want people to start to watch our coverage, our hustle. Our job is not to score points, it’s to prolong rallies and get us in the system.”
Outside hitters and defensive specialists are still to be determined, but a middle blocker to join Andrews is less of a difficult choice. Injured for the season in 2024, Helen Wilford played only 45 sets in 2023 but had the highest number of blocks per set (0.91) on the team, more than eventual First Team All-MAC winners, Andrews and Alexis Mettille.
“Don’t sleep on Helen [Wilford] now,” said Carter on the redshirt sophomore. “She doesn’t get stuff blocks all the time, but she slows down so many balls and does so much for the defense.”
Wilford may be thrust into the main role quicker than expected, as Andrews currently competes for Canada’s National Team in the 2025 World Championships in Thailand. She is one of only 25 volleyball players to represent Canada in the tournament.
The Falcon senior plays on Aug. 23 against Bulgaria, Aug. 25 against Spain, and Aug. 27 against Turkey in pool play. Canada could then advance to the Round of 16, a common bracket from this game on. The greatest number of Bowling Green matches Andrews could miss is six, all non-conference, leading up to the Loyola Invitational starting on Sept. 11.
Another season of a rigorous non-conference schedule blesses the Falcons, four weeks of away weekends that include five power four teams, Kansas, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Indiana, and Michigan State. In 2024, BGSU went 0-4 against Power Four teams, winning only one set against Ohio State in the Stroh Center.
“This team is probably sick of playing the same team [themselves] over and over again in preseason,” said Carter on the early matches. “Now we need a new challenge to push us and make sure we’re getting everyone as clean and fine-tuned as possible before heading into MAC play.”
In 2024, Bowling Green volleyball won the MAC Regular Season title, lost in the MAC Tournament semifinals, and went on to reach the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) final.
So what is the team’s goal for this 2025 season?
“A MAC Championship,” said Wharton. “We want to be in the NCAA Tournament. The team wants to level up, to see the tournament and have that experience this season.”
