BGSU volleyball (2-4) looked to rebound after suffering a tough, but promising loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in four sets against the number 15-ranked team in the country.
The road did not become any easier for the Falcons as they took on the No. 17 nationally ranked Purdue Boilermakers.
Despite another loss, the Orange and Brown have been putting out great showings against high-level opponents, showing potential for the rest of the non-conference schedule and MAC play.
In the first set, the Falcons led the Boilermakers most of the way, even leading at one point 17-12, with the BG offense simply surprising and overwhelming Purdue.
This offense proved to be challenging to keep up with, and the Boilermakers mounted a comeback and won the first set of the match on their home floor 25-21.
Although the Falcons led for much of the first set, the second set did not start the same way, with Purdue quickly building a 14-10 lead over BGSU.
The Orange and Brown did not go away, though, and they continued to remain calm and comfortable against a strong foe on the road. BG managed to tie things up at 17-17.
Purdue head coach Dave Shondell was forced to call a timeout after the Falcons went up 23-21 in the second set due to a block from junior setter Amanda Otten.
BGSU went on to win the set 25-22, tying up the match at 1-1, with both teams coming back from point deficits to win their respective sets.
Early on in the third set, Purdue led 7-5 thanks to smart setting plays by junior setter Taylor Anderson.
The Boilermakers kept the Falcons in the rear-view mirror for the rest of the third set, leading 17-8 heading into a media timeout.
Purdue won the third set 25-16, overpowering the Orange and Brown and not allowing themselves to make the mistakes they had in the previous two sets.
In the fourth set, the Boilermakers continued to keep control of the match. They led BGSU 15-12 as the set progressed.
However, the Falcons fought their way back to tie the match at 20-20 and then forced extra points, with the game remaining tied at 25-25.
Bowling Green then stepped up their blocking late in the set and won the fourth set 28-26 to reach a fifth and final set against a power four opponent.
The tiebreaker was close at 5-4 in favor of Purdue. It remained very close throughout this set, with the Boilermakers keeping a steady one-point margin over BG.
After Purdue extended this lead to 10-8, head coach Alex DelPiombo called a timeout to refocus her squad. But it did not seem to matter, as the Boilermakers went on to win the set 15-9.
The 3-2 victory for the Boilermakers came as a relief after their previous loss to Georgia Tech. A loss to the unranked Falcons might have resulted in Purdue losing its top 25 ranking.
The Falcons showed that they can hang with tough opponents and win some of those games. Many of their new players got an opportunity to play and took advantage of it.
Senior right side Lauryn Hovey broke Petra Indrova’s fifth-place career kill record at Bowling Green, with Hovey tying that record and then standing alone with it during the match.
The right side played exceptionally well, leading both teams in kills with 30 on a .481 hitting percentage. Hovey also had 11 digs and three aces.
Freshman outside hitter Ava Buddelmeyer had herself a great game as well. She put up 12 kills on a solid .182 hitting percentage in a match that was her first real chance to prove herself on a D1 level.
Otten had 50 assists in the match, as well as 11 digs to get herself another double-double on the year. Her improvement coming into this year cannot be understated.
Next on the agenda for BGSU is the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 1 p.m. tomorrow, back in Holloway Gymnasium. Ben Corak will be on WBGU 88.1 FM calling that match as well. Tune in at 12:45 p.m. for the pregame before the first set begins.
