Bowling Green (2-4) ended the Stacey Clark Classic in Purdue on Friday by battling No. 23 Georgia Tech (4-1) to a fifth set. The match marked senior middle blocker Jessica Andrews’ first game back in a Falcon uniform after playing overseas with the Canadian National Team.
The Yellow Jackets had won against Purdue but lost against Kansas in four sets during the tournament up until their matchup against BGSU.
After trailing early, the Falcons took the lead in the first set 15-12, keeping up the momentum from their great play against Purdue the previous day.
Hitting for the Orange and Brown continued to be impressive from all parts of the court, which is partly due to the improvements of junior setter Amanda Otten, but also the improvements in the back row by the BG squad.
The Falcons went on to win the first set 25-19, leading a ranked Georgia Tech team 1-0 heading into the second set.
BG continued to control the game in the second, leading the Yellow Jackets 13-7 before the Georgia Tech head coach Michelle Collier was forced to call a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Bowling Green continued to hit well while also forcing the GT hitters to make mistakes, not allowing them to tool off the Falcon blocks.
Again, the Orange and Brown were the first to reach 20, but the Yellow Jackets began storming back, pulling to within three at 20-17 and forcing a head coach Alex Delpiombo timeout.
Despite the pressure applied by Georgia Tech, the Falcons did not waver, winning the set 25-22 and putting themselves up 2-0 in the match.
The third set started with back and forth between the two squads, with Georgia Tech pulling ahead by a few points and going up 15-12 entering the media timeout.
GT would be the team to reach 20 first with a score of 20-17, but Bowling Green clawed back into the set, tying things up at 20-20.
Despite an attempt at a late comeback by the Falcons, the Yellow Jackets held fast to the third set and won it 25-22.
The momentum built in the third set carried over into the fourth for Georgia Tech, as they left BGSU behind and did not look back. The Yellow Jacket took control and won the fourth set 25-17.
BG had lost a 2-0 set lead over the 23rd-ranked team in the country, but it should be no surprise that Georgia Tech fought back into the match to tie the sets at 2-2.
The Yellow Jackets would cruise through the fifth and final set, beating Bowling Green 15-9 in the set and 3-2 for the match.
Although losing in reverse sweep fashion is disheartening, the Falcons put up a good fight to force a fifth set against a highly ranked opponent.
Senior right side Lauryn Hovey was the leader for both teams in kills with 22 on a .304 hitting percentage with three aces, three blocks, and eight digs.
Junior outside hitter Avery Hobson had 17 kills on a .152 hitting percentage and 10 digs for the match. Andrews had a solid return game, putting up seven kills and six total blocks in her first game back.
Taking ranked teams to extra sets is a big step forward for the Falcons, who will only get better as the season continues.
Next up on the schedule for BG is the Loyola Invitational, where the Orange and Brown will look to secure wins against Indiana, Stephen F. Austin and Loyola.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Andrew Smith will be covering the team as they travel to Chicago. Tune into WBGU 88.1 FM at 4 p.m. to catch the first match against Indiana.
