BGSU volleyball, after their next match against Indiana, will play their fourth match in a row against a team receiving votes for the top-25 in the AVCA NCAA Volleyball rankings.
Alex DelPiombo, BG’s first season head coach, led her first matches in person against No. 15 Kansas, No. 17 Purdue, and No. 23 Georgia Tech in West Lafayette, Ind., falling 0-3 to the still-top-25 teams.
Yet the 0-3 doesn’t communicate the five-set fights against Purdue (at their home court) and Georgia Tech, or even the two-set lead against the Ramblin’ Wreck. Still work to be done, but five sets won from top competition bodes well for the possibility of two MAC titles and maybe an NCAA Tournament appearance.
No weekend can get much more difficult than the previous, although BG continues their ranked streak with Indiana, a hot-start Big Ten program looking for a breakthrough season. The rest of the Loyola Invitational includes matches against Stephen F. Austin on Friday, Sept. 12, and Loyola Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Indiana Hoosiers
A 15-15 team in 2024, the Hoosiers have their best start since 2017, a 5-0 record with a five-set tester win over RV Miami and four sweeps. Head coach Steve Aird returns a solid offensive core from 2024, a freshman setter, and two proven attackers.
A staple on the left side, senior Candela Alonso-Corcelles scored 409 kills in 2024, also passing the 1,000 career kill mark during the first match of 2025. She plays opposite senior right-side hitter Avry Tatum, who knocked 348 kills in 2024 and has already smacked four 10+ kill matches in 2025.
Serbian setter Teodora Krickovic has put up an impressive display in her rookie campaign, totaling 30+ assists in all five of Indiana’s matches and 10.7 assists per set, third in the Big Ten. Alonso-Corcelles and Tatum combine for about 120 of Krickovic’s 182 assists this season, the safety outlets for the newbie setter.
Stephen F. Austin
Coming off hosting their own tournament, the Ladyjacks took two wins and their first loss of the season, now 4-1 overall in head coach Debbie Humphreys’ 38th season. One of only two active D1 head coaches to reach the 800-win milestone, Humphreys has an 846-376 record coming into the 2025 season, winning 12 regular-season championships, eight coach-of-the-year awards, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
One of the best blocking teams in the Southland Conference (SLC), SFA is led by its two middle blockers, junior Kyanna Creecy and sophomore Jordan Henderson. The Ladyjacks have out-blocked every opponent so far this season, the duo recording four 5+ block games this season.
The SLC Freshman of the Year and Southerland All-Conference First Team selection in 2024, sophomore Katherine Holtman leads SFA in total points, kills, hitting percentage, and aces, third in blocks. She totaled 372.5 total points in 2024, first in kills, second in blocks, and fourth in hitting percentage.
Loyola Chicago
Searching for their first wins at their home court, Gentile Arena, the Ramblers are maybe the weakest team in the tournament, with only 2-4 this season. Their wins come only against Illinois State and Drake, the best loss being a five-setter against Wright State in their first series of the season.
Loyola Chicago lost their leading two of three leaders in points, kills, and digs from the 2024 season. They return two strong middle blockers, senior Ann Marie Remmes and junior Avary DeBlieck, who have a combined 120 points in six matches through 2025, leading blocking in both 2024 and 2025.
Sophomore libero Sam Falk led Loyola Chicago in digs and was second in aces during her rookie season in 2024. She already has about one-third of her total digs in 2024 through six matches, also leading the Ramblers in aces with 16. Both marks lead the Atlantic-10.
Bowling Green
Coming off a frustrating but strong week in West Lafayette, the Falcons settled into a more set rotation, especially against Georgia Tech. This stemmed, in part, from freshman outside hitter Ava Buddelmeyer making her first set played against Kansas, being first off the bench against Purdue and Georgia Tech, and totaling 26 kills through three matches, 12 alone against Purdue.
Despite playing only three sets in North Dakota, sophomore DS Avery Anders played 12 sets in BG’s second invitational, recording 10 digs, three aces, and being the main defensive replacement for much of the week. The improving defense also includes sophomore libero Sydnie Hernandez, redshirt junior Belle Laube and freshman Alivia Brown, all playing more than 13 sets.
