Bowling Green volleyball (3-5) went to battle against Loyola Chicago (3-5) on Saturday night to wrap up the Loyola Invitational.
Both teams entered Saturday’s game with a 1-1 record in the tournament, and the Falcons were eager to leave Chicago with a winning record over the weekend.
BG started fast, entering the first set taking an early 6-1 lead, forcing Loyola to call a quick timeout. Yet, the Ramblers stormed back, making it an Orange and Brown 12-10 advantage, compelling BG head coach Alex Delpiombo to call one of her own.
Junior Avery Hobson played well for the Falcons in the first set as she took charge of the team and ultimately helped BG respond and gain momentum. As the first set carried on, Bowling Green possessed a 20-17 lead as Loyola was forced to burn their final timeout of the first set.
However, Bowling Green continued to dominate and eventually secured the first set by winning 25-22.
The second set started with both teams scoring at a high rate, with an early tie between Bowling Green and Loyola Chicago at 10-10 a piece.
At that moment, the Orange and Brown began to seize momentum of the match as they had possession of a 17-13 lead over the Ramblers, and forced Loyola to use their last timeout of the second set. After a late push by Loyola, the Falcons were able to secure a 2-0 lead after junior Amanda Otten set up senior Lauryn Hovey for a kill and prevailed over BG to a 25-21 victory.
Towards the start of the third set, the Ramblers grasped more of an aggressive approach in how they were performing. Early on in the third set, they collected several points and led Bowling Green 7-3. The Orange and Brown responded by making it a 12-11 Loyola advantage, yet the Ramblers seized control and beat BG by a final score of 25-19 while forcing a fourth set of the match.
After watching how quickly Loyola started in the third set, Bowling Green acquired the same mentality. BG led Loyola by an 11-8 score early in the fourth set, and continued to dominate by controlling a 17-13 edge.
At that moment, desperation began to circulate through the air for the Ramblers as BG possessed a 20-13 lead, leaving Loyola with no choice but to call their last timeout of the fourth set. Loyola pushed the Falcons within four points, making it a 24-20 Falcon lead, but the Orange and Brown scored the next point, wrapping up the match and winning the fourth set 25-20.
Bowling Green finished the weekend on a high note, beating Loyola Chicago in four sets and also completing the tournament with a (2-1) record.
Overall, the Falcons can’t complain about their performance today. Besides the third set, where the Ramblers practically steamrolled their way to victory, BG held their own and can ride this momentum, facing off against other competitive teams in the future.
Bowling Green led Loyola in almost every statistical category in today’s match. A .312 hitting percentage compelled BG to a win, as yet again, Hovey and Hobson were massive difference makers for The Orange and Brown. Additionally, freshman Marin Dunaway also played outstanding.
These three individuals led the way for the Falcons in total kills made in today’s match against the Ramblers.
Bowling Green started out the season facing off against stellar opponents and has pushed many nationally ranked teams to the very end. The latest example of that was against No. 23-ranked Georgia Tech, forcing them to five sets.
The Orange and Brown will look forward to hosting the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Wednesday at home next week.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will be broadcasting Wednesday’s game. Tune into WBGU 88.1 FM at 6 p.m. to listen to the broadcast.
