In 2024, former head coach Danijela Tomic and BGSU volleyball went 5-6 in non-conference play with losses to Illinois, Cincinnati, No. 22 Dayton, and Ohio State twice, winning one set in the five matches. They went on to win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and reach the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) final.
In 2025, head coach Alex DelPiombo and Bowling Green went 6-6 in non-conference play with losses to No. 15 Kansas, No. 17 Purdue, No. 23 Georgia Tech, RV Indiana (received votes), and undefeated Michigan State. They won six sets in those five games, threatening to beat Purdue and Georgia Tech in back-to-back five-set matches. They start MAC play on Sept. 25.
It’s an impressive start to 2025, especially in the context of a 6-1 record against non-power four teams and a 6-2 record against teams that did not receive votes for the top 25, and all with the benefit of only one match played (and won) at home.
It is a new team, a new coaching staff, and different strengths and weaknesses, but it is not foolish to believe the success of 2025 BG Volleyball can reach or surpass that of 2024. All signs point to a team that has not yet played perfectly and yet is rivaling last season in quality thus far.
The star opposite hitter and senior Lauryn Hovey has been very good for BG, a preseason All-MAC honoree and 2024 MAC Player of the Year. She has missed two matches this season for resting purposes and still has managed to compile a team-leading 157 kills and almost five points per set. Her two missed matches are her most in any season thus far; her only other missed match was in 2022.
The biggest addition to BG is junior transfer from Duquesne, outside hitter Avery Hobson. She is beginning to rival Hovey in attacking production, beating Hovey in kills in each of the last three matches both have played, including leading the Falcons in both matches Hovey did not play.
Amanda Otten has maybe had the best season of any Falcon, currently the MAC leader in assists and assists per set. She has not only arguably the best pure setter in the MAC, but she has also contributed almost 100 digs, 39 kills, 32 blocks, and nine aces to being one of the best all-around players in MAC volleyball.
While the pin-hitting and setting have been quite strong, there have been inconsistencies in the second outside hitter, middle blocker attacking, and overall blocking. Yet the pieces to another championship team are still together: depth and talent in outside hitters, a good core of blockers, and a defense that has been bragged on by the coaching staff.
With MAC play imminent, BG’s goal shifts from improvement and refinement to winning above all else. The start of the conference season is the most difficult to scout, with four matches against four different opponents across two weeks. It begins with Ohio, a 2-10 team with pretty poor losses on the resume.
Kent State has done better than Ohio but finished 1-17 in the MAC last season, is tabbed to finish last this season, and sits at 5-6 without a stellar win or loss.
The toughest stretch of conference play comes in three series from Oct. 9 through Oct. 25. The Falcons take on a reinvigorated Northern Illinois squad and preseason number two-ranked Ball State at home and rival Western Michigan on the road. These three series are boxed in by Toledo on the road before NIU and at home after WMU, maybe the most important eight-match stretch of the 2025 season.
There is no replication of MAC play in the preseason; thus, the non-conference schedule is more difficult, by design, than the more important time of year. This is in hopes that the MAC schedule may play out in the same or better manner than it did in 2024.
