BGSU volleyball (8-6, 2-0) travels again this season, this time for the first road games of the 2025 MAC campaign, to take on Eastern Michigan (8-7, 0-2) on Friday, Oct. 1st, and Central Michigan (3-11, 0-2) on Saturday, Oct. 2nd.
The first game on Friday against the Eagles will start at 6:00 p.m. EST. Eastern Michigan has an 8-7 overall record so far this season, but has lost its last three matches, two of which were in MAC play against Western Michigan and NIU.
NIU swept the Eagles in the match, beating EMU in almost every statistical category. The Eagles dug out 55 balls and tallied five blocks as a squad, a strong defensive performance.
Although the Falcons have gone 7-3 against the Eagles in their last 10 matches, Eastern Michigan won the previous game in the Stroh last season, three sets to two in a nail-biter.
Central Michigan will face off against Bowling Green in the second matchup on Saturday, which is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. The Chippewas are 3-11 overall this year and lost in five sets to both WMU and NIU.
Much like Eastern Michigan, CMU took a win against the Falcons at the Stroh last season in five sets despite BGSU winning seven of their previous 10 matches. The Orange and Brown lost their only two regular-season MAC games last season to the Chippewas and the Eagles.
Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Michigan has yet to win a game against a stronger opponent this season. They have won against Oakland and Purdue Fort Wayne, but have lost to teams like Michigan, WMU, and Xavier.
The player to watch out for on EMU is senior middle blocker Abby Stanford. She is an experienced middle who has racked up 89 kills on a .278 hitting percentage this season. The Zanesville, Ohio, native had a season-high 12 kills against Niagara and has 30 total blocks on the season.
Scouting the Chippewas
Although they have not started the season on a high note, the Chippewas were a strong team last season, besting BG and placing second in the MAC with a record of 15-3. They also forced two good teams, NIU and WMU, to five sets each.
Junior setter Keelyn Muell is the player to watch on CMU. She has tallied 279 assists this season for the Chippewas, as well as 18 kills and 42 assists. Muell had a season-high of 57 assists against Western Michigan in the last match.
Scouting the Falcons
The Falcons have started hot in MAC play, winning two games in just seven sets. Their defense has improved significantly as the season progresses, and now, in MAC play, they are out-digging and out-blocking their opponents.
An unusual pick, but an impactful player to watch out for is BG freshman middle blocker Kendall Williams. She has been putting in great minutes for the Falcons, earning herself 35 kills on a .194 hitting percentage and quietly becoming one of the team’s best blockers with 38 total blocks.
Make sure to tune into both games this week on WBGU 88.1 FM with Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Andrew Smith. Pregame for the Eastern Michigan game will start at 5:45 p.m. on Friday, and the Central Michigan broadcast will begin at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.
