BGSU volleyball (13-11, 7-5) swept their rivals Toledo (17-7, 8-4) in three sets for the first time since 2008.
BGSU came into the match with an added layer of intensity, knowing who their opponent was, and ultimately wanting to defeat Toledo after losing in four sets earlier this month.
“I’m glad that we’re the ones that broke the streak,” said head coach Alex DelPiombo. “The intercompetitive in me is like, let it be us, but I love that matchup.”
From the jump, both BG and the Rockets were locked in as the entire first set was kept close. Both teams entered the tail end of the 1st set knotted up at 19 apiece. Later on, Junior outside hitter Marija Tabak handled a kill to put the Orange and Brown up 24-22.
Junior setter Amanda Otten made the most out of her return as she possessed 10 assists to lead the Falcons to victory, as they won 26-24, after a kill from junior outside hitter Avery Hobson.
The second set started immensely similar to how the first set began. Toledo was tied with Bowling Green at 9-9 in the early going.
Following the tie, the Falcons took advantage of three straight Toledo attack errors to lead the Rockets 12-9, and forced Toledo’s head coach Brian Wright to use his first timeout of the second set.
The Orange and Brown began to pull away with a four-point edge after back-to-back kills by redshirt sophomore outside hitter Edyta Waclawczyk to put the Falcons ahead 20-16. And BGSU ended up beating the Rockets 25-20 in the second set by another match-sealing kill from Hobson.
The tightly contested affair continued into the third, yet Toledo found themselves up early, holding an 11-8 advantage. The Rockets’ momentum continued after Toledo’s redshirt sophomore middle blocker Kayla Ozanich hammered a kill to put Toledo on top 15-9, and later forced DelPiombo to call an early timeout.
That said, Bowling Green’s grit kept Toledo within striking distance as they were down 20-18, which forced Toledo to use their final timeout of the third set. And a couple points later, tying the match at 22 a piece following another kill from Hobson.
After another back-and-forth battle, BG finally put an end to an incredible third set by winning it all 29-27 after an attack error from Toledo.
The big headliner following Bowling Green’s win was Otten’s return to the lineup. Otten finished the night with 18 total assists and proved to be a difference maker all night long for the Orange and Brown.
“Amanda is, without question, a difference maker on our team,” said DelPiombo. “She was a huge leader for us. Amanda does a great job of adding that depth, being able to run our middle and give our pins some one-on-one opportunities.”
Additionally, the Falcon fans proved to have a crucial role throughout the match to provide a huge upper hand.
“I have always been obsessed with our fans. I mean, I picked BG for the community,” said Otten. “I picked it for the people, and just seeing that, and really feeling them, and knowing that they have our back is super awesome.”
After a statement win by Bowling Green, they now find themselves with an overall record of 13-11 and a 7-5 conference record in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). BGSU will now focus all its attention on Miami (OH), as those two schools meet this Friday in Oxford, Ohio.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have full coverage of the match on bgfalconmedia.com.
