BGSU volleyball (13-13, 7-7 MAC) played its second game of the weekend against Miami of Ohio (13-13, 7-7 MAC), falling short Sunday as its struggles on the road became more evident.
After the weekend, the Falcons hold a 3-8 record away from home, with the Mid-American Conference tournament just three weeks away.
In the first set of the matchup, Bowling Green started strong, effectively setting up its offense and gaining an early lead over the RedHawks. However, Miami quickly turned the momentum in its favor.
Hayden Hicks and Molly Creech led the charge for RedHawks as the team chipped away at the Falcons’ lead early in the set. Miami committed several errors early on but improved steadily, becoming more efficient and better at protecting the ball. The RedHawks ran a solid three-person offense, forcing Bowling Green to adjust defensively.
Having BGSU recover from their mistakes after Miami went on a six-point run in the first set, Alex DelPiombocalled multiple timeouts to try to adjust and win the set. However, they came up short, ending the first set with a score of 25-20.
In the second set, similar results were seen. Jessica Andrews was red hot in this game and showed her impact on the court, forcing the RedHawks to play strong defense around her, with the women going back and forth.
But then, in the middle of the set saw the same pattern again: BGSU was not playing crisp volleyball, whether because of chemistry issues or fatigue, which was hurting them. BGSU committed many service errors, giving the Falcons another 11-point deficit they couldn’t recover from.
With everything going right for Miami to win the set 25-14, they take a 2-0 lead, riding high on the momentum from the first set.
Showing the RedHawks’ defense keeping plays alive during broken plays. Having a strong transition of their hitters and setter making good plays in the middle of the lane, leading to kills, digs and points.
BGSU is not settling down in the game, forcing them into a position of discomfort, which leads to these errors, as the game continues into the final set.
Taking all the wind out of the Falcons’ sails, the RedHawks dominated in the box score and in the net, with nothing going right for Bowling Green and everything going right for Chelsea Williams.
The only other bright spot in this game for the Falcons was Kendall Williams leading the Falcons’ offense, with Avery Hobson being quiet in this game.
The third and final set saw Miami maintain the pressure from set two, winning this one with a score of 25-7, 3-0 to end the game.
Bowling Green sees itself coming home against Akron on Friday, Nov 7, at 6 p.m. next week, hoping to get back into the win column and into the top six.
