BGSU volleyball (16-14, 10-8 MAC) swept the Buffalo Bulls ( 9-18, 6-12 MAC) 3-0 to close out the regular season, and with the Toledo win over Akron, Bowling Green clinches a spot in the MAC Tournament.
Bowling Green came out firing in the opening set, using strong serving pressure and early offensive rhythm to build a quick advantage. The Falcons jumped ahead 9-2 behind a pair of aces from Sydnie Hernandez and kills from Anastasija Bozic, forcing Buffalo into an early timeout.
The pressure didn’t let up as BGSU continued to capitalize on Buffalo attack errors and added another burst of scoring with kills from Jessica Andrews and Amanda Otten to stretch the lead to 16–6.
As the set approached its finish, Jordyn Romano and Reese Collins put up a pair of key blocks for Buffalo, but the Falcons’ balanced attack continued to overwhelm the Bulls. Otten delivered a kill and then set up Bozic and Andrews on back-to-back points, pushing the score to 23–15. Buffalo added a point on a service error, but BGSU closed the door with a Bozic kill to secure a 25–17 opening-set victory.
The second set opened with both teams trading points early, but Bowling Green again established momentum behind steady setting from Otten and aggressive swings from Avery Hobson and Bozic.
The Falcons rattled off a series of points, including an ace from Avery Anders, building a 7–3 advantage at the media timeout. Buffalo tried to respond through Emerson Matthews, but BGSU’s blocking and transition game kept the Falcons in control, extending the lead to 15–9.
A late Buffalo service error and another Bozic kill brought the Falcons to set point at 24–19. The Bulls earned one back with a kill from Manoela Forlin, but BGSU closed out the frame confidently, taking the 25–20 win and a 2–0 lead in the match.
Buffalo opened the third set with improved energy, grabbing a 6–4 lead behind steady setting from Maddie Mitchell and swings from Matthews and Romano. However, once Bowling Green settled into its rotation, the Falcons quickly flipped momentum.
Out of the media timeout, Buffalo struggled to contain the Falcons’ offense. Hobson and Kendall Williams connected on multiple kills while Bozic continued to pressure the Bulls at the net and from the service line. BGSU pushed its lead to 17–12 after a block from Andrews and Helen Wilford, prompting another Buffalo timeout.
The Bulls made a brief push behind Matthews, who posted several kills to cut the deficit to 21–18, but BGSU refused to let the set slip. Out of a Falcons timeout, Otten and Hobson steadied the attack, and Bozic delivered a crucial kill.
With the set in hand, BGSU closed it out emphatically. A Williams kill made it 24–18, and on the next rally, Bozic sealed the sweep with a service ace, giving Bowling Green the 25–18 win and a clean 3–0 match victory.
The MAC Tournament begins next week, starting Friday, Nov. 21, and ends on Sunday, Nov. 23 at the Stroh Center. Falcon Media Sports Network will have full coverage of the match throughout the duration of the tournament on bgfalconmedia.com.
