BGSU volleyball had won none of their past five games on the road. In fact, their last road win was on Oct. 4th, a month and a half ago.
The two wins the Falcons got against Buffalo felt like the culmination of all the hardships and challenges the team faced this season. It was their final chance to respond to adversity.
Now, granted, this is a Buffalo team with just six wins in MAC play, but it felt like it all finally came together for the Orange and Brown, and they not only beat the Bulls in a must-win game but swept them.
The question now becomes, can the Falcons build on this momentum? Can they continue their winning streak to beat Ohio? What about Western Michigan? Their longest winning streak this season is five games; they would need to win a total of six in a row to win the MAC tournament.
A few things need to take place on the court for the Falcons to win the matches necessary. Firstly, they need to serve the way they did against Buffalo. In both games, BG had 10 service aces and consistently forced the Bulls out of the system.
The sophomore duo of libero Sydnie Hernandez and defensive specialist Avery Anders were especially lethal from behind the service line, tallying 11 of those 20 total aces and limiting their service errors.
The outside hitters of freshman Anastasija Bozic and junior Avery Hobson also need to play much like they did against Buffalo. Both played phenomenally out of system and utilized every kind of attack to earn their kills.
And everyone needs to get involved on defense with digs and keeping the ball off the floor. Teams like Western Michigan win matches, including two against Bowling Green, when the entire team backs up the blockers and keeps the rally alive.
Kicking off their tournament run will be a match against the Ohio Bobcats, a team that the Orange and Brown did beat in four sets in the two squads’ first match of the MAC season, but also an OU that handed Ball State their only loss in conference play.
That game will be on Falcon Radio at 7:00 p.m. with Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Andrew Smith. Be sure to tune into the other games of the tournament, also on Falcon Radio at their respective times.
