Saturday’s Volleyball Results
Miami 3, Buffalo 0
Bowling Green 3, Northern Illinois 0
Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Ball State 3, Akron 1
Ohio 3, Central Michigan 0
 
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
 
Miami 3, Buffalo 0
Box Score

Bowling Green 3, Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
Bowling Green, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University volleyball program picked up their second win of the weekend with a 3-0 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday (Jan. 23) for the match and weekend sweep.
 
The Falcons maintained a .394 hitting percentage for the match, including a .447 mark in the first set. Behind that success the Orange and Brown advance to 2-0 to begin the season and will now prepare for Western Michigan next weekend. 

The first set began close like the first meeting between the two teams, but a late 4-0 run for the Falcons pushed the score to 23-18 before the Falcons closed out the set with a 25-20 final. 

In the first set alone Katelyn Meyer landed seven kills while Bowling Green put up a .447 hitting percentage, both setting the tone for the match as a whole. 

In the second set the Falcons jumped out to a 3-0 lead and were able to hold the advantage through the set, concluding at 25-22.

Improving upon the first set, Meyer tallied nine kills in the second set with the Orange and Brown hitting north of .400 once again, this time at .433. 

The third set saw the Bowling Green control the score for most of the set, again starting with a 3-0 lead. In all, the set had five ties, but no lead changes before the Falcons clinched the set and the match with a 25-18 score.


Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Western Michigan volleyball team wrapped up a perfect weekend to begin the season with a sweep (25-16, 25-21, 25-22) over Toledo on Saturday night inside Savage Arena.

The Broncos were dialed in on offense registering a .282 attack percentage with senior Rachel Bontrager and sophomore Maggie King each recording double-digit kills for the second straight night. Bontrager led the Broncos once again with 20 kills, five shy of her career-high. The Valparaiso, Ind., native hit .431 against the Rockets with one service ace and three digs.

Following Bontrager was sophomore Maggie King with 12 kills on 20 attempts. King recorded a team and career-high .550 attack percentage. It was a dominant second set for King who earned six of her 12 kills in the second. King ranks second on the team this season with 27 kills.

Rounding out the scoring for WMU was senior Cassandra Smigiel and freshman Abi Wilcoxson with five kills along with redshirt junior Janell Williams with two and freshman Andelyn Simkins with one. Smigiel had a team-high four blocks, one shy of her
career-high.

For the second straight match freshman Logan Case led the Broncos with 38 assists. Case also had one service ace, five digs and two blocks against Toledo on Saturday. Defensively senior Kaley Smith led the way with 17 digs along with five assists.

For the weekend the Broncos had four players register over 10 kills with Bontrager leading the way at 36 kills, averaging 4.50 kills per set. Janell Williams led the team with a .364 attack percentage over the weekend followed by Bontrager (.333) and King (.250).

WMU also had four players with over 10 digs on the weekend as senior Kaley Smith led the Brown & Gold with 49 digs, averaging 6.12 per set. Freshman Logan Case led the Broncos against the Rockets with 85 assists, averaging a staggering 10.62 per set.

Western Michigan opens the season with an overall record of 2-0 and 2-0 in conference play. The Broncos return home next weekend, Jan. 28-29 for a match-up with Bowling Green before hitting the road once again Feb. 4-5 for a showdown with in-state foe Eastern Michigan. 
 

Ball State 3, Akron 1
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - - With the match tied at one set apiece and the Ball State women's volleyball team down 23-20 in the third to visiting Akron, the Cardinals (2-0, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) found themselves in an unfamiliar place in the young season.
 
However, a Zips (0-2, 0-2 MAC) service error and a heads-up play by redshirt sophomore setter Esther Grussing (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) two rallies later helped turn the tide and allowed Ball State to pick up a 3-1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-19) victory Saturday evening at Worthen Arena.
 
"I have a lot of respect for that team," acting head coach Fritz Rosenberg said about Akron after the win. "To go 2-0 against a veteran team with a lot of underclassmen on our side of the net shows the trust that we have in each other; shows the belief that we have in each other and really set some good groundwork for the rest of the season."
 
Grussing was able to fool the Akron defense and place a perfect dump to the middle of the court to even the third set at 23. Sophomore middle Marie Plitt (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) extended the run to four points with a big overpass smash on the next play, while a Zips attack error closed the set and capped a huge rally that ended up determining the outcome of the match.
 
The Cardinals would then jump out to a 7-3 edge in the fourth set and never look back to pick up its 11th straight win over MAC competition.
 
Much like last season's run to the MAC Tournament title and NCAA Volleyball Championship berth, Ball State was able to rely on its depth and used a complete team effort in today's come-from-behind rally.
 
Three Cardinals finished the night with double-digit kills, led by 14 apiece from Plitt and sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem (Bolingbtook, Ill./Bolingbrook). Senior outside Kia Holder (Valparaiso, Ind./Morgan Township) was not far behind with 12 markers.
 
Freshman setter Kate Vinson (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) guided the offense early, including to a .469 attack percentage in a dominating 25-15 second-set victory. With the Cardinals trailing late in the third however, the veteran setter Grussing entered and helped spark the big comeback.
 
The Cardinals stuck with a 6-2 the rest of the way, and finished the night with a .252 team attack percentage. Meanwhile, the Ball State defense did another solid job, holding Akron to a .153 rate of success for the match.
 
Freshman middle Lauren Gilliland had another strong night, leading the team with seven block assists, combining with Holder and Mitchem, who had four each, to form a formidable wall.
 
In the backcourt, four Cardinals finished the night with double-figure digs, led by 22 from sophomore libero Maggie Huber (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy). Sophomore outside Natalie Risi (Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory) was next with 17, while Vinson added 13 to go along with her 38 assists for her first career double-double.
 
Sophomore defensive specialist Chloe Rickenbach (Avon, Ind./Avon) was the final defender in double figures with 13.
 
Next up for the Ball State women's volleyball team, a four-match road swing which starts with matches at Buffalo next Thursday and Friday.


Ohio 3, Central Michigan 0
Box Score