Bowling Green 3, Miami 2
Box Score
Bowling Green, Ohio. - The Bowling Green State University volleyball program completed their first comeback of the season to top Miami in a 3-2 final on Friday night (Feb. 5) at the Stroh Center.
 
After falling short in the first two sets and trailing for the first time this season, the Falcons battled back to win the next three sets and capture the victory and series sweep.
 
The win moves Bowling Green to 6-0 early in the season, now just two MAC wins away from matching the conference start from the 2012 campaign.

Petra Indrova paced the Falcons in kills on the night with a season-high 19 kills on a career-high 51 attempts. She also added 16 digs, just one away from her career-high, to log her third double-double of the season. Additionally, she was able to tally her first solo block of the season. 

Katelyn Meyer wasn't far behind in kills, landing 16 while attempting 51, the second-most so far this season. Meyer also set a new career-high for block assists with three in the match. 

Hanna Laube set a new career-high for assists with 53. She also was able to log 13 digs for her first double-double of the season. Laube's stat line concluded with a career-high four kills and three block assists. 

For digs, Julia Walz was atop the stat sheet with a season-high 25. Walz was one of four different Falcons to register double-digit digs.

Nikolija Katanic set a new career-high for block assists and total blocks with eight block assists on the night. Katie Kidwell wasn't far behind on the stat sheet with six of her own.

Katrin Trebichavska also logged a career-high in block assists with four over the five sets.
 
The Falcons will be back on the court next week as they travel to face Ball State. 

 
Ball State 3, Toledo 2
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio - - In yet another thriller between the Ball State women's volleyball team and Toledo, it came down to a decisive fifth frame Friday evening at Savage Arena.
 
After losing the fourth set 25-15, things looked bleak for the Cardinals (5-1, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) heading into the fifth.
 
However, Ball State would score four of the first five points in the decisive frame and never look back, avenging Thursday's loss to the Rockets (2-4, 2-4 MAC) with a 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 15-25, 15-10) victory.
 
That composure and focus was seen from every player on the court.
 
It was seen in senior outside hitter Kia Holder (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) who smashed a season-high and match-best 17 kills.
 
It was seen in sophomore outside hitter Natalie Risi (Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory) who tied her career-high high with 22 digs and added 12 kills for her second straight double-double versus the Rockets this season.
 
It was seen in sophomore libero Maggie Huber (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) who tied her career high set last night with a match-best 35 digs. She also tied a career high with four service aces
 
Behind Huber and Risi, Ball State's defense held an 80 to 78 advantage in digs, while limiting the Toledo offense to a .176 (57-25-162) attack percentage. That defensive effort was also aided by the play of sophomore middle Marie Plitt (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) who had a hand in four of the Cardinals' six total blocks.
 
On offense, Ball State connected for a .202 (59-25-168) rate of success led by the effort of sophomore opposite Allison Hamaker (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) who followed up her strong performance last night with 14 more kills and a .393 (14-3-28) attack percentage.
 
Hamaker was the third Cardinals attacker with double-digit kills, joining Holder and Risi.
 
Two other key contributors on both sides, freshman setter Kate Vinson (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) and redshirt sophomore setter Esther Grussing (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) who handed out 24 and 25 assists, respective. Vinson added 10 digs for her second career double-double, while Grussing added four.
 
The Ball State women's volleyball team looks to continue its solid team effort next Thursday, when it opens a four-match homestand with a 7 p.m. first serve versus MAC East Division leader Bowling Green.
 
 
Akron 3, Ohio 2
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips women's volleyball team snapped a 22-match winless streak against the Ohio Bobcats with a five-set, 3-2 (15-25, 25-12, 25-19, 14-25, 15-7) victory on senior night at James A. Rhodes Arena on Friday.
 
After falling 3-1 to Ohio on Thursday night and the Bobcats extending their winning streak to 22 consecutive matches against the Zips, Akron ended the run on Friday as senior LS Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio) led the way with 12 kills and a .250 hitting percentage – Akron's previous win was a 3-2 victory on Oct. 1, 2010 in Athens, Ohio.
 
Junior RS Teagan Ochaya (Mentor, Ohio) followed with 10 kills, while senior RS Shelby Fulmer (Perrysburg, Ohio) and freshman LS/RS Faith Johnson (Naperville, Ill.) tallied nine and eight, respectively. Senior S Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) tossed-up 22 assists and senior S Taylor Kuruzovich (Port Matilda, Pa.) followed with 16 helpers.
 
Defensively, Akron recorded a season-high 11 total team blocks as seven different players accounted for 20 block assists. For the second straight match, junior MB Megan Kelly (Lakewood, Ill.) posted a career-high seven blocks. Johnson followed with four blocks while Fulmer accounted for three, Ochaya and freshman MB Arianna Barksdale (Chula Vista, Calif.) denied two apiece and Adleta and junior LS Jen Durra (Painesville, Ohio tallied one each. Ochaya recorded the Zips lone solo block and senior DS Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) recorded 29 of the Zips 69 digs.
 
The Zips dropped the first set 25-15 after the Bobcats outscored the Zips 17-8 for the win. The Zips and the Bobcats battled back and forth when Ohio claimed a 9-7 edge from that point, Ohio used the scoring run to close out the first set.
 
The second set was much different as Akron established its dominance from the start. The Zips flew to an 8-3 advantage behind four consecutive kills and three Ohio attacking errors. Akron increased the lead, using another 8-4 run to make it 16-7. Again, the Zips scored in bunches, finishing the set with a 9-5 run. Adleta, Fulmer and Kelly had four kills each, while Ochaya added the final two kills of the Zips 14 total kills. Akron finished the set with a season-high .355 hitting percentage. Weigand posted nine assists and Sharrits had seven digs.
 
Akron also claimed the third set to take a 2-1 match advantage. The set featured 13 tied scores and seven lead changes as Akron surged with four consecutive points when the game was knotted 17-all. Johnson, who led Akron's attack during the third frame with four kills, floored a point between three Bobcat attacking errors. Ochaya added her two kills for points 23 and 24 and junior MB Hannah Yaconis (Batavia, Ill.) delivered the game winner.
 
Ohio bounced back with a 25-14 triumph to even the match and force a fifth set. Ohio opened with a 4-0 run, but Akron was able to even the set 7-7. The Bobcats scored three consecutive points en route to a 18-7 scoring run to deadlock the match two sets apiece.
 
In the fifth and seceding set, the two teams battled to a 5-5 stalemate. Akron outscored Ohio 10-2 from that point fueled by back-to-back service aces from Weigand. Adleta and Fulmer added kills to during Weigand's seven-serve stretch. Four Ohio errors and a kill by Akron's Johnson ended the match in the Zips' favor.
 
After the match Akron honored a pair of graduating seniors in #14 Shelby Fulmer and #13 Taylor Kuruzovich.
 
 
Central Michigan 3, Northern Illinois 1
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Another career high in kills, a good day at the net, and another win for the Central Michigan volleyball team.
 
Savannah Thompson posted a career-high 19 kills as the Chippewas downed Northern Illinois in four sets in a Mid-American Conference match on Friday at McGuirk Arena.
 
The win followed CMU's five-set victory over the Huskies on Thursday as the Chippewas improved to 3-3 in posting their first sweep of the season.
 
The Chippewas took the first two sets, 25-14, 25-18; NIU rebounded to take the third, 25-23, before CMU captured the fourth, 25-20, scoring the final five points. The Chippewas go to Western Michigan for two matches next weekend.
 
Western Michigan 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. – With an overall and conference record at 4-2 the Western Michigan volleyball team is off to its best Mid-American Conference start since 2017 after a four-set victory (25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23) over Eastern Michigan on Friday night.

The Broncos were guided by the duo of senior Rachel Bontrager and sophomore Maggie King who combined to register 40 of WMU's 65 kills against the Eagles. Bontrager posted her second double-double of the season with 21 kills and 12 digs. The Valparaiso, Ind., native registered a staggering .432 attack percentage with one block and one service ace.

It was a career night for sophomore Maggie King who collected a career-high 19 kills to go along a .366 attack percentage and three digs. It's the third time this season King has registered double-digit kills.

The duo of redshirt junior Janell Williams and junior Meredith Phillips each registered a season-high with eight kills. Phillips ranked fourth on the team with a .240 attack percentage while Williams had a .208 attack percentage to go along with one block.

Along with Bontrager, freshman Logan Case earned her first career double-double with a career-high 59 assists and career-high 11 digs. The 59 assists were the most in a match this season for Western Michigan and the first 50-plus assist match for the Broncos since Nov. 2, 2019.

The Broncos had five players with double digit digs led by senior Kaley Smith with 31. Following Smith was freshman Mairead Boyle with 13 followed by Bontrager with 12 and the duo of freshman Andelyn Simkins and Case with 11.

As a team on Friday night the Broncos hit .292 and had a 72.8 percent side-out percentage. WMU had four blocks against the Eagles to go along with four service aces. In two matches against EMU the Broncos hit. 287 and held EMU to a .135 attack percentage. WMU also recorded seven service aces to EMU's three.

With the two-game sweep the Broncos now have an overall and conference record of 4-2. WMU is off to its best start in conference play since 2017. WMU returns home for two matches against in-state rival Central Michigan, Feb. 11-12.
 
 
Kent State 3, Buffalo 0
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Kent State volleyball team did not trail until the third set and finished with a season-best .337 hitting percentage to beat Buffalo 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-17) for the second day in a row.

The Golden Flashes prevented the Bulls from reaching the 20-point mark in all six sets of the two-match series and posted a hitting percentage above .320 in all three sets on Friday while improving to 4-0 to start the Mid-American Conference season for the first time in program history.

Sophomore Taylor Heberle led the match with 15 points on 11 kills and a career-high four aces while posting a career-best .529 hitting percentage. Sophomore Savannah Matthews also had double-digit kills with 12 and junior Melissa Kolurbasi added eight kills. Redshirt junior Alex Haffner finished with 29 assists, eight digs, three kills and one block assist.

Kent State's defense played at a high level once again, limiting Buffalo's attack to a .092 percentage. Junior Lana Strejcek had a season-high six blocks (two solo, four assists) and junior Erin Gardner led the back row with nine digs.

Melissa Kolurbasi opened the match with a kill from the pin. Buffalo tied it at 1-1 before Kent State scored four straight points to take the lead for good. A 9-2 run gave the Flashes their largest lead at 22-9 and Kolurbasi delivered her fourth kill of the set for a 25-14 victory.

Kent State stormed out to a 7-0 lead in the second set. Leading by five, Heberle had three aces as part of another seven-point run to extend it to 21-9. The Bulls responded with a 10-3 run of their own before Jacqlyn Caspers put the set away, 25-19, with a kill.

For the second night in a row, the third set was the match's most competitive. Tied 14-14, strong serving by Alex Haffner put pressure on Buffalo and resulted in four errors as part of a 6-0 run. Taylor Heberle sealed the sweep with a strong swing to end the set, 25-17.

The Flashes will host rival Akron for the spring 2021 home opener inside of the Basketball and Volleyball Development Center on Thursday, February 11 and Friday, February 12.