Friday's MAC Volleyball Results
Bowling Green 3, Akron 2
Northern Illinois 3, Kent State 2
Ohio 3, Western Michigan 1
Toledo 3, Buffalo 2
Miami 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Ball State 3, Central Michigan 2
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Bowling Green 3, Akron 2
Box Score
Bowling Green, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University volleyball program clinched at least a share of the MAC Regular Season Championship while securing the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament on Friday night (March 19) with a 3-2 win over Akron, advancing to 17-0. After failing down 2-1 on the scoreboard, the Falcons battled in the fourth set to force a fifth where they clinched the victory. The win now marks the third time in the last four seasons that the Falcons have been able to snag at least a share of the MAC Regular Season Championship. The win also ties the program's record for most consecutive wins at 17, matching the streak set by the 2006 team. The Falcons and Zips will be back tomorrow (March 20) for a 5 p.m. start with the match being broadcasted on ESPN+.
Northern Illinois 3, Kent State 2
Box Score
KENT, OH – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team rallied from 2-1 down Friday afternoon against the Kent State Golden Flashes to win 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13) in the series opener between the two teams at the M.A.C. Center.
Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./New Hampshire) led the Huskies with 16 kills and added eight digs. Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) hit .524 with 14 kills, three blocks and two aces. JoDee Kovanda (Lockport, Ill./West Florida) had 13 kills and tied a season-high with seven blocks. Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) also had seven blocks.
"We got so many contributions from many different people," said head coach Ray Gooden. "We were doing some pretty good things throughout the match against a really good team. What tonight shows is that you can play good team volleyball and not rely on someone's individual numbers to get the win. We needed a full team effort and got it tonight."
NIU (8-10, 8-10 MAC) bounced back from falling behind 2-1 in the match by going on a 4-0 run on kills from Jablonski, Kovanda, and Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) to take a 6-4 lead in the fourth set. Kent State got within one at 8-7 but a Kaitlyn Bell (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) kill started a 7-1 Huskies run that put NIU ahead 15-8. Back-to-back kills from Savannah Matthews sparked a 6-1 Kent State run that got the Golden Flashes within two, 17-15. Kent State got as close as one at 20-19 when NIU won three of the next four points to take a 23-20 lead. The two teams traded points the rest of the way as the Huskies won the fourth 25-22 to force a fifth set.
The Huskies took a 3-1 lead in the deciding set on kills from Wallace and Jablonski and a Kelsy Turskey (Prairie Grove, Ill./Prairie Grove) service ace. NIU doubled its lead with a 4-1 run that included a block and a Samantha Juarez (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) ace that put NIU ahead 8-4 and forced a Kent State timeout. The Golden Flashes responded with the next three points as a Lana Strejcek solo block made the score 8-7. The two teams traded points up to 12-10 when kills from Matthews and Melissa Kolurbasi tied the set at 12. Kemp broke the tie with a kill and Kovanda earned NIU match point with a kill at 14-12. Kent State fought off one match point but Kovanda put the match away with her 13th kill of the day, giving NIU the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.
Kent State (11-6, 11-6 MAC) got out to a fast start in the match, winning six of the first eight points in the opening set. The Huskies closed within two at 8-6 on a Wallace ace. The Golden Flashes, however, went on a 7-1 run to take a 15-7 lead. Kent State earned set point at 24-17, but the Huskies had one last run in them. NIU fought off six set points to get within one, 24-23. Danie Tyson locked up the opening set with a kill for Kent State as the Golden Flashes took it 25-23.
NIU took a 6-3 lead to start the second set on a block from Kemp and Balensiefer. The advantage grew to six when a 5-1 Huskies run, capped by a Juarez ace, put the score at 12-6. Kent State got as close as four when a Bell kill ignited another 5-1 run for NIU that put the Huskies ahead 18-10. NIU hit .393 in the set and won it 25-18 on another Juarez ace that punctuated a 5-0 Huskies run.
The Huskies hit .252 for the match, holding Kent State to a .221 hitting percentage. NIU had 11 aces on the day to the Golden Flashes' four. Kent State held a 69-63 edge in digs but the Huskies had an 11.0-9.5 advantage in blocks.
The two teams wrap up their weekend series Saturday at 2 p.m.
Ohio 3, Western Michigan 1
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio volleyball team (9-6, 9-6 MAC) ran its winning streak to three in a row after defeating Western Michigan (13-4, 13-4 MAC), 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22) on Friday (March 19) at the Convocation Center.
"They are creating something that is special," said head coach Deane Webb of his team. "You look at tonight, we were down two kids who were starters a week ago, and we found a way to beat the number two team in the league."
Junior outside hitter Mariana Rodrigues (Santana De Parnaiba, Brazil) had another stellar performance, leading both teams with 18 kills while hitting .390. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) followed with 16 kills and a .273 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) added 11 kills and six digs while sophomore outside hitter Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) posted eight kills, narrowly missing out on a double-double as she also totaled 11 digs. Both Jimerson and Margolies recorded three total blocks (one block solo, two block assists). In just her second appearance of the season, freshman middle blocker Elizabeth Hoerlein (Mason, Ohio) hit .600 with three kills and tallied two total blocks (one solo block, one block assist) in three sets.
Senior setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) achieved another double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs. Additionally, Giacomazzi aided the Bobcats with four kills and two block assists. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.) reached a match-high of 26 digs while senior libero/defensive specialist Macy Reihing (Lexington, Ky.) added 10 and posted a match-high three service aces.
"We respect [Western Michigan] a lot as a team," said O'Farrell. "They are the second seed right now in the conference, and they have only lost one set in the past five games they've played. It was another really good team moment to go out there and battle with them and then end up on top."
Ohio and Western Michigan will square off again on Saturday (March 20) in a 2 p.m. ET matchup at the Convo.
Toledo 3, Buffalo 2
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball took down the Buffalo Bulls in five sets (25-23, 25-22, 25-27, 23-25, 15-7) on Friday night at Savage Arena.
After winning the first two sets, Toledo lost a long third set and a close fourth set to unexpectedly find itself in a decisive fifth frame. The Rockets were able to regroup though, winning the fifth set handily to come away with the victory.
Freshman Taylor Alt was terrific, collecting 24 kills and 13 digs for her second double-double of the year. She came through when it mattered most, with five kills and a block in the fifth set. Three other Rockets reached double-digits in kills on Friday: senior Emma Swope (12), sophomore Olivia Vance (11), and senior Chloee Kleespies (10). Toledo also had four players with at least 10 digs, with sophomore Ryann Jaqua leading the way (17 digs) followed by Alt, senior Rhyen Neal (13), and sophomore Abby Ray (12).
Freshman Payton Morman tied a career high with 57 assists and sophomore Rhyenne Filisi led Toledo with five blocks.
The Rockets and Bulls will meet again on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+. Following the match, Toledo will honor five student-athletes as a part of its Senior Day ceremony: Caleigh Barhorst, Chloee Kleespies, Rhyen Neal, Emma Swope, and Elise Wilcox.
Miami 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio—Bolstered by a career-high 57 assists from senior Morgan Seaman and a career-best 38 digs from senior Abigail Huser, the Miami University volleyball team captured a 3-1 win against Eastern Michigan University on Friday night at Millett Hall, 25-18, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22. Miami moves to 9-8 on the season and in Mid-American Conference play, while the Eagles drop to 7-9.
Ball State 3, Central Michigan 2
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - - With the momentum starting to shift the way of the Ball State women's volleyball team early in the fifth set, sophomore middle Marie Plitt took it up a notch.
She started by combining with senior outside Kia Holder for a big block of Central Michigan's Kamryn Olson, giving Ball State a 5-2 lead.
On the other side of the court on the next rally, she combined with sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem, this time denying the Chippewas' (9-9, 9-9 Mid-American Conference) leading attacker Savannah Thompson, moving the score to 6-2.
The Cardinals (8-9, 8-9 MAC) controlled the play the rest of the way, winning the fifth set 15-11 to complete an exhilarating 3-2 (14-25, 25-17, 26-24, 23-25, 15-11) come-from-behind victory over Central Michigan Friday night in Worthen Arena.
"You have to be able to finish sets in this league," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "With the parity we have in the MAC this year, it comes down to who finishes matches. Our team is building confidence and you have to win these tight matches to have a chance in the tournament. I think we are going to continue to gain confidence, and hopefully keep getting better and better."
Overall, it was a third straight double-digit blocking match for the Cardinals who finished the contest with 14.0 total blocks.
Ball State was just as tough and scrappy in the backcourt, however, with four players logging double-figure digs. Sophomore libero Natalie Risi led the way with 18 digs, but redshirt sophomore setter Esther Grussing also made her presence felt with a career-high 15.
"I would say the team trusts me and expects me to get those digs," Grussing said about her career night on defense. "They know I'm going to be there for them, getting as many digs as I can. It was a good feeling!"
Grussing also dished out 44 assists for her third double-double of the season, while helping the team as a whole connect for a .237 (58-18-169) rate of success.
