Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
 
Friday’s Volleyball Results
Ball State 3, Seton Hall 0
SIU Edwardsville 3, Eastern Michigan 0
Central Michigan 3, Lindenwood 2
Miami 3, Lamar 0
Toledo 3, Bucknell 1
Miami 3, Gardner-Webb 0
Ball State 3, Bryant 0
Eastern Michigan 3, IU Indy 2
Bowling Green 3, Chicago State 0
Buffalo 3, Oakland 1
Western Michigan 3, LMU 1
Ohio 3, Xavier 0
Toledo 3, Binghamton 0
Western Illinois 3, Northern Illinois 1
Akron 3, Evansville 0
Central Michigan 3, Illinois State 1
 
Miami 3, Lamar 0 | Box Score
The Miami University volleyball team (1-0) secured a three-set win in its first match of the season against Lamar University (0-1) on Friday afternoon in the Norfolk State Tournament. With this victory, head coach Dan Gwitt earned his first RedHawk win. Hayden Hicks recorded a game-high 35 assists. Anna McClure produced the most digs of the match (17). Ava Francis led all players with 15 kills. 

Miami 3, Gardner-Webb 0 | Box Score
Miami (2-0) defeated Gardner-Webb (0-2) in three sets on Friday evening in its second game of the Norfolk State Tournament. Ana Vetter knocked down nine kills to lead all players in the match. Ava Francis and Gentry Warrick followed closely behind, as they each totaled eight kills to help lead the RedHawk offense. Warrick also flashed on the defensive end with a game-high six blocks. Hayden Hicks and Anna McClure each recorded 14 digs to lead all players. Hicks produced the most assists in the game (32).
 
Ball State 3, Seton Hall 0 | Box Score
Ball State 3, Bryant 0 | Box Score
The Ball State women's volleyball team opened the 2024 season in style Friday, earning sweeps of Seton Hall and Bryant on day one of the Florida Atlantic Invitational.

The Cardinals (2-0) started its 53rd season of play with a solid 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19) victory over the Pirates (0-1). While stats from the opening match are still being finalized, it was sophomore middle Camryn Wise who appears to have made the biggest impact on offense.

She connected for a match-high nine kills over the final two sets while hitting a career-best .818 (9-0-11). If it stands after updates, her mark will tie as the fourth-best hitting percentage in a match, with between 10 and 14 attempts, in program history.

Senior setter Megan Wielonski also set the tone from the service line against Seton Hall and is currently credited with seven of BSU's 15 aces in the sweep. If the total stands, it would tie her career high.

Overall, 14 different Cardinals saw action in the win, with nine being credited with at least one kill and 11 earning at least one block.

Ball State was even more dominating in the nightcap, limiting Bryant to a -.020 hitting percentage in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-17. 25-12) sweep. On the offensive front, the Cardinals connected for a .333 clip, led by nine kills and a .533 (9-1-15) attack percentage from graduate transfer middle Aayinde Smith.

Smith was not the only newcomer to shine in the nightcap, however, as freshman libero Sophie Ledbetter collected 20 digs for her first collegiate match at-or-above 20 digs. After currently being credited with 11 digs in the season-opener, Ledbetter corralled 10 in the opening set versus the Bulldogs (1-1).

Meanwhile, Wielsonski would add three more aces from the service line to raise her career total to 154. The total ranks third in program history and is just 37 shy of the program record of 191 set by Stacy Jordan (1982-85). She is also currently credited with 59 assists over the two matches.

Like the opener, the win over Bryant was another team effort with 15 different Cardinals seeing action. Nine players earned at least one kill, while 10 had at least one dig.

Other key contributors on the day were junior opposite Madison Buckley with 13 kills and a .500 (13-1-24) hitting mark and freshman defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling with 19 digs, including her first double-digit match with 10 against Bryant.
 
Eastern Michigan 3, IU Indy 2 | Box Score
The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team split the first two games of the 2024 season, coming away victorious against Indiana University Indianapolis in a five-set thriller, 3-2, after dropping the season-opener to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in straight sets, 3-0.

Both matches were part of the Hampton Inn Invitational, hosted by IU-Indy at "The Jungle," Friday, Aug. 30.  
Ella Voorhees posted her second double-double of the day, doing so in just two sets. She finished with 29 assists and 14 digs, marking her first occurrence of consecutive double-doubles in her career.

Welker tabbed career-highs with six kills and six total blocks in her second career match. She achieved her six kills off a .500 hitting percentage, the highest on the team in the win.

Kendal Bonney had a career match, as she smacked 12 kills, the most of her career while tying career bests with three digs and one assist.

Eastern had 17 total blocks to the Jaguars' seven, marking the fifth win where the Eagles out-blocked their opponent in the Foeman era. EMU also out-hit and out-dug its foe, the fifth time a Foeman-led Eastern squad has done so.

Additionally, Foeman's Eastern teams are now 5-2 when hitting better than their counterparts.

Kaili Doctor drilled 11 kills off a .259 hitting percentage and assisted on six blocks. Her 11 kills marked her first 10-plus kills performance as an Eagle.

Ava Siefke paced the Eagles with 18.5 points. She totaled 13 kills while hitting .303 to go along with eight digs. Siefke's 13-kill night marked the fifth double-digit kill outing of her career.

Hannah Blaney led the team in digs with 24 on the night, two off a career-best set against the University of Southern Indiana, on Sept. 6, 2022. Blaney has led the Eagles in digs in both matches this season.
 
Bowling Green 3, Chicago State 0 | Box Score
The Bowling Green State University volleyball team opened up the 2024 campaign at home, claiming a 3-0 sweep over the Chicago State Cougars Friday night (Aug. 30). The win comes in the first match on the new state-of-the-art Mo and Jon Stansbery Court for the Falcons, which was officially dedicated before the match. The win also marks six straight seasons that Bowling Green has won the home opener, dating back to the 2019 season.

BGSU came out swinging efficiently, registering a .464 hitting percentage in the first set. In the second set, the defense showed strong for the Falcons, holding the Cougars to a negative hitting percentage of -.108. In the third set, Chicago State jumped out to an early lead, but the Falcons battled back to take the set and claim the sweep.

Falcon Stat Leaders 
Kills: Lauryn Hovey (13)
Assists: Amanda Otten (23)
Digs: Jordan Newblatt (8)
Aces: Lauryn Hovey, Alexis Mettille (2)
Blocks: Alexis Mettille (7)

Alexis Mettille tallied a team-high seven block assists for the Falcons, bringing her career total blocks total to 229. The total moves Mettille up to 10th on the Rally Scoring Era career list, passing Laura Twyman (2000-02).

Coming to the Falcons as a fifth-year transfer, Jordan Newblatt immediately made an impact. Newblatt led Bowling Green with eight digs and added eight kills, flirting with a double-double.

Amanda Otten tallied 23 assists for the Falcons, coming just two shy of matching her career-high from a season. 
Isabelle Laube registered a career-high three digs for the Falcons, all coming in the first set.

The win pushes BGSU to 1-0 to start the season for the second consecutive year. BGSU is also 1-0 at home for the sixth straight season, going back to the 2019 campaign. Bowling Green is now 69-20 at home since the start of the 2017 season and 41-7 since the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign. 
 
Buffalo 3, Oakland 1 | Box Score
The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (1-0, 0-0 MAC) defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (0-1, 0-0 Horizon League) in a packed Alumni Arena on Friday evening, 3-1, to open the 2024 season.

2023 First-Team All-MAC honoree Katrin Trebichavska started where she finished last season as she recorded a 14-kill and 15-dig double-double. As one of the best servers in the country a season ago, she had four aces against Oakland. Freshmen Keira Kleidon and Emma Converse saw their first collegiate action in Alumni Arena. Kleidon totaled one set assist and eight digs as Converse had 11 kills and one block.

Abby Leigh and Manoela Forlin showed why they earned All-MAC recognition last season as they finished with double-digit kills. A. Leigh finished with a .650 hitting percentage with 14 kills and one error on 20 attempts. Forlin had an error-free night with 11 kills on 19 attempts for a .579 hitting percentage.

Two-time All-MAC honoree Mandy Leigh finished with 39 assists, 10 digs, and four block assists. Maria Futey finished with 15 digs in the season opener. Tehya Shaw added four kills and seven blocks.
 
Western Michigan 3, LMU 1 | Box Score
After dropping the first set, the Western Michigan volleyball team bounced back to win the next three to earn a 3-1 victory (28-30, 25-22, 25-15, 25-22) over LMU on Friday night at University Arena to begin the 2024 season. The win, which featured a pair of teams receiving votes in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Preseason Poll, was the 18th consecutive home victory for the Broncos.

Fueled by a match-high 41 assists from Logan Case, the WMU attack hit .250 for the evening, and posted a .318 mark over the night's final three frames. Julia Marr paced the Brown and Gold with 16 kills on a .316 hitting percentage, while Keona Salesman was also in double-figures with 12 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Madison Merz (.583) and Mary Clare Brusek (.400) contributed eight kills apiece.

Defensively, Andelyn Simkins led the way for the Broncos with 14 digs, while Reeghan Boyer chipped in with 10. Case collected eight digs to come up just shy of a double-double, and Carley Piercefield registered seven digs in her collegiate debut.
 
Ohio 3, Xavier 0 | Box Score
The Ohio volleyball team (1-0, 0-0 MAC) kicked off its season with a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-23, 26-24) against Xavier (0-2, 0-0 Big East) in its season opener and first competition of the Bobcat Invitational. 

The Bobcats were led by sophomore Kam Hunt (Sylvania, Ohio) who tallied a game-high 11 kills along with five digs. Junior Anna Kharchynska (Kyiv, Ukraine) had an impressive first game of the season, totaling nine kills with a .471 hit percentage and two blocks. 

Senior Elizabeth Hoerlein (Mason, Ohio), sophomores Emily Waddell (Zionsville, Ind.) and Olivia Gardner (Macomb, Mich.), and freshman Darbi Ricketts (Cincinnati, Ohio) all contributed six kills each. Hoerlein also led the game with a .600 hit percentage. Sophomore Kendall Hickey (Fishers, Ind.) led both teams with a total of 17 digs. 
 
Toledo 3, Bucknell 1 | Box Score
Toledo 3, Binghamton 0 | Box Score

Toledo volleyball started the season strong on Friday, earning wins over Bucknell, 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-15, 25-23) and Binghamton, 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-23).

Senior Taylor Alt led the way for the Rockets (2-0, 0-0 MAC) against Bucknell on Friday afternoon, tallying 16 kills and 12 digs for her first double-double of the season and her 37th career double-double. Izzy Granger poured in 15 kills and seven digs. 

Sophomore Macy Hatkevich had 24 assists in the first match of the season while graduate transfer Ella Abraham added 17. 

The Rockets defeated Binghamton, 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-23), in the nightcap. The team combined for a .353 hitting percentage with 45 kills and only nine errors. Alt finished the evening with 12 kills while Caylee Sharkey had nine terminations on a .643 hitting clip.

Three Rockets made their Toledo debuts on Friday afternoon - sophomore Caylee Sharkey, redshirt freshman Sierra Pertzborn and freshman Olivia Heitkamp. Pertzborn had totaled 12 kills across the two matches, with seven coming against Bucknell with two solo blocks. Heitkamp collected 10 kills, six of which came in the matchup with Binghamton. 

Akron 3, Evansville 0 | Box Score
The Akron volleyball team put together a .409 attack percentage en route to a three-set win (25-19, 25-17, 25-21) against the Evansville Purple Aces at the Mario Morales Coliseum on Friday, August 30.

The out-of-conference victory improved Akron's overall record to 1-0 on the season.

The Zips offense was paced by Emanouela Christodoulou, who finished with 15 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .364, and by Gabby Brissett, who had 10 kills while hitting .588. Defensively, the Zips had two players reach double figures in digs as Eliska Vytiskova and Vanessa Del Real had 10.

Game Notes
Akron attackers combined to hit .409 in the match. Emanouela Christodoulou had a match-high 15 kills for Akron. Its. attackers were helped by a team-high 16 assists from Eliska Vytiskova.

Vanessa Del Real had a match-high two aces in the win.

Akron never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-19 or trailed on the way to winning the second set 25-17.

The Akron block excelled in a second-set win, shutting down eight Evansville attacks.

Akron got a match-high 10 digs from Eliska Vytiskova and Vanessa Del Real.

Central Michigan 3, Lindenwood 2 | Box Score
Central Michigan 3, Illinois State 1 | Box Score

Central Michigan Volleyball opened its 50^th season in program history at the Linda Herman Classic hosted by Illinois State with two wins. CMU defeated Lindenwood in the first match, 3-2 in a five-set thriller. The nightcap against the RedBirds was a 3-1 decision, again in favor of the Chippewas.

Hannah Langton, a freshman, started at libero for the Chippewas and recorded 34 digs; the most in a single match by a Chippewa since 2022 when Aly Gurtiza had 33 at Buffalo on October 29^th. Langton's 34 digs in the five-set match give her the second-place spot in single-match digs which is 37, set by CMU great, Megan Kern, set in 2019 against Eastern Illinois.

Central Michigan recorded 16 blocks as a team – the most in a season opener in the Mike Gawlik era of CMU Volleyball. Grace Thomas, the freshman from Dublin, Ohio, recorded 10 blocks herself in the opening match. Her 10 blocks tie her for the most by a freshman since Megan Sivertsen had 10 at Akron on October 19^th, 2018.

Natalia Rejment picked up right where she left off as an attacker after missing most of the 2023 season due to injury playing in just the final nine games. Rejment was terminal against the Lions when she killed a career-high 20 balls, hitting .383. Maddy Gebhardt swung for 12 kills herself. Rejment and Gebhardt combined for 56% of the teams' kills in the match with Lindenwood

Keelyn Muell made her debut as a Chippewa when she and Allie Korba combined for 39 assists, Langton charted seven assists in her debut as well.

Maddy Gebhardt killed 11 balls in the match against Illinois State and Abby Olin and Natalia Rejment added 10 a piece. The 10 kills for Rejment gave her double-digit kills in both outings Friday afternoon.

Anderson dug 10 balls in the nightcap and seven in the season opener against Lindenwood. Central Michigan hit .281 in the match with the RedBirds, as Keelyn Muell and Allie Korba collectively recorded 42 assists.

Muell found success with scoring her points as well in that second match as she recorded five kills. Willer, who hit .036 in the match against Lindenwood, found a new gear as she hit .400 with 14 kills.