Women's Volleyball

MAC Volleyball Opens 2025 Season with 11 Victories

Chippewas, Rockets, Bobcats, Flacons Notch First Wins Under New Coaching Eras

Friday Volleyball Results
Miami 3, SIU Edwardsville, 0
NC State 3, Akron 2
Northern Illinois 3, Lamar 2
Central Michigan 3, High Point 1
Florida Atlantic 3, Kent State 0
Eastern Michigan 3, Radford 1
Bowling Green 3, Temple 1
Akron 3, Green Bay 2
Marshall 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Western Carolina 3, Kent State 1
Ball State 3, St. Thomas 2
Toledo 3, Albany 0
Stetson 3, Northern Illinois 2
Western Michigan 3, Oakland 1
North Dakota State 3, Bowling Green 0
Ohio 3, Bucknell 1
Liberty 3, Buffalo 0
Miami 3, Bellarmine 0
#19 BYU 3, Central Michigan 1
 
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Miami 3, SIU Edwardsville, 0 | Box Score
Miami 3, Bellarmine 0 | Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— The Miami University volleyball team (2-0) took down SIUE (0-1) and Bellarmine (1-1) in three sets to earn its first and second victories of the season on Friday at the Bellarmine Classic. Chelsea Williams knocked down 15 kills, and Hayden Hicks recorded 24 assists to lead all players in the match in the morning match. Lydia Michelin led all players with a career-high seven blocks, and Gentry Warrick followed closely behind with six blocks in the nightcap.

NOTES VS SIUE:
  • Lindsay Kahren (16) and Creech (14) led the RedHawks in digs.
  • Coyne, Michelin and Warrick each put down a team-high three blocks.
  • Creech, Coyne and Lindy Radaszewski each made their collegiate debut.
NOTES VS BELLARMINE:
  • Creech led all players with two service aces and added a team-high eight kills.
  • Kamryn Utley led all RedHawks with 16 assists.
  • Lindsay Kahren totaled 14 digs to lead the Red and White.


Northern Illinois 3, Lamar 2 | Box Score
DeLAND, Fl.—For the first time since the 2022 season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team won their season opener, as they split action at the Stetson Hatters Invitational. The Huskies (1-1) battled against the Cardinals (0-2) in the first game of the season before dropping the evening game to the Hatters.
 
The Huskies defeated the Cardinals in five sets, winning 25-18, 23-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-6.
 
Against the Hatters of Stetson, NIU dropped a five-set battle with set scores of 24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24, 9-15.
 
Today's pair of five-set matches marked NIU's first season-opening back-to-back five-setters since 2012.

In the match against Lamar, four Huskies recorded career-bests. Ava Grevengoed notched her 14th career double-double with 23 kills and 15 digs, while Kylie Schulze earned her first as a Huskie, tallying 18 assists and 11 digs.
 
Against Stetson, Ella Strausberger posted a career-best four service aces. Jordyn Tynsky raised her personal best to 17 digs, and Emma McCartney set a new mark with 12 kills. Grevengoed continued her strong performance, recording her 15th double-double and fourth consecutive double-double, dating back to last season.

Huskie Highlights:
  • Making their debut in the starting lineup against Lamar were Gogel, Naomi Dowd (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), Flynn, and  Tynsky. 
  • Steers recorded double-digit digs in her first game as a Huskie while Finnessy recorded three service aces in her debut.
  • The Huskies recorded an attacking percentage of .429 in the fifth set after recording a .326 attacking clip in the fourth in the first game.
  • Isabel Junior (Omaha, Neb./Elkhorn South) made her Huskie debut against Stetson, taking the court in the third set.
  • Strausberger marked her fifth career double-double, marking the second straight year of a double-double on the first day of the season.  


Central Michigan 3, High Point 1 | Box Score
PROVO, Utah – Day one of the 2025 season for Central Michigan Volleyball had many high points and has set the tone for the first season under Coach Wilson.

CMU defeated High Point University (HPU) 3-1 in the first match of the day, and fell to the No. 19 ranked BYU Cougars, 1-3.

Taylor Cripe wasted no time entering her name into the Central Michigan Volleyball record books when she charted six service aces in the match against HPU, which set the new four-set match record. Cripe also recorded 11 kills in the match for CMU, scoring 18.5 points with a solo block and a block assist.

Brooklyn Conner tallied a career 12 kills, hitting .800 in the victory, while Maggie Uhwat had eight kills of her own. Both players set new career highs in the kill category. Uhwat hit .583 in the four-set match.

Central Michigan won the first two sets over HPU, 25-14, but dropped the third set, 20-25. CMU rebounded in set four to grab the 26-25. The Chippewas had the 24-20 lead, but High Point was not counting themselves out, forcing the match to extra points in the final set, where the Maroon & Gold prevailed with a 26-24 win.

Defensively against High Point, Hannah Langton and Alina Anderson, who both held down the libero spot for the Chippewas, combined for 16 digs, 9 for Langton and 7 for Anderson.

Against the No. 19 ranked BYU Cougars in the nightcap, Central Michigan made their statement early as Abby Olin started the game with a solo block.

CMU dropped set one, 18-25, but bounced back to grab a win 25-22 in set two. BYU used a 9-0 run late in the third set to close it out, 25-15.

The Chippewas did not back down in the battle of the fourth set, using a 4-0 run to put pressure on the Cougars, that ultimately took the match 3-1 with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.

Taylor Cripe, who set the record in match one, recorded a double-double in the game against the Cougars, with 11 digs and 14 kills. Cripe hit .440 on the outside for CMU in the game against BYU and led the team in scoring with 16 points.

Abby Olin recorded four blocks against BYU, Maggie Uhwat set a new career high in that match with 11 kills and Uhwat and Cripe each tallied two aces.


Eastern Michigan 3, Radford 1 | Box Score
RADFORD, Va. – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team started its season 1-1 as it split the first day of the Highlander Invitational, hosted by Radford University, at the Dedmon Center Friday, Aug. 29.
 
Eastern started the day with a four-set win (3-1) over the host Highlanders, before falling in a back-and-forth tilt to Marshall University, 3-1, in the second competition of the day.
 
Freshman outside hitter AshleeKay Christensen paced the Eastern offense against the Highlanders, landing 18 kills off a .205 clip, and leading the team with 20.5 points. She was aided by Ashlynn Belcher (48 assists, nine digs), Ava Siefke (17 kills, nine digs), and Surabhi Srinivasan (24 digs).
 
Siefke added a solid performance against the Thundering Herd (14 kills, 12 digs), along with Belcher (40 assists, 14 digs), Kendal Bonney (12 kills, .688 hitting percentage), and Srinivasan (16 digs, six assists).
 
Match Notes at Radford
»  Belcher's 48 assists are the most from an Eagle since Elle McLoughlin dished 49 against Bradley University, Aug. 26, 2023. Her assists total is also the highest from an Eagle in the first game of the season since Kate Sulewski recorded 60 in a five-set win over Charlotte University, Aug. 24, 2007.
»  Srinivasan set a career high with 24 digs, smashing her previous personal best (13) by 11. Moreover, her 24 digs were the most from an Eagle since Sierra Reed tallied 26 in a 3-2 win over the University of Hartford, Aug. 30, 2013.

Historical Notes at Radford
» Eastern increased its all-time series led against the Highlanders to 2-0.


Bowling Green 3, Temple 1 | Box Score
FARGO, N.D. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team started the 2025 season with a pair of matches inside Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Friday (Aug. 29). Beginning the day at 2 p.m. EST, the Falcons battled in a close match with Temple, coming out with a 3-1 win. BGSU then quickly turned around to play host North Dakota State at 7 p.m. EST with the Bison taking a 3-0 final to move BGSU to 1-1 through the first day of the season. The Falcons will conclude their weekend on Saturday (Aug. 30) in Grand Forks, N.D. against St. Mary's at 12 p.m. EST.

For the Falcons, Lauryn Hovey led the attack with 30 kills over the two matches to give her 1,305 for her BGSU career. The total moves Hovey up to seventh on the program's Rally Scoring Era list for career kills, passing Holli Costein (1989-92). Amanda Otten added the first Falcon double-double of the season, logging 42 assists and 10 digs against Temple. 

Falcon Stat Leaders vs. Temple:
Kills: Lauryn Hovey (19)
Assists: Amanda Otten (42)
Digs: Sydnie Hernandez (19)
Aces: Amanda Otten (3)
Blocks: Lauryn Hovey (5)

Falcon Stat Facts:
  • With the win over Temple, the Falcons continued a streak of three straight seasons beginning with a 1-0 start, going back to 2023. The Falcons also move to 6-1 all-time against Temple, with a six-match win streak over the Owls. 
  • Lauryn Hovey came out swinging for the Falcons with a team-leading 19 kills against Temple with a .302 hitting percentage. She added a team-high five blocks while adding seven digs and an ace to a complete stat line. 
  • Hovey added a team-high 11 kills in the match against North Dakota State, giving her 30 over the two matches. The total brings her career mark to 1,305 in the Orange and Brown, pushing her up to seventh on the program's Rally Scoring Era list.
  • Amanda Otten started the season with a double-double, registering 42 assists and 10 digs against Temple. The double-double is the 10th of Otten's career after having seven in 2024. 
  • Sydnie Hernandez just missed a 20-dig match against Temple, finishing with a team-leading and career-high 19 to start the campaign. Hernandez also landed two of BGSU's seven aces in the match and added six assists, one shy of her career-high. 
  • Returning to the lineup for the first time since 2023, Helen Wilford landed four kills to match her career-high while adding four blocks as well. She then set a new career-high against NDSU with five kills and a .375 hitting percentage. 
  • In her BGSU debut, Avery Hobson landed 12 kills for the Falcons, finishing second on the team. She narrowly missed a double-double, adding eight digs. As for the match against North Dakota State, Hobson landed her first two BGSU aces, leading the team.
  • Edyta Waclawczyk followed Hobson on the stat sheet against Temple with nine kills, matching her career-high, while registering a new career-high six digs. 
  • Making her collegiate debut, Kendall Williams landed five kills with a solo block and a dig against Temple. She followed it up against NDSU with three kills and three blocks, leading the team in blocks including her second solo of the day.
  • Alivia Brown also made her collegiate debut against Temple, recording three digs. Against NDSU, Brown increased her dig total to four while also landing her first ace.


Akron 3, Green Bay 2 | Box Score
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Akron volleyball team split the first day of the Summit Hospitality Tournament with a 3-2 loss to NC State and a 3-2 victory over Green Bay.

The Akron volleyball team knocked off the Green Bay Phoenix 3-2 (25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 15-9) Friday at Reynolds Coliseum to conclude the first day of the Summit Hospitality Tournament.

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

The Zips were led by Mathews'  25 kills and a double-double from Gash, who registered 16 kills and 19 digs on the day. Villani recorded a career-high 37 assists to help the Akron offense.  On the defensive end, Gash led the Blue and Gold in digs with 19 while Jaryn Morgan and Del Real chipped in with 13. Lyndi Wolf paced the Zips with six blocks.

Game Notes vs. Green Bay:
» Akron had three players in double figures in kills.
» Akron had three players in double figures in digs.
» Evans, Morgan, Villani and Gash all recorded an ace in the win.
» Gash registered a double-double with 16 kills and 19 digs
» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-18.
» Mathews had a match-high 25 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a match-high 19 digs from  Gash.
» Akron attackers were helped by a team-high 37 assists from Villani.


Ball State 3, St. Thomas 2 | Box Score
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - - Powered by double-doubles from graduate transfer Noelle VanOort and sophomore Carson Tyler, the Ball State women's volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a hard-fought 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 15-25, 25-18, 15-8) victory over St. Thomas. It was the opening match of the three-day Golden Gopher Invitational hosted by No. 11 Minnesota at Maturi Pavilion.

VanOort was nearly unstoppable in her Cardinals (1-0) debut. She smashed a match-high 20 kills, hit .462 (20-2-39), and added 10 digs. That marked her 10th collegiate match with 20+ kills and her 69th collegiate double-double. This came after a storied four-year career at Indiana Tech, where she was a two-time NAIA Third Team All-American.

Meanwhile, Tyler picked up right where she left off for Ball State last season, earning her seventh career double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs. The reigning Mid-American Conference (MAC) and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Midwest Region Freshman of the Year, Tyler has now tallied double-figure kills in 23 career matches.

Along with the solid play from its outside duo, sophomore opposite Tiffany Snook and junior middle Camryn Wise each collected eight kills for the Cardinals. Setting the way, junior Lindsey Green was credited with 39 assists, while freshman Reese Axness added 15. Together, they led the Ball State offense to a .245 (59-21-155) attack percentage.

While four Tommies (0-1) were able to produce double-digit kills, the Ball State block helped slow them down enough to secure the match win. Junior Gwen Crull led the Cardinals at the net with six total blocks, while Wise and freshman Christyn Ashby each collected three. Their effort helped limit St. Thomas to a .214 (60-26-159) hitting mark.

Also aiding in the win was sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter, who was credited with a match-high 26 digs. The total was one shy of her career high and gave her 24 career matches with double-digit digs. Ledbetter would also tie with Tyler for team-high honors with two aces each.

Ellie Gustafson led the St. Thomas attack with 16 kills, while Morgan Kealy earned a team-best 16 digs. Megan Wetter added a team-high five blocks, while Ella Voegele served up three aces for the Tommies.


Toledo 3, Albany 0 | Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo volleyball Head Coach Brian Wright picked up his first win as head coach of the Rockets with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-20) sweep of UAlbany on Friday night in Savage Arena.

The Rockets (1-0) were led by redshirt sophomore middle blocker Sierra Pertzborn with 10 kills on a .563 clip, a career-best nine blocks and two service aces. Sophomore right side hitter Olivia Heitkamp poured in nine kills, while seniors Anna Alford and Sophie Catalano added six kills each.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith tallied 32 assists, four blocks and three kills, and sophomore libero Grace Freiberger led the squad with 11 digs. Freshman outside hitter Jessica Costlow made her collegiate debut, totaling six digs and three kills.

The Rockets outhit the Great Danes by a .372-.035 margin and totaled 44 kills to go along with four service aces.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright:
"Tonight was amazing, what a great start to the season. The crowd and the environment was electric. It was fun to see our team play the way we see ourselves practice every single day. We work hard to be great consistently and even with the possible nerves that can come with playing at home in front of fans in a first match of the year, we just let ourselves play and a lot of great came from it. Kelsey did a really good job of keeping balance in our offense and our block and defense were locked in as well. We look forward to the chance to prepare and play again in front of another great home crowd tomorrow."

Key Moments:
  • In the first set, Toledo put together a 7-1 run to get ahead. The Rockets then rattled off four straight points, including a block from Sierra Pertzborn and Kelsey Smith, to take the set win.
  • Pertzborn fired off a six-point run from behind the service line in the second set to give Toledo an early advantage. The Rockets never relinquished the lead and held the Great Danes to a .095 hitting percentage in the set.
  • Two kills from Brooke Naniseni helped the Rockets score seven consecutive points and take control of the third set. Albany clawed back to get within four points, 22-18, but kills from Anna Alford and Iremnur Elmas allowed Toledo to win the match.


Western Michigan 3, Oakland 1 | Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Annalise Patchett put down a match-high 20 kills and Leah Richmond recorded a double-double (49 assists, 14 digs) to lift the Western Michigan volleyball team to a 3-1 victory (24-26, 25-22, 25-16, 25-20) over Oakland to open the 2025 season on Friday night.
 
Patchett was one of four Broncos to notch double-digit kills, tallying her career-high 20 on a blistering .429 hitting percentage. After redshirting as a true freshman a season ago, Richmond's 49 assists and 14 digs came in her collegiate debut. In addition to Patchett, Richmond's distribution helped set up Molly Brown (13), Keely Culler (11) and Mary Clare Brusek (10) for double-digit kills.
 
In her debut as Western Michigan's libero, Elana Erickson keyed the squad's defensive effort with a career-high 33 digs. Richmond and Carley Piercefield chipped in 14 digs apiece, while Reeghan Boyer added nine. To go with her career-high 13 kills, Brown added a match-high six blocks in her WMU debut.
 
With the opening frame all even at 11-11, Western Michigan rattled off five consecutive points to grab a 16-11 edge. Oakland worked its way back to within one at 17-16, but the Broncos countered with the next three to extend the margin back to four, 20-16. The Brown and Gold reached set point at 24-21, before the Golden Grizzlies roared back and eked out the first frame, 26-24.  
 
Holding a 9-7 edge early in the second, WMU used a four-point spurt to increase its advantage to 13-7. With the margin at 18-13, OU rattled off five of the next six to close to within one, 19-18. After a three-point Western Michigan response, the Golden Grizzlies again closed the gap to a single point, 23-22. A clutch kill from the true freshman Culler and an Oakland error gave the home team the set and evened the contest at 1-1.
 
Western Michigan came out hot after the break, tallying seven of the first nine points to seize an early advantage in the third. At 8-5, the hosts rattled off seven consecutive points to boost the cushion to 15-5. The lead climbed as high as 12 in the stanza on the way to a 25-16 set victory and 2-1 match advantage for WMU.
 
The Broncos again got out to an early edge in the fourth, using a pair of three-point spurts to move out in front, 11-6. In the middle of the frame, a 6-2 stretch helped the Broncos extend their cushion to 19-11. Oakland fought off a pair of match points to get as close as four, before Brown and Richmond combined at the net for a match-sealing block.


Ohio 3, Bucknell 1 | Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (1-0, 0-0 MAC) kicked of the season and the Bobcat Invitational with a 3-1 win (25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21) against Bucknell (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League). The win signified the first of interim head coach Kenzie Brinkman's career.  

"I love these girls, I love everything about them," Brinkman said. "For them to go out there and play like that…doing something that I absolutely love and watching them do something that they love was special." 

Ohio's freshman played a big role in the team's first win of the season. Freshman Mady Long (Vincent, Ohio) led the way for Ohio with 11 kills and 14 digs. Her freshman counterpart, Bailey Blair (Louisville, Ky.), also made the most of her first game as a Bobcat, tallying 12 kills and a team-leading seven service aces.  

Juniors Olivia Gardner and Emily Waddell each contributed double-digit kills for the Bobcats while junior Gentry Brown recorded nine.  

Junior Kendall Hickey contributed 13 digs in the winning effort, with sophomores Brynn Janke and Darbi Ricketts recording seven and eight digs, respectively.  

Set one began with Bucknell taking an early 18-12 lead, highlighted by a 6-0 run against the Bobcats. Ohio quickly turned things around with an 8-2 run to end the set that would secure a close 25-23 win to take a 1-0 lead. Long capped off the set with a powerful kill for the win.  

The Bobcats started the second set with a commanding 14-6 lead, highlighted by a 9-1 run. Ohio would allow Bucknell to get within 2 points at 23-21, but finished strong to win its second straight set.  

Bucknell battled back in set three to avoid the sweep, winning 25-21. The Bobcats kept it close, trailing by just one at 21-20 before the Bison pulled away to win the set.  

After losing its first set of the day, Ohio played its best in set four, going on an early 7-0 scoring run to take an 8-3 lead. The Bobcats continued to play with energy throughout the fourth set, winning it 25-21 and the match 3-1.