Preview courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Northern Illinois Huskies (9-2, 2-0 MAC)
Thursday, Oct. 2: at Ball State, 5 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Friday, Oct. 3: at Miami, 5:30 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats

After sweeping the opening week of MAC play, the NIU volleyball team takes its 9-2 record (2-0 MAC) play on the road. The Huskies will travel to Muncie, Ind., on Oct. 2 to take on the Cardinals at 5 p.m. CT before facing off against the RedHawks of Miami on Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m.  The last time NIU volleyball started MAC play 2-0 was during the 2022 season.
 
Against Central Michigan, Emma McCartney set a new career best in service aces with four as the Huskies tallied seven as a team. With five solo blocks, Rylea Alvin recorded a career best as she led the Huskies with seven blocks. Ava Grevengoed recorded her sixth double-double of the season and 19th career with 11 kills and 11 digs. Jordyn Tynsky matched her career best with four service aces, as NIU recorded five as a team in the contest against Eastern Michigan.
 

Toledo Rockets (11-3, 2-0 MAC)
Friday, Oct. 3 / at Central Michigan / Mt. Pleasant, Mich. / 6:00 p.m. / Watch (CMU All-Acccess) / Live Stats
Saturday, Oct. 4 / at Eastern Michigan / Ypsilanti, Mich. / 4:00 p.m. / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats

Volleyball continues conference play with road matches against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan this weekend. The Rockets head into the weekend with an 11-3 (2-0 MAC) record and have tied the program record, set in 2004, for best start to a season. The team has won five straight matches and 15 of its last 16 sets. Kelsey Smith is powering the offense, averaging 9.32 assists/set, while Grace Freiberger is leading the defense with 4.20 digs/set.
 

Bowling Green Falcons (8-6, 2-0 MAC)
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will hit the road for the first time during MAC play this season, heading to the state of Michigan for a pair of matches. The weekend will begin for the Orange and Brown on Friday (Oct. 3) with a 6 p.m. first serve against Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti. From there, the Falcons will transition a bit further north to Mount Pleasant, facing Central Michigan on Saturday (Oct. 4) at 4 p.m. Both matches will be available to watch on ESPN+ with radio streams available from BG Falcon Media.

BGSU Schedule This Week
Friday, Oct. 3 | BGSU vs. Eastern Michigan | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 4 | BGSU vs. Central Michigan | 4 p.m. ESPN+

First Serve 

• The Falcons will hit the road for the first time during the MAC schedule, looking to extend their current win streak of 11-straight road conference regular season matches that dates back to Nov. 3, 2023.
• The Orange and Brown head into the weekend with 398 MAC wins in program history, just four away from reaching 400. So far, only three schools have hit the mark being Western Michigan, Ball State, and Miami (OH), with Miami doing so this season.
• The Falcons will take on Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan this weekend, the only two teams to beat Bowling Green during the MAC regular season last year. The losses both came in five sets.
• Bowling Green is off to a 2-0 start this season and will look to push that record to 4-0. BGSU has started four of the last five MAC seasons with a record of 4-0 or better.
• The Falcons head into the weekend having won six of their last seven matches. The only loss during the streak was to Michigan State, which was 8-0 at the time and currently hold a record of 11-1 after falling to #12 Minnesota.
• Bowling Green had the third-hardest non-conference schedule in the MAC behind only Ball State and Ohio. While BGSU is 8-6 on the season, they hold a record of 8-2 when playing teams that aren't receiving votes in the nation's top 25 poll.  
• Helen Wilford is coming off a MAC Defensive Player of the Week honor, the fourth different Falcon to receive a MAC weekly award this season. 

 

Miami RedHawks (8-6, 2-0 MAC)
Thur., Oct. 2 vs. Western Michigan, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Fri, Oct. 3 vs. Northern Illinois, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Red and White continue conference play at home against Western Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. The RedHawks follow this up by taking on Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. 

UP NEXT: The RedHawks continue conference play by hosting Ball State on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. 

NUMBERS WATCH:Gentry Warrick is currently tied for sixth all-time in Miami history with 0.99 career blocks per set. She holds a total of 73 career solo blocks (sixth all-time in Miami history). Warrick also ranks fifth in the nation in total blocks (77) and 16th in blocks per set (1.48). Her 1.48 blocks per set leads the MAC currently. The Red and White stand at eighth in the country in team total blocks (140) as well. Senior Hayden Hicks has recorded a total of 1,963 assists, and senior Lindsay Kahren has 928 digs in her career.

RECENT ACTION: Last week, Miami took down Akron and Buffalo in a pair of away matches to start conference play 2-0 for the first time since the 2020 season. Offensively, sophomore middle hitter Lydia Michelin recorded 2.38 kills per set while maintaining a .536 hitting percentage. Defensively, Michelin also added 1.00 blocks per set, as she put down six block assists and two solo blocks. Senior setter Hayden Hicks and sophomore setter Kamryn Utley also made a huge impact on the RedHawks' success. Hicks tallied 41 assists, nine digs, one block assist and one service ace over the two matches. Utley totaled 38 assists, 10 digs and two service aces. The two setters combined for 79 assists (9.9 per set) and helped Miami total 106 kills (13.25 per set) as well. 


Ball State Cardinals (6-8, 2-0 MAC)
Six teams went 2-0 to open Mid-American Conference play last week and three of them will be in Muncie this week, as the Ball State women's volleyball program hosts Northern Illinois Thursday and Western Michigan Friday ... Both matches start at 6 p.m. inside Worthen Arena.
     
BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters Thursday's match versus Northern Illinois with a 1040-666-2 (.609) all-time record in women's volleyball ... Ball State became the 44th program in NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball history to reach 1,000 wins with a sweep of Central Michigan on Sept. 22, 2023 ... All-time, the Cardinals have captured 12 MAC West Division Championships, 10 MAC Regular Season Championships and eight MAC Volleyball Championship titles ... Ball State has made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three of the last six seasons ... BSU has also earned two bids into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
 
WHEN IN WORTHEN: The Cardinals boast a 324-103 (.759) all-time mark inside Worthen Arena, including an 84-41 (.672) record against non-conference foes and a 240-62 (.795) mark  versus league foes ... Overall, no MAC opponent owns a winning record inside Worthen Arena, as the Cardinals have at least a .630 winning percentage against all league schools on its current home floor ... NIU is 9-20 all-time in Worthen Arena, while WMU is 8-26.
 
BALL STATE IN THE MAC: After opening the 2025 league season with wins at Buffalo and Akron, Ball State maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 461-225 (.672) all-time MAC mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, two matches behind the Cardinals at 459-227 (.669), while NIU is fifth at 312-224 (.582).
 
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• The Cardinals enter the week with a 6-8 overall record after opening league play with a 2-0 record ... Ball State started conference play with a 3-0 sweep at Buffalo (Sept. 25) and followed with a four-set victory at Akron (Sept. 26).
• Ball State enters the week as one of the nation's top terminating teams, ranking 11th nationally with 778 total kills ... 252 of those kills, which is fifth nationally, have come from the arm of sophomore outside Carson Tyler who also ranks first in the MAC and 32nd nationally with a 4.34 kills-per-set average.
• In addition, the Cardinals lead the MAC and ranks 51st nationally with a .253 team attack percentage ... Junior middle Camryn Wise is first in the league and 87th nationally with a .366 rate of success, while junior setter Lindsey Green ranks 59th nationally with 453 total assists and owns a 7.95 assists-per-set average.
 
BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• The reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Week, sophomore outside Carson Tyler has been one of the nation's top attackers so far this season, ranking fifth nationally with 252 kills for a MAC-best 4.34 kills-per-set average ... She has reached double-digit kills in all 14 matches so far this season, including a career-high 28 kills versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18), 26 kills versus James Madison (Sept. 14) and 21 kills at UConn (Sept. 5) ... Last season, Tyler averaged 3.34 kills per set to become the first player in program history to earn AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year accolades.
 
• With double-digit kills in all 14 matches this season, Carson Tyler has raised her career total to 34 matches ... She needs nine more matches in double figures to break into the top 20 in program history at 43 ... In addition, Tyler is one of just nine players in program history to register 20-or-more kills in at least 10 career matches.
 
• A six-rotation player, Carson Tyler is currently second on the squad with 142 digs this season ... She has recorded kill/dig double-doubles in seven matches so far this season, with her latest coming versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18) which she tallied a career-high 28 kills and 12 digs ... She registered career-high 19 digs in the win at Marquette (Sept. 12) and collected 18 versus Cal Poly (Aug. 31) and James  Madison (Sept. 14) ... Tyler also leads Ball State's primary passers with a .971 reception percentage, successfully passing 333 of the team-leading 343 serves she has faced ... Tyler also led the Cardinals' primary passers with a .963 reception percentage last season by successfully passing 650 of the team-high 675 serves she faced.
 
• Graduate outside Noelle VanOort has made quite an impact during her first five weeks playing for the Cardinals, smashing 189 total kills, collecting 136 digs and hitting .270 (189-56-492) ... A member of the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team, VanOort has tallied double digit kills in 12 of BSU's 14 matches, including a season-high 20 kills twice ... Throw in 97 matches with double-figure kills during her career at Indiana Tech and VanOort has been credited with at least 10 kills in 109 collegiate matches ... She has also raised her collegiate total to 11 matches with 20+ kills, including a 20/20 effort Nov. 5, 2022, with 23 kills and 25 digs versus Siena Heights.
 
• Noelle VanOort has been just as solid on defense through the first five weeks, earning double-digit digs seven times, including a season-high 23 vs. Cincinnati (Sept. 18) ... The effort has raised her career total to 97 matches with double-digit digs, including her 90 at Indiana Tech ... It also helped her raise her collegiate kill/dig double-double total to 74, including six with Ball State and 68 with the Warriors.
   
• Sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter paces the Ball State defense with 226 digs and a 3.90 digs-per-set average this season ... The total currently ranks third among MAC defenders, while the average is fourth ... Ledbetter has recorded double-digit digs in 13 of BSU's 14 matches, upping her career total to 36 ... The effort includes a career-high tying 27 digs versus Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 20) and 26 digs in the season-opener versus St. Thomas (Aug. 29).
  
• Junior Lindsey Green and freshman Reese Axness have combined to lead the Ball State offense to a .253 attack percentage so far this season which is first in the MAC and 51st nationally ... For their combined effort in the first week of league play, leading the Cardinals to a league-high .306 hitting mark, the duo were named the MAC Co-Setters of the Week ... Green, who dished out a career-high 51 assists twice this season, currently ranks eighth in the MAC with an 7.95 assists-per-set average, with her 453 total assists ranking 59th nationally ... She also leads the squad with 19 service aces ... Axness, meanwhile, enters the week with a 4.20 assists-per-set average and has served up four aces.
  
• Junior middle Gwen Crull has turned up the offensive heat over the last two weeks, reaching double-digit kills for the first three times in her collegiate career ... She started with a career-high 12 kills versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18) and followed with 11 two matches later versus Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 20) ... She tied her career-high mark with 12 more kills at Akron (Sept. 26) ... Crull also leads the Ball State defense with a 0.67 blocks-per-set average.
 

Western Michigan Broncos (2-10, 2-0 MAC)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team hits the road for the first time in MAC play this week as it heads down to Oxford, Ohio, to take on Miami and Muncie, Ind., to face Ball State.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Match One: Thursday, Oct. 2 | 6:30 pm | WMU at Miami | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
Match Two: Friday, Oct. 3 | 6 pm | WMU at Ball State | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan hits the road for the first time in MAC play this week as it heads to Oxford, Ohio, and Muncie, Ind., to face two other teams which opened their league schedules with a pair of victories. The Broncos are 2-0 to start league play for the fifth time in the last six seasons. 

LAST TIME OUT
WMU began MAC play with home wins over in-state foes Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan last week. Leah Richmond picked up two more double-doubles, averaging 11.00 assists and 3.44 digs per set. Mary Clare Brusekpaced the attack with 4.11 kills per set on a .437 hitting percentage. 

LEAGUE-LEADING LIBERO
Elana Erickson has flourished as WMU's new libero this season. The sophomore has won a pair of MAC Defensive Player of the Week awards and currently sits atop the conference in both total digs (274) and digs per set (4.81). Erickson's 274 digs rank 13th in all of NCAA Division I, while her 4.81 digs per set are 20th nationally. Led by their new libero, the Broncos rank sixth in the nation in total digs (977) and ninth in digs per set (17.14).

 
Akron Zips (7-6, 0-2 MAC)
AKRON, Ohio - Akron hits the road for a pair of MAC games, with the Blue and Gold traveling to battle the Ohio Bobcats on Friday, October 3 and the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, October 4.

How To Follow The Action
Ohio: Video | Stats
Kent State: Video | Stats

Zips At A Glance
Akron enters the week 7-6 overall and 0-2 in the MAC after falling to Miami and Ball State in the opening week of conference action.

Vanessa Del Real recorded her 1,000th career dig as a Zip against the Cardinals while Delaney Gash recorded a pair of double-doubles and 20+ kill performances to lead the Zips on offense. Martina Villani averaged 11.89 assists per set and 107 total assists on the week while setting a new career-high in assists with 59 against the RedHawks. Chidera Ozoh recorded a career-high 11 blocks against Ball State while averaging 1.78 per this past week.

For in-conference stats after the first week, Gash leads the MAC in total kills (44) and total points (44.5) while ranking second in points per set (4.94) and kills per set (4.89). Villani leads the MAC in total assists (107) and assists per set (11.89). Ozoh ranks first in total blocks (16) and second in blocks per set (1.78)

Maureen Mathews leads Akron in kills (187) and points (200.5), Villani leads the way in assists (484) while Del Real is the leader in aces (26) and digs (185). Ozoh leads the Blue and Gold in blocks this season (55).

Leaders In The MAC 
Akron ranks in the top-five in the MAC in points per set (4th - 16.65), hitting % (3rd - .220), fewest opp assists (5th - 566), fewest opp assists per set (3rd - 10.58), assists per set (3rd - 12.02), fewest opp kills (4th - 482), fewest opp kills per set (5th - 10.88), total assists (4th - 633), assists per set (2nd - 12.17), fewest opp kills per set  (5th - 11.73), total kills (4th - 687), kills per set (2nd - 13.21), total blocks (5th - 98), total aces (4th - 75), aces per set (5th - 1.74), fewest opp digs (3rd - 648), and fewest opp digs per set (2nd - 12.46).

Individually, the Zips see Maureen Mathews ranked 5th in total kills (187),6th in kills per set (3.60), 6th in total points (200.5) and 8th in points per set (3.86). Delaney Gash ranks 6th in total kills (185), 4th in kills per set (3.78), 7th in total points (197.5) and 5th in points per set (4.03). Martina Villani ranks 4th in total assists (484) and assists per set (9.31). Vanessa Del Real ranks 1st in total aces (26), 3rd in aces per set (.50) while ranked 7th in total digs (185) and digs per set (3.56). Chidera Ozoh ranks 5th in total blocks (55) and 6th in blocks per set (1.06). 

Among The Best In The NCAA
As a team, Akron ranks 86th in the NCAA in assists per set (12.17), 78th in kills per set (13.21), 73rd in total assists (633) and 68th in total kills (687). Individually, Vanessa Del Real ranks 41st in the NCAA in aces per set (.50) and 24th in total aces (26). Martina Villani ranks 68th in assists per set (9.31) and 29th in total assists (484). Delaney Gash ranks 89th in kills per set (3.87) and 81st in total kills (185). Maureen Mathews ranks 78th in total kills (187).

What's Next?
The Zips host Buffalo on Tuesday, October 7, before traveling to Western Michigan for a pair of matches starting on Thursday, October 9.

 

Eastern Michigan Eagles (8-7, 0-2 MAC)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Entering the second weekend of Mid-American Conference play, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is set to open the home portion of MAC competition as it will host the reigning MAC Regular Season Champion, Bowling Green State University Friday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., followed by a match against the University of Toledo Saturday, Oct. 4, 4 p.m.

LAST TIME AGAINST BGSU/TOLEDO
Eastern captured a five-set win at the eventual MAC Regular Season Champion Bowling Green last season, Oct. 10, topping the first-place Falcons, 3-2 in a game where the Eagles totaled less kills, assists, aces, digs, and blocks than BGSU, marking its first win when doing so since it accomplished the feat over Akron in the COVID-adjusted 2020 season, Feb. 19, 2021. The win also marked the Eagles' first 5-1 start in conference play and three-game win streak since 2018.

The Eagles were swept by the Rockets last season, Oct. 11, a match that saw Hatteras Welker record the second-most blocks in program history in a three-set match with eight.

HOT START AT HOME
With a win over BGSU, Oct. 3, Eastern would be 4-0 at home for the first time since the 2018 season, which is also the last time EMU started 5-0 at home. A 5-0 home start would be the program's best since it started 8-1 at home in 2002. Eastern's best home record came in the 1990 season when it went a perfect 12-0 at home.

RECORD IN FIRST HOME MAC GAME OF THE YEAR
In its 44th season of MAC competition, EMU holds a 21-22 record in its first  MAC home game of the season. Eastern started 2-0 in home conference game's last season with two wins over Miami, Oct. 4-5, and is looking to start 2-0 in home MAC games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2009-10.

RECENT CAREER-HIGHS
Wrigley Takats had a career-best six blocks against Western Michigan, Sept. 25, doubling up her previous career high of three against the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Aug. 30, while Ashlynn Belcher also rejected a career-best five in the match against the Broncos. Taeley Mahler grabbed a career-high five digs versus Northern Illinois, Sept. 26.

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS
Eastern ranks 36th in the country in attacks per set (36.55) and 47th with 15.38 digs per set. By volume, it ranks 25th in the nation in total kills (728) and total attacks (2,047), 28th in total assists (673), 30th in total digs (861), and 34th in total blocks (129.0).

Eastern Michigan has four players who rank inside the conference top five in various per-set categories. In the national standings, Welker slots 30th in blocks per set (1.41) and seventh in total blocks (76). Siefke ranks 20th in total points (245.0) while Belcher ranks 23rd in total assists (500). Siefke also slots 24th in total attacks (582) and 28th in total kills (207), and Srinivasan checks in at 39th in total digs (228).

In the national standings by volume, Welker's 11 blocks in a four-set match slot fifth, while Belcher's 41 dimes in a three-set match are the ninth most. Grasson's and Welker's four aces tie for seventh in four-set matches.

UP NEXT
Eastern travels north for a rivalry matchup at Central Michigan Tuesday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m.
 

Kent State Golden Flashes (5-8, 0-2 MAC)
The brand-new court inside of the M.A.C. Center will be on display as the Kent State volleyball team plays its first home matches of the season this weekend. The Golden Flashes will host Buffalo on Friday and Akron on Saturday for Mid-American Conference contests.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, October 3 | 6 p.m. | Kent State vs. Buffalo
Saturday, October 4 | 4 p.m. | Kent State vs. Akron

PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
Kent State (5-8, 0-2 MAC) seeks its first conference victory after falling to Toledo and Bowling Green on the road last weekend.

Senior Mackenzie McGuire has been among the best offensive players in the MAC and ranks second in kills per set (4.17) and third in points per set (4.65). McGuire is No. 48 nationally with 200 total kills. She has recorded at least 10 kills in 11 of 13 matches.

A trio of newcomers have made immediate impacts to Kent State's attack, as freshman Macie Moreland (79), junior Mercedez Brown (78) and redshirt sophomore Adalynn Ginley (62) are the next three kills leaders. Ginley ranks third in the MAC in hitting percentage (.312) and seventh in blocks per set (1.00).

Junior Christina Vigil ranks fifth in the MAC at 9.04 assists per set and also leads the Flashes at 2.52 digs per set.

MCGUIRE MAKING HER MARK
Senior Mackenzie McGuire is the MAC leader in both points per set (4.87) and kills per set (4.36), while ranking 22nd in the nation in total kills (183). McGuire has recorded at least 17 kills in seven of 11 matches and ranks second in the conference in points per set (4.76).
 

Buffalo Bulls (3-8, 0-2 MAC)
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (3-8, 0-2 MAC) will have their first road conference matches of the season this weekend. They will travel to Kent State (5-8, 0-2 MAC) for a match on Friday evening at 6 p.m. before battling the Ohio Bobcats (2-12, 0-2 MAC) on Saturday at 4 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. Following the weekend, the Bulls will play at Akron on Tuesday evening.

The Bulls have had their way against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the last six meetings. The Bulls haven't dropped a match to Kent State since Oct. 23, 2021, in a 3-2 decision. In the all-time series, Kent State leads, 36-21. Head Coach Scott Smith is 8-4 against the Golden Flashes in his tenure. The Ohio Bobcats are winners of last season's two meetings. Overall, Ohio has dominated the all-time series as they lead, 46-8. Smith has helped the Bulls pick up three of the Bulls' eight wins against the Bobcats.

Last weekend, the Bulls struggled against the Ball State Cardinals and Miami RedHawks to open conference play. On Thursday against Ball State, the Bulls fell in straight sets, 21-25, 23-25, 17-25. The Bulls looked for a bounce back against the RedHawks on Friday, but lost in three sets, 18-25, 22-25, 23-25. The Bulls are looking to get back in the win column as they've dropped 13 straight sets with their last set win coming in the third set against Cornell on Sept. 14^th.

Emerson Matthews led the Bulls with 4.00 kills per set and 4.42 points per set last week. She also went on to finish with a .250 hitting percentage.

ABOUT THE BULLS
 • Junior Manoela Forlin has 10+ kills in eight of the 11 matches this season.
• Preseason All-MAC honoree Manoela Forlin is averaging a team-best 4.00 points per set. This is good for sixth in the MAC and 144^th in the NCAA.
• Maddie Mitchell has three double-doubles on the season, including one against Robert Morris where she recorded a career-high 16 digs.
• The Bulls currently have the fifth-best hitting percentage in the MAC at .208, good for 178^th in the nation.
• The freshmen trio of Maddie Mitchell, Sydney Bell and Emerson Matthews have account­ed for 43.6% of the team's kill total with 209 of the 479. They have a combined .222 hitting percentage on the season.
• The Bulls are 9-2 in sets where they reach 15 first, but are 3-25 when the opposition gets to 15 first.
• The Bulls are 90^th in the nation averaging 1.73 aces per set this season. This mark is good for fifth in the MAC.
 

Central Michigan Chippewas (3-11, 0-2 MAC)
Central Michigan played their first two matches of the 2025 MAC season on the road on Sept. 25 at NIU and Sept. 26 at Western Michigan.The Chippewas dropped both in five sets to the Huskies and the reigning 2025 MAC Tournament Champions. To open the home slate for CMU, the Toledo Rockets will come to McGuirk Arena. Central Michigan Volleyball has not played a game in Mount Pleasant since November 9 of 2024. In that match, CMU defeated Kent State 3-0. Last season, in McGuirk Arena, the Chippewas hit .246 and held the opponents to a .184 hitting percentage. CMU out aced their opponents 75-52, charted 731 digs over the opponents 691, and scored 122 more points.

HEADED HOME ON A HIGH NOTE
Central Michigan Volleyball left their trip to Milwaukee with a three-set sweep over the host Panthers. The victory marked the first victory sweep for the Chippewas under Arielle Wilson. Abby Olin lead CMU offensively with 10 kills, hitting .421and had three total blocks. Izzy Swiercz and Taylor Cripe each charted 9 kills hitting .400 and .261 respectively. In Milwaukee, the Chippewas dropped matches to Iowa State (0-3) and South Alabama (1-3). Overall on the trip, Central Michigan hit .224 as a team, led by Grace Thomas hitting .400 with 17 kills. At the service line, CMU charted 14 aces, and blocked 19 balls.

Ohio Bobcats (2-12, 0-2 MAC)
Oct. 3 / vs. Akron / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets
Oct. 4 / vs. Buffalo / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 4 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

The Ohio volleyball team (2-12, 0-2 MAC) returns to Athens for the first time since August this weekend for two MAC matchups in the Convo. The weekend begins on Friday, Oct. 3 when Ohio hosts Akron (7-6, 0-2 MAC). First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Ohio is back on the court on Saturday, Oct. 4 when Buffalo (3-8, 0-2 MAC) comes to Athens for a 4 p.m. ET matchup with the Bobcats. The game can also be seen on ESPN+. 

Akron comes to Ohio with a 7-6 overall record and an 0-2 mark in MAC play. Akron is coming off home losses to Miami and Ball State this past weekend in Akron. Buffalo is currently 3-8 overall with an 0-2 mark in MAC play after falling in back-to-back sweeps at the hands of Miami and Ball State in Buffalo last weekend. 

Ohio is looking to get back on track after falling in four sets to both Bowling Green and Toledo on the road last weekend. Against BGSU, Ohio finished with 45 kills, 12 aces, three blocks, 44 assists and 49 digs. The Falcons finished with 47 kills, five aces, 13 blocks, 40 assists and 56 digs. Then against the Rockets, Ohio finished with 45 kills, five aces, seven blocks, 43 assists and 67 digs. Toledo finished with 46 kills, nine aces, nine blocks, 41 assists and 73 digs.