Women's Volleyball

Ball State, Toledo Volleyball Rallies for Weekend Opener Wins

Friday Volleyball results
Central Michigan 3, UMKC 0
Miami 3, Middle Tennessee 1
Northern Illinois 3, Gonzaga 1
Xavier 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Akron 3, Eastern Kentucky 1
Ohio State 3, Ohio 0
Bowling Green 3, Stephen F. Austin 1
Eastern Michigan 3, Southern Illinois 1 
Bellarmine 3, Northern Illinois 2
Toledo 3, Denver 2 
Northwestern 3, Buffalo 2
#16 USC 3, Western Michigan 0
Bradley 3, Central Michigan 0
Kent State 3, North Dakota 0 
Southern Indiana 3, Miami 1
Ball State 3, Marquette 2
 
Recap courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Central Michigan 3, UMKC 0 | Box Score
PEORIA, Ill. – Central Michigan swept their second team in a row with a victory over UMKC, but was swept by Bradley in the second match of the day. CMU moves to 3-5 on the season, while UMKC moves to 0-7 with the loss to CMU and Bradley moves to 4-4 on the season.

Central Michigan won the first set of the match with the Kangaroos 25-23. CMU utilized a 4-0 run pulling within two in the set as they found themselves down 6-11 early in the set. Central Michigan took the lead later in the match 19-16 after outscoring UMCK 7-1.

UMKC took a 23-21 lead using a 4-0 run of their own, but CMU finished out 4-0 themselves to take the victory.

In the second set, Central Michigan was down 3-8 but again brought it within two with a 4-0 run forcing a UMCK timeout at 9-11 in favor of the Kangaroos. An attack error from UMCK tied the game at 16, and Central Michigan then pulled out to a 19-16 lead. The set was tied at 21, but another 4-0 run for CMU gave them the tilt in the second set, 25-23.

The third set, was again, a set of 4-0 runs. CMU jumped out to a 6-3 lead with a 4-0 run, forcing a UMKC timeout, where the Kangaroos then came out and delivered a 4-0 run themselves. Central Michigan ended the match with their second sweep over an opponent in a row, taking set three 25-21.

Against Bradley in the second match of the day, Central Michigan dropped the first set to the Braves, 16-25. Bradley jumped out to a 10-5 lead over the Chippewas, with Head Coach Arielle Wilson taking her second timeout as the Braves led 16-9.

Set two, a tight back and forth battle started to work itself in favor of the Braves after being tied at 15. Bradley pulled away to a 21-15 lead, and ultimately took the 25-18 victory over the Chippewas.

Another close set in the third was tied at 15, and similar to set two, Central Michigan found themselves giving up runs to the Braves that led to a third set loss for CMU, 25-21, that ended the match.

On the night, the Chippewas were led by Izzy Swiercz offensively with nine kills (.333) and two service aces. Molly Beatty and Keelyn Muell combined for 30 assists, while Abby Olin and Brooklyn Conner each tallied two blocks.

The Chippewas will close out the tournament taking on Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. (ET) before returning back to Michigan facing the Wolverines on the 17th at 7 p.m.


Miami 3, Middle Tennessee 1 | Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio— The Miami University volleyball team (4-5) took down Middle Tennessee (4-3) in four sets (25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 25-14) at the Best Western Invitational on Friday morning, but dropped to Southern Indiana (2-7) in four sets (16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25) at the Best Western Invitational on Friday night.

NOTES VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE:
  • Coyne led all players with a career-high 17 kills.
  • Kamryn Utley totaled the most assists (31) of her career to lead both teams in the match.
  • Radaszewski led the RedHawks with two service aces.
NOTES VS. SOUTHERN INDIANA:
  • Hanson led all players with four service aces.
  • Creech led the Red and White with 17 digs.


Northern Illinois 3, Gonzaga 1| Box Score
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind—Splitting action at the IU Indianapolis Hampton Inn Invitational, the Northern Illinois University Huskies (6-2) took on Gonzaga and Bellarmine in a combined nine-set battle.  The Huskies dropped the opening set against the Bulldogs of Gonzaga (4-3) 11-25, before winning the next three sets, 25-19, 25-18, and 27-25. NIU was down early against Bellarmine (4-4), dropping the opening sets 16-25 and 19-25, before taking sets three and four with scores of 25-18 and 25-22. The Huskies fell in the fifth and final set 15-9.
 
Emma McCartney had a career performance against the Bulldogs, leading all players with 20 kills in the game. McCartney also recorded career bests with 4 blocks and 23.5 points.
 
Autumn Flynn and Ella Strausberger led the Huskies with three service aces each as NIU recorded 11 in the contest. Flynn's three aces set a new career best for the junior middle blocker.
 
McCartney and Ava Grevengoed led the Huskies against Bellarmine with 15 and 12 kills each. Delaney Steers led the Huskies with three service aces in her first collegiate start.
 
Kylie Schulze set a new career best in assists with 23 against the Knights.
 
The Huskies conclude the IU Indianapolis Hampton Inn Invitational on September 13 as they take on tournament hosts IU Indy at 1 p.m. Fans can find live stats and watch links on the IU Indianapolis tournament central website.


Akron 3, Eastern Kentucky 1 | Box Score
RICHMOND, KY - Powered by a career-high 25 kills from Delaney Gash, the Akron volleyball team fought back after losing set one to secure a 3-1 road win (17-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-22) against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Friday to begin the Geri Polvino Invitational.

The out-of-conference win improved Akron's overall record to 5-2 on the season.

The Zips' offense was paced by Gash, who finished with 25 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .278, and by Maureen Mathews, who had 15 while hitting .275. Defensively, Akron had two players reach double figures in digs as Reilly Chausse had 14 and Martina Villani had a career-high 13. Chidera Ozoh helped the Zips at the net with four blocks to go with her career-high six kills.

Villani notched her second double-double of the season, recording 40 assists to go with her 13 digs. Vanessa Del Real filled up the stat sheet for the Blue and Gold, supplying a career-high 11 assists, seven digs and four aces.

Game Notes:

» Del Real had a match-high four aces in the win.

» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-21.

» Gash had a match-high 25 kills for Akron.

» Akron got a team-high 14 digs from Chausse.

» Akron attackers were helped by a match-high 40 assists from Villani.

What's Next?: Akron concludes action in the Geri Polvino Invitational on Saturday, September 13, with matches against Northern Kentucky and Texas-Rio Grande Valley.



Bowling Green 3, Stephen F. Austin 1 | Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team picked up a win over Stephen F. Austin on Friday (Sept. 12) with a 3-1 victory. In the four-set match, each set was settled by just two points including two of the sets going to extra points. After coming up short in the first set, the Falcons battled back with three straight set wins. The win marks the first for head coach Alex DelPiombo on the bench for BGSU as the head coach. It also is the first win for the program over SFA.

Avery Hobson led the attack for the Falcons with a career-high 24 kills and a .404 hitting percentage. Lauryn Hovey followed with a double-double, finishing with 13 kills and 10 digs. Joining on the attack, Marin Dunaway made her BGSU debut, finishing with eight kills. Amanda Otten set the attack with 44 assists while adding nine digs and a season-high six kills. 

Falcon Stat Leaders vs. Stephen F. Austin: Kills: Avery Hobson (24); Assists: Amanda Otten (44); Digs: Sydnie Hernandez (15); Aces: Jessica Andrews, Lauryn Hovey (3); Blocks: Jessica Andrews (7).

Falcon Stat Facts:
  • The win will go down as the first on the bench for Alex DelPiombo as head coach of the Falcons. DelPiombo missed the first two wins for BGSU this season following the birth of her son.
  • With the match being the first all-time between Bowling Green and SFA, the Falcons are now 1-0 in program history against the Jacks. 
  • The Falcons hit .208 as a team while holding SFA to a mark of .118. BGSU is now 3-0 this season when hitting a higher percentage than their opponent. 
  • Avery Hobson led the BGSU attack with a career-high 24 kills while also maintaining a .404 hitting percentage in the match. Hobson added eight digs, five blocks and two assists to complete her stat line. The block total also set a new career-high. 
  • Lauryn Hovey landed 13 kills and added 10 digs, both second on the team for the match. The double-double gives Hovey three this season and 21 for her career at BGSU. The Falcons have had at least one double-double in five consecutive matches. 
  • Jessica Andrews logged a team-high seven blocks for the Falcons. The mark moves her career total to 371 blocks for BGSU, passing Alexis Mettille for fourth on the program's Rally Scoring list. 
  • After entering the match with four career aces, Andrews added three aces in the match, tying for the team-lead in the match and nearly doubling her career total. 
  • Entering in the third set, Marin Dunaway made her BGSU debut and had a big impact. Dunaway totaled eight kills on 25 attacks while adding a solo block and a block assist. 
  • Amanda Otten set the Falcon attack with 44 assists while filling up the stat sheet with a season-high six kills, nine digs, four blocks and two aces. 
  • Sydnie Hernandez paced the team in digs with 15 and added five assists, continuing her streak of at least three assists in each match this season. 

Up Next: The Falcons will wrap up the weekend on Saturday (Sept. 13) against host Loyola with a 3 p.m. EST start. From there, Bowling Green will return home to the Stroh Center on Wednesday (Sept. 17) to host Oakland for a 6 p.m. first serve. 


Eastern Michigan 3, Southern Illinois 1 | Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team split the first day of the Golden Grizzlies Invitational, hosted by Oakland University. EMU bested Southern Illinois University, 3-1, after dropping its opening match to Xavier University, 3-1, inside the OU Credit Union O'Rena Friday, Sept. 12.
 
Freshman outside hitter AshleeKay Christensen led the team in kills in both matches, featuring a career-best 20 in the win over the Salukis, the most from an Eastern freshman since 2016.
 
Ava Siefke added a pair of double-digit kill matches highlighted by a 17-kills/14-digs double-double performance against SIU. Ashlynn Belcher had 30+ assists in both contests.

Match Notes vs. Southern Illinois
» Eastern's record improved to 6-3 (0-0 MAC) and Southern Illinois' dropped to 4-4 (0-0 MVC)
» Eastern had more kills (66-63), aces (7-4), assists (57-55), and digs (54-50) than its opponent.
» Eastern out-hit its foe (.336 - .271) for the sixth time this season, producing a 6-0 record when doing so. EMU is 20-4 overall under Head Coach Kevin Foeman when out-hitting its opponent.
» Every EMU attacker with three or more attacks hit over .250, including six that went over .300.
» The win marked just the second in the Foeman era where the Eagles' opponent has hit over .250 as the Salukis hit .271. EMU is 2-21 when its opponent hits over .250 under Foeman.
» EMU set season-highs in kills (66), tying for the second-most under Foeman, the second most in the MAC, and most in a four-set match in the conference. EMU's kill total also stands tied for ninth in the country in a four-set contest.
» EMU tallied more kills than its opponent for the seventh time, resulting in a 6-1 record in 2025, and 16-3 mark under Foeman.
» Christensen recorded a career-best 20 kills for her fifth double-digit outing of the season. The performance marked her first time recording double-digit kills in consecutive games. She also set a career-best mark with a .326 hitting percentage.
» Siefke notched her fourth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 14 digs. Eastern is 3-1 this season when she records a double-double. The performance continued her nine-game double-digit kill streak, the longest in her career. Her 14 digs are her fourth time surpassing 10 in a match this season.
» Belcher dished 36 assists, leading the team for the ninth time this year. She has recorded eight 30+ assist games in 2025 and 21 in her career as she leads the MAC in assists per set, averaging 10.00.

Up Next: The Eagles conclude the invitational tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 13, with a 3 p.m. match against the host Golden Grizzlies.  


Toledo 3, Denver 2 | Box Score
BOULDER, Colo. – The Toledo women's volleyball team grabbed a 3-2 victory (25-23, 19-25, 25-21, 25-27, 15-11) over Denver in the opening match of the Buffs Invitational in Boulder, Colo. The match saw 24 ties and nine lead changes throughout its entirety.

The Rockets (6-1) saw four players earn double-figure kills, led by senior Sophie Catalano with a career-best 17 terminations. Iremnur Elmas poured in 12 kills, including nine between the fourth and fifth sets.

Redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn added 12 kills to go along with eight total blocks, five of which came in the first set. Freshman Jessica Costlow tallied 11 kills to go with nine digs and a career-best four service aces.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith recorded a career-high 54 assists alongside nine digs and six kills. Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger tallied 16 digs while Macy Medors poured in a season-best eight digs.

Key Moments
  • The Rockets used a 3-0 run in the first set to take a 13-10 lead, highlighted by a solo block from Sierra Pertzborn. Avery Adamski rattled off a service ace to push the Rockets lead to 18-11. Denver put together a 3-0 surge to get within one, 22-21, before a kill from Jessica Costlow put the Rockets at match point. An attack errors from the Pioneers secured the set one victory.
  • Denver jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the second set. A 4-0 run with Adamski behind the service line tied the match, 16-16, but Denver took the set win behind a kill and a solo block.
  • The third set saw much back-and-forth before the Rockets jumped out to a five point lead, 17-12, behind blocks from Anna Alford, Iremnur Elmas and Sophie Catalano. Two straight aces from Jessica Costlow put Toledo at set point and an error from the Pioneers secured the set win.
  • Denver took a 9-5 lead in the fourth set but the Rockets fired off a 4-0 run to tie the match, 16-16. A Pioneers block put Denver ahead, 21-19, before the teams traded points. Elmas fired off kills to tie the match, 25-25, before a kill and an ace from Denver forced a fifth set.
  • A solo block by Kelsey Smith gave Toledo an 8-5 lead in the fifth set. A Costlow kill and ace kept the Rockets in front, 11-7. Elmas fired off her 12th termination of the night and secured the match victory for Toledo.
Up Next: Toledo continues competition at the Buffs Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 13. The Rockets will meet the host Buffaloes at 8:00 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN+.


Kent State 3, North Dakota 0 | Box Score
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Kent State swept its opponent for the first time this season in a 3-0 victory (25-16, 25-23, 25-20) over North Dakota on Friday evening.

Junior Christina Vigil posted a double-double for the second match in a row with 27 assists and 10 digs. Sophomores Hailey Brenner and Lesley Furuta added seven digs each to help the Golden Flashes limit their host to a .028 hitting percentage. Redshirt sophomore Adalynn Ginley led the defense at the net with four total blocks.

Kent State had a balanced attack, as junior Mercedez Brown, senior Mackenzie McGuire and sophomore Nadia Miller shared the team lead with eight kills each. Freshman Macie Moreland was right behind with seven kills.

The Golden Flashes (4-4) will travel south about 80 miles to Fargo and finish the weekend at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday against North Dakota State.


Ball State 3, Marquette 2 | Box Score
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - - There is no quit in the Ball State women's volleyball team and it showed Friday night, as the Cardinals (3-4) rallied from down 11-7 in the fifth set, scoring the final eight points, to claim a 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 15-11) victory at Marquette.

It was a final push in another epic battle for Ball State this season, which was aided by the strong play of junior middle Camryn Wise who smashed 12 kills, hit .579 (12-1-19) and tied for match-high honors with six total blocks. Two of those blocks came in the final eight-point run which also saw the Cardinals defense force four Golden Eagles (3-2) attack errors.

Overall, Ball State turned in an impressive performance against a Marquette squad which received 37 points in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Cardinals held a .211 to .188 edge in attack percentage, a 73 to 62 lead in total digs and a 12.0 to 11.0 advantage in total blocks.

Another big factor at the net for Ball State was junior middle Gwen Crull who chipped in five total blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs. She also smashed seven kills and served up an ace during the final eight-point run.

In the backcourt, it was the play of sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling which helped set the tone. She finished the night with a career-high 20 digs, nine more than her previous career mark, while going a perfect 10-for-10 in serve receive. 

In addition to Wise finishing the night with her third double-digit kill effort of the season, sophomore outside Carson Tyler led the Ball State offense with 17 and graduate outside Noelle VanOort added 14. Both also chipped in their fourth double-doubles of the season, with Tyler collecting a career-high 19 digs and VanOort adding 11.

Also chipping in double-digit digs was sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter who reached double figures for the seventh time this season with 10. She was even more impressive in serve receive, passing 56 of the match-high 57 serves she faced against a Marquette squad which averaged 1.56 aces per set entering the night.

Guiding Ball State's offensive effort was junior setter Lindsey Green who dished out a career-high 51 assists, while collecting six digs, three blocks, two kills and a service ace. It was her team-leading 10th ace of the season.

On the Marquette side of the net, Hattie Bray led three Golden Eagles in double figures with 19 kills, while hitting .516 (19-3-31). Adriana Studer collected a match-high 21 digs, while Keira Schmidt tied Wise for match-high honors with six total blocks. Isabela Haggard guided the MU offense, dishing out 51 assists.

The Ball State women's volleyball team continues play in the Marquette Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT first serve versus Milwaukee. The Cardinals close the three-day event Sunday with a 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT first serve against James Madison.


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