Previews courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments
Northern Illinois Huskies (7-2, 0-0 MAC)
Thursday, Sept. 25: vs. Central Michigan, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Friday, Sept. 26: vs. Eastern Michigan, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
The Huskies return home this week as they host Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan this week inside Victor E. Court. NIU takes on the Chippewas of CMU on Sept. 25 before facing the Eagles of EMU with both games set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Thursday (Sept. 25) is Y2K night, with a throwback to the early 2000's while Friday (Sept. 26) is Wear Red night in the VEC.
The Huskies are off to their best start since the 2011 season, holding a 7-2 record as they enter MAC play. When the Huskies started 7-2 in 2011, they went on to win the MAC Championship that season. NIU has seen seven of their first nine games last four or more sets and are led offensively by
Ava Grevengoed and
Emma McCartney. McCartney and
Delaney Steers were named to the IU Indy All-Tournament team in the Huskies last time in action.
Toledo Rockets (9-3, 0-0 MAC)
Thursday, Sept. 25 / vs. Kent State / Toledo, Ohio / 6:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats
Friday, Sept. 26 / vs. Ohio / Toledo, Ohio / 6:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats.
Volleyball kicks off MAC play, hosting Kent State and Ohio this week at Savage Arena. The Rockets grabbed three wins at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational last weekend, concluding the non-conference slate with a final record of 9-3. The 9-3 record ties the best non-conference record since 2004.
Olivia Heitkamp leads the Rockets offense, averaging 2.61 kills per set while
Kelsey Smith is firing off 9.21 assists per set.
Akron Zips (7-4, 0-0 MAC)
AKRON, Ohio - The Zips begin Mid-American Conference action with a pair of home games, with Miami (OH) coming to James A. Rhodes Arena on Thursday while Ball State comes to the Rubber City on Friday.
How To Follow The Action
Miami (OH): Video | Stats
Ball State: Video | Stats
Zips At A Glance
Akron enters Mid-American Conference action with a 7-4 overall record after defeating Youngstown State 3-1 and Cleveland State 3-0 the past week.
Delaney Gash led the Zips in kills this past week with 33 and hit .297. Gabby Brissett hit .366 with 21 kills and Maureen Mathews recorded 25 kills on the week. Vanessa Dell Real notched 29 digs, 13 assists and four aces while Martina Villani had 79 assists, which included a career high 48 at Youngstown State. Chidera Ozoh averaged a block per set, seven total, for the week. Gash and Villani earned weekly MAC awards for their efforts the past week.
So far this season, Mathews leads the Zips in kills (167) and points (177.5). Villani is the leader in assists (377) while Del Real leads the way in digs (154) and aces (25). Chidera Ozoh leads Akron in blocks (39).
Best In The Conference (9/22/25)
After helping the Zips to a 2-0 week that saw just one set go against the Blue and Gold, Delaney Gash and Martina Villani earned weekly Mid-American Conference awards, the conference office announced Monday, September 22. Gash was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week, while Villani was named the MAC Setter of the Week. Gash finished the week with a .297 hitting percentage while leading the Zips in kills with 33 against Youngstown State and Cleveland State. Averaging 4.71 kills per set, she registered 19 kills and seven digs against Youngstown State while adding 14 kills and a .303 hitting percentage in a sweep of Cleveland State. Villani anchored the Zips offense this past week, once again resetting her career-high in assists in the process. Recording a career-high 48 assists at Youngstown State, Villani also added eight digs, three kills, two blocks and two aces against the Penguins. She would register 31 assists in a 3-0 victory over Cleveland State while adding six digs, three kills, three aces and three blocks in the home victory over the Vikings.
Leaders In The MAC
Akron ranks in the top-five in the MAC in points per set (4th - 16.65), hitting % (5th - .210), fewest opp assists (4th - 455), fewest opp assists per set (3rd - 10.58), assists per set (3rd - 12.02),, fewest opp kills (4th - 482), fewest opp kills per set (2nd - 11.21), total kills (5th - 562), kills per set (3rd - 13.07), total aces (4th - 75), aces per set (5th - 1.74), fewest opp digs (3rd - 529), fewest opp digs per set (12.30) and total digs (5th - 347).
Individually, the Zips see Maureen Mathews ranked 4th in total kills (167) and kills per set (3.88) while ranked 6th in total points (177.5) and points per set (4.13). Delaney Gash ranks 8th in total kills (141), 7th in kills per set (3.53), 8th in total points (153) and 7th in points per set (3.83). Martina Villani ranks 7th in total assists (377) and 6th in assists per set (8.77). Vanessa Del Real ranks 1st in total aces (25) and aces per set (.58) while ranked 7th in total digs (154) and 6th in digs per set (3.58). Chidera Ozoh ranks 6th in total blocks (39) and 9th in blocks per set (.91). Lyndi Wolf ranks 8th for total blocks (33).
Among The Best In The NCAA
As a team, the Zips rank 80th in the NCAA in aces per set (1.74), 96th in kills per set (13.07), 97th in total assists (517), 91st in total kills (562) and 76th in total aces (75). Individually, Vanessa Del Real ranks 20th in the NCAA in aces per set (.58) and 18th in total aces (25). Maureen Mathews ranks 80th in kills per set (3.88), 96th in total points (177.5) and 53rd in total kills (167). Martina Villani ranks 72nd in total assists (377).
New Career Highs (Sept. 18-19)
- Chidera Ozoh set a career-high in kills (7, at Youngstown State).
- Martina Villani set a career-high in assists (48, at Youngstown State).
- Gabby Brissett tied her career-high in kills (15, at Youngstown State).
What's Next?
The Zips hit the road to battle Ohio (Friday, Oct. 3) and Kent State (Saturday, Oct. 4).
Eastern Michigan Eagles (8-5, 0-0 MAC)
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- After an 8-5 non-conference slate, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is set to open Mid-American Conference action on the road against Western Michigan University Thursday, Sept. 25, 6 p.m., followed by a match against soon-departing MAC foe, Northern Illinois University, Friday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m. ET.
OPENING MAC PLAY
Eastern volleyball is entering its 46th year of MAC competition. Since the 1980 campaign, the Eagles have posted a 23-22 record in MAC openers. EMU bested Kent State in reverse-sweep fashion in last season's conference opener, Sept. 26. The Eagles are looking to win the MAC opener in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007-08, when they beat Ball State in 2007 and Toledo in 2008.
RECORD IN ROAD MAC OPENERS
Eastern is opening MAC play on the road for the 25th time. The Eagles have played well when doing so, as they hold a 14-10 record in such circumstances. EMU is 1-1 in MAC openers under Head Coach
Kevin Foeman as both have taken place on the road. Eastern is looking to win consecutive MAC road openers for the first time since it beat Northern Illinois, Sept. 23, 2005, and won its next MAC opener on the road in the 2008 season against Toledo, Sept. 26, 2008.
STARTING STRONG
Eastern is off to its first 8-5 start since the 2018 season, the last time it won a MAC Tournament Championship.
NON-CON SUCCESS
Eastern's .615 non-conference winning percentage this season (8-5 record) is its best since the 2013 season, when it ended the non-conference slate with a .666 winning percentage (10-5 record).
WELKER 11 BLOCKS PROGRAM STANDING
Hatteras Welker's 11 blocks against Valparaiso rank second in EMU program history while standing second in the MAC, first in a four-set match, and fourth in the nation in four stanzas.
HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS - TEAM
Eastern ranks in the top three in the MAC in seven categories. By volume, EMU ranks 16th in the nation in total kills (644) and total assists (595), 25th in total attacks (1,744), 28th in total blocks (112.0), and 32nd in total digs (728).
Eastern ranks first in the MAC in six team single-game categories, and inside the top four in nine total.
Eastern Michigan has four players who rank inside the conference top five in various per-set categories. In the national standings, Welker slots 23rd in blocks per set (1.47) and fourth in total blocks (69), Belcher ranks 15th in total assists (441), while Siefke ranks 19th in total points (213.0) and 34th in total kills (179).
In the national standings by volume, Welker's 11 blocks in a four-set match slot fourth, while Belcher's 41 dimes in a three-set match are the seventh most. Grasson's four aces tie for seventh in four-set matches, and Bonney's .688 clip ties for 12th (15-19 attempts).
MILESTONES
Ava Siefke recently reached the 500 mark with her 17 kills in the win over SIU, Sept. 12.
Ashlynn Belcher reached the 500 digs mark with nine against Oakland, Sept. 19, and she now has 508 in her four-year NCAA tenure.
Abby Stanford reached 500 kills with her four at IU Indy, Sept. 18, as she totals 509 in her collegiate career.
UP NEXT
Eastern welcomes Bowling Green and Toledo to the George Gervin GameAbove Center next week, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 3-4.
Bowling Green Falcons (6-6, 0-0 MAC)
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will begin the MAC portion of its season with back-to-back home matches. Bowling Green will first host Ohio on Thursday (Sept. 25) before transitioning to Kent State on Friday (Sept. 26). Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts inside the Stroh Center. Thursday will be Casino Night, while Friday's theme will be Teal Attack. Both matches will also be available to stream on ESPN+.
Thursday, Sept. 25 | BGSU vs. Ohio | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Friday, Sept. 26 | BGSU vs. Kent State | 6 p.m. ESPN+
First Serve
- The Falcons will open MAC play with a pair of home matches, hosting Ohio on Thursday (Sept. 25) and Kent State on Friday (Sept. 26), both 6 p.m. starts.
- Bowling Green enters the MAC portion of the season with a record of 6-6. However, the Orange and Brown are 6-2 when playing teams that aren't receiving votes in the nation's top 25 poll.
- Teams that BGSU has lost to this year have a combined record of 39-14 (.736). Overall, the Falcons had the third-hardest non-conference schedule in the MAC behind Ball State and Ohio, with Bowling Green's ranking 109th in the nation.
- The Falcons closed out the non-conference schedule with a 4-1 record in their last five matches, with the only loss being to undefeated Michigan State in four sets.
- BGSU has recorded a win in its MAC opener in each of the last seven seasons, as well as adding a win in its MAC home opener in each of the last five seasons.
- In the all-time series against Ohio, Bowling Green has won 12 of the last 14 meetings while also registering a win in the last seven times they've hosted the Bobcats.
- In the all-time series against Kent State, the Falcons have won each of the last 10 meetings as well as 18 of the last 19, dating back to the 2015 season.
- The Orange and Brown head into the MAC schedule with 396 MAC wins in program history, just four away from reaching 400. So far, only two schools have hit the mark being Western Michigan and Ball State.
Starting MAC Play Strong
The Falcons will look to open MAC play in the win column for what would be the eighth-straight year. Bowling Green has won their MAC opener each season dating back to the 2018 campaign. During the seven-year stretch, BGSU advanced to at least 2-0 in six of the seasons, including an 11-0 start in 2021 and a BGSU Athletics record 18-0 start during the 2020-21 campaign. The Falcons closed out their non-conference schedule with wins in four of their last five.
Home Sweet Home
Bowling Green will be looking to extend their streak of wins in their MAC home opener as well. BGSU has won its first home MAC match each of the last five seasons, going back to 2020. During those five years, the Falcons have put together an impressive 42-8 record at home against MAC opponents, producing an .840 winning percentage. The streak includes an undefeated 9-0 home MAC record during the 2021 season. This year, BGSU won its lone home match so far, topping Oakland in a 3-0 final on Sept. 17.
BGSU Approaching MAC Milestone
As a program, Bowling Green is nearing a milestone in the way of conference wins. Entering the 2025 MAC schedule, the Falcons hold 396 wins all-time against MAC opponents, leaving the team just four shy of reaching 400 MAC wins as a program. Entering MAC play, only two teams in the conference have reached 400 wins being Western Michigan (457) and Ball State (446). However, in addition to BGSU, both Miami (OH) (398) and Ohio (392) have less than 10 wins to hit the mark.
Miami RedHawks (6-6, 0-0 MAC)
Thur.., Sept. 25 at Akron, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Fri, Sept. 26 at Buffalo, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Miami Volleyball opens MAC play as the RedHawks head to Akron Thursday and Buffalo Friday. They split a home-and-home series with Northern Kentucky over the weekend, capturing a five-set win on Saturday. The RedHawks return home to host Western Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 2, and Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 3.
Kent State Golden Flashes (5-6, 0-0 MAC)
The Kent State volleyball team opens Mid-American Conference play this weekend with single matches at Toledo on Thursday and preseason favorite Bowling Green on Friday.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 25 | 6 p.m. | Kent State at Toledo
Friday, September 26 | 6 p.m. | Kent State at Bowling Green
PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
Kent State (5-6) split its two final non-conference matches, falling to Cleveland State (0-3) and then beating Youngstown State (3-2) last week.
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).
A trio of newcomers have made immediate impacts to Kent State's attack, as junior Mercedez Brown (71), freshman Macie Moreland (70) and redshirt sophomore Adalynn Ginley (53) are the next three kills leaders. Ginley ranks fifth in the conference in both hitting percentage (.299) and blocks per set (1.03).
Junior Christina Vigil ranks second in the MAC at 9.43 assists per set and leads the Flashes with 103 digs.
Buffalo Bulls (3-6, 0-0 MAC)
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (3-6, 0-0 MAC) will host the Ball State Cardinals (4-8, 0-0 MAC) and the Miami RedHawks (6-6, 0-0 MAC) to open Mid-American Conference play. The Bulls will play the Cardinals on Thursday, followed by the RedHawks on Friday. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
It will mark the first time in program history that the Bulls will open MAC play against Ball State. Buffalo is are winner of three straight over the Cardinals, including a win at Worthen Arena last year. This was the first time the Bulls beat Ball State on the road. In 2022, the Bulls defeated the 6-seed Ohio in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals at Worthen Arena as Ball State hosted the tournament. In the overall series, the Cardinals lead, 28-4.
The Bulls will finish the weekend against the Miami RedHawks. Against their MAC opponents, Buffalo has their longest win streak of seven matches against the RedHawks. Under Head Coach
Scott Smith, the Bulls are 5-0 against Miami in Alumni Arena, including three sweeps. The RedHawks lead the all-time series, 34-17.
Last weekend at the Duquesne-Robert Morris Invite, the Bulls struggled against their competition. On Friday at Duquesne, the Bulls fell in straight sets, 23-25, 20-25, 16-25. The Bulls looked for a bounce back against the Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday, but lost in three sets, 18-25, 22-25, 29-31.
Manoela Forlin led the Bulls with 18 kills, good for 3.00 kills per set.
Tehya Shaw was excellent at the net as she tallied 11 total blocks, an average of 1.83 per set.
ABOUT THE BULLS
• Junior
Manoela Forlin has 10+ kills in eight of the nine matches this season.
• Preseason All-MAC honoree
Manoela Forlin is averaging a team-best 4.14 points per set. This is good for fifth in the MAC and 123
rd 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 third-best hitting percentage in the MAC at .220, good for 139
th in the nation.
• The freshmen trio of
Maddie Mitchell,
Sydney Bell and
Emerson Matthews have accounted for 44.5% of the team's kill total with 181 of the 407. They have a combined .220 hitting percentage on the season.
• The Bulls are 9-2 in sets where they reach 15 first, but are 3-19 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.
Ball State Cardinals (4-8, 0-0 MAC)
Preview coming soon...
Central Michigan Chippewas (3-9, 0-0 MAC)
The Chippewas traveled to State College, Pa., over the weekend. Despite CMU falling to both Princeton and No. 13 Penn State, 0-3, Central Michigan put up a fight that looks to be sending them into MAC play on a high note. In the battle with the reigning national champions, CMU dropped the sets 21-25, 20-25, and 22-25. Coach Wilson believes this is a huge step in the right direction to see the growth of her squad heading into conference play.
Central Michigan first-year head coach Arielle Wilson will return to State College and her alma mater for the weekend against Princeton and Penn State. Wilson was a four-time national champion with Penn State between 2007-2010. Wilson and the Nittany Lions won 109 consecutive matches between 2007-2010, going 38-0 in 2008, 2009, and 2010. In 2007, the team dropped two games, one to Nebraska and one to Stanford. Previously, at Mizzou, Wilson returned to Penn State with the Tigers and defeated the Nittany Lions, 3-1 (8/27/21). While on staff at Michigan State, Wilson and the Spartans posted a 0-3 record against Penn State through the 2018-19 seasons.
The Chippewas opened their B10 week with a match at Michigan on Wednesday in Cliff Keen Arena. CMU fell 0-3 to the Wolverines, 17-25, 22-25, 16-25. Natalia Rejment made her first start of her senior season after battling injury over the first three tournaments. The Chippewas were led offensively by Rejment and Taylor Cripe with eight kills each. CMU hit .188 as a team, and Michigan hit .423.
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 led 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, who hit .400 with 17 kills. At the service line, CMU charted 14 aces and blocked 19 balls.
Western Michigan Broncos (3-10, 0-0 MAC)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team returns to University Arena on Thursday and Friday to open up Mid-American Conference play against in-state rivals Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Match One: Thursday, Sept. 25 | 6 pm | WMU vs EMU | TICKETS | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
Match Two: Friday, Sept. 26 | 6 pm | | WMU vs CMU | TICKETS | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
TIME FOR #MACTION
Western Michigan returns to University Arena this week to open up Mid-American Conference play against in-state rivals Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The Broncos have won six straight conference openers.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos won two out of their three matches last weekend at the Capital Credit Union Classic. WMU started the week by outlasting tournament host Green Bay in five, fueled by
Molly Brown's career-high 25 kills. After falling to Northern Iowa on Friday, Western Michigan bounced back to dispatch Tennessee Tech in straight sets on Saturday.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
After winning a pair of matches last weekend in Green Bay,
Elana Erickson and
Leah Richmond were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Erickson collected 74 digs (6.73/set) and was perfect (26-for-26) in serve receive, while Richmond racked up 111 assists (10.09/set) and 45 digs (4.09/set) on the way to recording three double-doubles.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season,
Elana Erickson was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. WMU's sophomore libero posted a career-high 34 digs in the five-set win over Green Bay, and went on to average 6.73 digs per set for the tournament. Erickson leads the MAC in both total digs (235) and digs per set (4.90), with her total digs ranking 12th in NCAA Division I and her digs per set average the 21st-best mark nationally.
Ohio Bobcats (2-10, 0-0 MAC)
Sept. 25 / at Bowling Green / Bowling Green, Ohio / Stroh Center / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
Sept. 26 / at. Toledo / Toledo, Ohio / Savage Arena / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
The Ohio volleyball team (2-10, 0-0 MAC) opens Mid-American Conference play this week on the road. The week begins on Thursday, Sept. 25, when Ohio takes on Bowling Green (6-6, 0-0 MAC) on the road. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside the Stroh Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Ohio then heads down to read to Toledo, Ohio, on Friday, Sept. 26, to take on Toledo (9-3, 0-0 MAC). First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside Savage Arena and can be seen on ESPN+.
Bowling Green is 6-6 overall and is coming off a 1-1 weekend at the Kathy DeBoer Invitational, defeating Binghamton and falling to Michigan State. Toledo is 9-3 overall and is coming off a three-win weekend at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, defeating Bellarmine, Mercyhurst and Purdue Fort Wayne.
Ohio is looking to get back on track after battling last weekend at the Charlotte Invitational.
