BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will be back on the road this weekend, taking on Buffalo Thursday (Oct. 17) and Akron Friday (Oct. 18). The Falcons head into the weekend with a 5-2 MAC record, tied for second in the standings, while Buffalo tops the MAC standings with a 6-1 record and Akron enters at 4-3, sixth in the standings. Both matches for the Falcons are set for 6 p.m. starts and will be available to stream on ESPN+. 

Weekend Schedule
Bowling Green at Buffalo | Thursday, Oct. 17 | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Bowling Green at Akron | Friday, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m. | ESPN+

First Serve 

• The Falcons enter the weekend tied for second in the MAC with Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Toledo with all four teams holding a 5-2 MAC standing. Buffalo leads the conference with a 6-1 record. 
• Thursday's match against Buffalo will mark the 53rd all-time between the two. BGSU is 42-10 all-time against the Bulls and 17-6 in Buffalo.
• Friday's match against Akron will mark the 68th all-time against Akron. Bowling Green holds a 50-17 record against the Zips while being 24-8 in Akron. 
• As a team, the Falcons are tied for 21st in the nation in total team blocks, registering 178.0 so far this season, which ranks second in the conference. 
• Alexis Mettille currently ranks second in the MAC and 25th in the nation for hitting percentage, maintaining a mark of .408. This season, Mettille has landed 131 kills on 260 attack attempts with just 25 errors.  
• Jessica Andrews and Mettille are currently tied for seventh during the program's Rally Scoring Era for career solo blocks, each with 40 during their tenure in the Orange and Brown, needing 42 to move up to a tie for fifth.
• Lindsey LaPinta has logged three straight matches with 20 digs or more, doing so against Western Michigan (20), Eastern Michigan (20) and Central Michigan (21).
• So far, all of BGSU's MAC matches have concluded in either three sets or five sets with none finishing in four. In MAC play, BGSU has played five five-set matches (3-2 record) and two three-set matches (2-0). 

Battling The Bulls
Buffalo enters the weekend atop the MAC standings with a 6-1 conference record while being 10-10 on the season. Buffalo's only MAC loss came in their MAC opener against Western Michigan before rattling off six straight wins, topping Western Michigan, Kent State twice, Akron, Miami (OH) and Ball State. Additionally, the Bulls are 6-0 when playing at home this season and have yet to go to five sets on their home court, having three go four sets and four finish in three.
 

BGSU vs. Buffalo, A History

The Falcons and Bulls have met 52 times previously in program history with Bowling Green holding the all-time advantage, 42-10. Bowling Green has won 11 straight over Buffalo with the last win for the Bulls in the series coming on Nov. 8, 2019. The Falcons have also won 17 of the last 19 between the two teams, including seven of the last eight played in Buffalo. Overall, the Falcons hold a record of 17-6 when playing at Buffalo. In the last 13 meetings between the two, only one has gone to five sets. During that span, 10 have been 3-0 sweeps while two have been four-set matches. 

Akron In Action
Akron is currently 8-11 on the year with a 4-3 MAC record. Before facing the Falcons, the Zips will take on Toledo on Thursday (Oct. 17). Akron is coming off a 3-1 win over Miami (OH) that put them back above .500 in the MAC and snapped a two-match losing streak, falling to Buffalo and Ball State. The Zips started MAC play by splitting with Ohio before topping Northern Illinois in back-to-back five-set matches, giving them a 4-3 MAC record and 3-5 record when playing at home this year.  
 

BGSU vs. Akron, A History

The Falcons and Zips have met 67 times previously in program history with BGSU holding an edge at 50-17. The Falcons have won nine straight over the Zips with the last Akron win in the series being on Oct. 4, 2019. When playing in Akron, the Falcons hold a record of 24-8, including wins in nine straight going back to the 2015 campaign. Overall, Bowling Green has have won 18 of the last 19 matches against the Zips as well as 24 of the last 26 going back to the start of the 2011 season, giving Coach Tomic a record of 22-2 against Akron all-time.

Falcons In Five
The Falcons this season have played in six five-set matches. This marks the fourth time during the Coach Tomic Era that the team has played in six or more five-set matches by Oct. 12 (2023, 2017, 2014). The team totaled 10 five-set matches in 2023, nine in 2017 and seven in 2014. In five setters this year, BGSU holds a record of 4-2. Last year, the Falcons played in 10 five-set matches, tying for the most during the Coach Tomic Era with the 2012 campaign. Last year, BGSU went 4-6 in five-set matches while in 2012 they went 9-1, falling in their first before going on to win the next nine, including the MAC Championship and the first round in the NCAA Tournament, the program's lone NCAA Tournament win.  

Building Block-By-Block
The Falcons not only have been one of the best blocking teams in the MAC so far this season but have placed themselves in the top 50 in the nation. As a team, the Falcons are averaging 2.58 blocks per set, ranking 42nd in the nation and second in the conference behind only Eastern Michigan (2.62). Additionally, the Falcons have logged 178.0 blocks this season which is tied for 21st in the nation and second in the MAC, behind Eastern Michigan as well (214.5). 

Mettille's Impact All-Around
Alexis Mettille has been a difference-maker for the Falcons on both the offensive and defensive sides of the match. Offensively, Mettille is second in the MAC and 25th in the nation for hitting percentage as one of two MAC players hitting above .400, currently with a mark of .408. Mettille has also been impactful on the block, averaging 1.12 blocks per set, ranking second on the team and sixth in the MAC. On top of the hitting percentage and blocks, Mettille led the Falcons in aces in each of the last two matches, totaling seven over the two outings. 

LaPinta Digging Deep
Lindsey LaPinta has been a consistent force of the Falcons on the defensive side, especially over the last two weeks. LaPinta has registered 20 digs or more in three consecutive matches for the Falcons, having 20 against Western Michigan (Oct. 5), 20 against Eastern Michigan (Oct. 10) and 21 against Central Michigan (Oct. 11). LaPinta now has four matches this season with 20+ digs, logging 21 against Wright State earlier this season on Sept. 8. . 

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons volleyball team on social media
Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUVolleyball
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsuvolleyball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics' and 'Bowling Green State University Volleyball'
TikTok - @bgsuvolleyball 
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'