BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will wrap up the regular season this weekend, hosting the Ohio Bobcats for a pair of matches at the Stroh Center. The matches on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 15-16) are both scheduled for 6 p.m. starts. Saturday's match will also be Senior Night with senior recognitions following the match. Both matches are set to be broadcasted on ESPN+. 

Weekend Schedule
Bowling Green vs. Ohio | Friday, Nov. 15 | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Local Heroes Night
Bowling Green vs. Ohio | Saturday, Nov. 16 | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Senior Day

At The Matches 
On Friday night (Nov. 15) it will be Local Heroes Night at the Stroh Center. Fire, police and military personnel can receive free tickets with the following link. There is also a discounted rate for family and friends. 

As for Saturday night (Nov. 16) the match is Senior Night for the Falcons. Bowling Green will recognize four seniors following the match, including true seniors Lindsey LaPinta and Mia Tyler as well as fifth-year seniors Alexis Mettille and Jordan Newblatt. 

Magic Number: 2
Bowling Green has already clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament and are now vying for the MAC Regular Season title. Entering the weekend, Bowling Green and Central Michigan are still in the mix for the outright title while a share is still in play for Western Michigan and Ball State. For the Falcons, the magic number is two with Central Michigan for not only the outright title but also hosting the MAC Tournament. The Falcons are currently 14-2 while CMU is 13-3 and hold the tiebreaker. Central Michigan will be on the road at Akron this weekend. 

First Serve 

• Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the top six teams in the Mid-American Conference will make the MAC Tournament. The top-seeded team in the tournament will serve as the host. The host team will also determine the dates of the tournament based on approved selections by the conference. 
• Bowling Green and Central Michigan are still in play to host. Should Bowling Green host the MAC Tournament would be Nov. 22-24. If Central Michigan hosts, it would be Nov. 21-23. 
• Bowling Green and Ohio enter the weekend having met 93 times in program history with the Falcons leading the all-time series with a record of 53-40.
• When hosting the Bobcats, the Falcons have an advantage of 22-17 and have won five-straight at the Stroh over Ohio. 
• The Falcons have won nine straight matches, the longest winning streak for Bowling Green since winning 12 consecutive matches in 2021 from Sept. 19-Oct. 23. 
• Bowling Green enters the weekend with 19 wins on the season, needing one to clinch the seventh 20-win season under head coach Danijela Tomic.
• Currently, the Falcons have 14 Mid-American Conference wins with a chance to win 16 for just the third time in program history during an 18-match conference schedule, winning 16 in 2021 and 17 in 1992. 
• Lauryn Hovey has landed 48 aces this season, the second-most by a Falcon during the Rally Scoring Era (2001-Present), trailing only her 59 aces from last season. Hovey's 48 aces are tied for 17th in the nation while her 0.49 aces per set are 23rd. 
• Alexis Mettille is hitting .429 on the season, not only leading the MAC but ranking sixth in the nation for the stat. 
• Jessica Andrews has totaled 122 blocks this season, tied for 26th in the nation. Andrews is averaging 1.24 blocks per set, ranking second in the MAC behind only Hatteras Welker at EMU with a mark of 1.27. 

Bash With The Bobcats
The Ohio Bobcats head into the weekend with a 14-13 record on the season while being 10-6 within the Mid-American Conference. Ohio has won four straight matches, taking a five-set match from Central Michigan before a 3-0 sweep against Kent State and two wins over Buffalo, one in four sets and one in three. The weekend sweep against Buffalo was the first time this season the Bobcats swept a weekend series. OU is paced by junior opposite hitter Anna Kharchynska, leading the team in kills (407) as well as blocks (77) and points (461.0). 

BGSU v. Ohio, All-Time
The Falcons and Bobcats have met 93 times previously in program history with Bowling Green holding a 53-40 record all-time. Last year, the two teams split the season series in Athens with both matches ending in four sets. Ohio won the first meeting of the weekend, but the Falcons battled back on the second night for the split. However, BGSU has won five-straight matches at the Stroh Center, dating back to the 2018 season. Additionally, the Falcons hold a record of 10-2 over the last 12 meetings. In total, Bowling Green's record when hosting the Bobcats is 22-17. 

Falcons In The Win Column
Bowling Green is on the brink of a 20-win season, entering the weekend with 19. The Falcons have won at least 19 matches in each of the last six seasons and 20+ in five of the last six. During the Tomic Era at Bowling Green, the Falcons have registered six 20-win seasons, including each season from 2019-2022. As for MAC play, the Falcons have an opportunity to reach 16 MAC wins, currently 14-2. During the 18-match MAC schedule, the Falcons have won 16 or more conference contests twice, going 17-1 in 1992 and 16-2 in 2021. BGSU finished 20-1 in a 21-match MAC schedule during the 2020-21 COVID season. 

Hovey Handling The Record Book
So far this season, Lauryn Hovey has landed 48 aces for the Falcons after recording 59 last season. With those two tallies, Hovey now has the top two spots on the Rally Scoring Era list for single-season aces. Last year, Hovey's 59 clocked in second on the overall program list while her 48 this year are currently sixth. For Hovey's career she has 133 aces, placing her first during the Rally Scoring Era and sitting in seventh all-time. This year, Hovey's 48 aces are tied for 17th in the nation while her 0.49 aces per set rank 23rd in the nation. 

Mettille's Efficient Season
Returning to the Falcons this season for a fifth season, Alexis Mettille has become one of the most efficient players in the country. Entering the weekend, Mettille ranks sixth in the nation for hitting percentage with a mark of .429. Going into this season, Mettille hit .313 in 2022 and .314 in 2023. This year, she's landed a career-high 189 kills on 364 attacks with just 33 errors. On the national rankings, Mettille trails two players from the Mountain West, two players from the Big Ten and one, the nation's leader Keondreya Granberry, from the SEC. 

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'