BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team continued a stretch of five wins in nine days to begin MAC play, topping Western Michigan in three sets on Saturday (Oct. 5). The Falcons registered a .282 hitting percentage in the win, advancing to 5-0 in conference play for the third time in the last five seasons. As a team, the Falcons set new season-high marks for a three-set match in kills (45), digs (54) and assists (40). Bowling Green will remain at home for their next two matches, hosting Eastern Michigan on Thursday (Oct. 10) and Central Michigan on Friday (Oct. 11). 

How It Happened 
Set 1: Bowling Green 25, Western Michigan 20

• The set began with a back-and-forth battle before Western Michigan pushed ahead with a 3-0 run to create an 8-4 lead and force a timeout from the BGSU bench.
• The Falcons came out of the timeout and rattled off a 4-0 run of their own to tie the set up at 8-8.
• The teams continued trading points before a 4-0 Bowling Green run pushed the Falcons in front 13-12 in the set.
• Later in the set, Bowling Green tallied a 3-0 run, capped off by a Lauryn Hovey ace, for a 20-18 lead and a Western Michigan timeout.
• The Falcons added to their lead, growing to 23-19 before the next Western Michigan timeout. Bowling Green pushed through the end of the set for a 25-20 score. 

Set 2: Bowling Green 25, Western Michigan 19

• Sydnie Hernandez began the set with back-to-back aces, but Western Michigan answered with a 4-0 run to move in front.
• The Falcons quickly regained the lead with a 7-0 run, including a Lindsey LaPinta ace, taking a 9-4 advantage to force a timeout from the Broncos. 
• Coming out of the timeout, Western Michigan utilized a 5-0 run of their own to tie the set at 9-9, resulting in a Bowling Green timeout.
• The Falcons were able to put together a 5-1 stretch that pushed them in front 14-11 in the set.
• Bowling Green later added another 3-0 run to extend their lead to 21-16, forcing the second Western Michigan timeout of the set.
• The Falcons maintained their advantage through the end of the set, taking a 25-19 score to go up 2-0 in the match.

Set 3: Bowling Green 25, Western Michigan 23

• Western Michigan began the third set with a 5-1 run to force an early timeout from the Bowling Green bench.
• The Falcons answered with a 4-0 run out of the timeout to knot it up at 5-5. The run continued to put Bowling Green in front with a 5-0 stretch and 6-5 BGSU lead.
• The Broncos answered back with a 3-0 run to move in front 8-6, but the Falcons worked to knot it up at 8-8 before making it a 4-0 run for a 10-8 lead.
• Western Michigan continued to chip away at the Bowling Green lead before tying it up at 18-18.
• The two teams traded points, but a 3-0 run for the Falcons pushed the Orange and Brown to a 23-21 lead, forcing a Western Michigan timeout.
• Western Michigan tallied the first point out of the timeout, but the Falcons finished off the set and the match with back-to-back points for the win.

Falcon Stat Leaders 
Kills: Mia Tyler (15)
Assists: Amanda Otten (31)
Digs: Lindsey LaPinta (20)
Aces: Sydnie Hernandez, Lauryn Hovey (2)
Blocks: Alexis Mettille (6)

Falcon Stat Facts

• Bowling Green is now 5-0 in the MAC. The five wins have come over just a nine day span, including three five-set matches and all three opponents coming off MAC Tournament appearances a season ago. 
• The 5-0 start for the Falcons marks their third time in the last five seasons with a start of 5-0 or better. Bowling Green is the only undefeated team remaining in MAC play.
• As a team, the Falcons set new season-high marks for a three-set match in kills (45), digs (54) and assists (40) with the digs mark surpassing the previous high by 10.
• Lauryn Hovey landed nine kills in the match, reaching 1,000 for her career in the Orange and Brown. Hovey added 11 digs, six assists, which set a new season-high, two aces and one block assists to fill the stat sheet in the match.
• Alexis Mettille led the team in blocks with six and moved up a few lists for Rally Scoring Era records. Mettille had one solo block, giving her 39 as a Falcon, tying her for seventh during the Rally Scoring Era. Additionally, Mettille's five block assists gives her 251 for BGSU, moving up to seventh on the Rally Scoring block assists list as well. 
• Lindsey LaPinta led the Falcons in digs, registering 20 in just three sets. This is the second time LaPinta has reached the 20-dig mark this season, having 21 in four sets against Wright State on Sept. 8. 
• Amanda Otten set the attack for the Falcons, recording 31 assists. Otten stuffed the stat sheet as well, finishing with six kills, six digs, five blocks and an ace while maintaining a .667 hitting percentage to match her season-best. 
• Mia Tyler once again led BGSU in kills, landing 15. Tyler has led the team in kills in all five MAC matches, averaging 15.8 kills per match during MAC play. 
• With the win, Bowling Green is back above .500 when playing at home against Western Michigan with a record of 15-14 all-time. The win is also the program's 30th over the Broncos. 

Up Next
The Falcons will remain at home for their next pair of matches, continuing against the directional Michigan programs. The first will be on Thursday (Oct. 10) against Eastern Michigan followed by Central Michigan on Friday (Oct. 11), both 6 p.m. starts.

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'
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