QUEENS, N.Y. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will continue play within the NIVC, traveling to Queens, N.Y. to face the St. John's Red Storm in the Fab Four. The Falcons and Red Storms are scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Saturday (Dec. 14). The winner will advance to the NIVC Championship against Arizona. This will be just the second meeting all-time between Bowling Green and St. John's with the first being in 1998. A streaming link will be added to BGSUFalcons.com once it becomes available. 

First Serve 

• The Falcons are competing in the NIVC for the first time since the 2019 season and for the sixth time in program history, holding a 10-6 record in the tournament after wins over Binghamton and Wright State in the first two rounds and DePaul in the Great 8.
• This will be the second meeting all-time between Bowling Green and St. John's with the only other time being a 3-1 final in favor of the Red Storm on Sept. 19, 1998.
• The winner of the match between BGSU and St. John's will advance to the NIVC Championship against Arizona. 
• In total, Bowling Green has won 24 matches this season, the most under head coach Danijela Tomic. This marks just the eighth time in program history the Falcons have won at least 24 matches in a single season. 
• With three wins in the NIVC this year, the Falcons are the first MAC team to win three or more matches in the postseason since 1992. In 1992, BGSU was the runner-up in the NIVC, winning five matches. The only other time a MAC team has won three or more postseason matches was when 1991 Miami (OH) won four in the NIVC. 
• As a team, the Falcons hit .314 over their first three NIVC matches, raising the team's hitting percentage for the season to .255. Bowling Green is now ranked 40th in the nation for the stat.
• Bowling Green tallied eight blocks in each of their first two NIVC matches and nine in their third, giving the team 311 blocks this season. The mark ranks 20th in the nation. 
• Alexis Mettille has maintained a .427 hitting percentage this season, ranking 10th in the nation. Mettille is on pace to not only break the program record for single-season hitting percentage, but could become the first Falcon ever to hit over .400 in a season.
• Lauryn Hovey has 54 aces this season and could break the Rally Scoring Era record for aces in a season, which she set last year with 59. 
• Jessica Andrews is nearing the program record for total blocks in a season during the Rally Scoring Era with 150. The record is currently set at 154.

Readying For The Red Storm
St. John's path to the Fab Four began in the NIVC with road wins over North Carolina A&T and Virginia before returning home to Queens, besting UConn in the Great 8 at Carnesecca Arena. Before the NIVC, St. John's lost to DePaul in the Big East Tournament by a 3-0 score. As for the season overall, St. John's finished with a 23-12 record while going 10-8 within the Big East. The Red Storm holds a record of 15-3 when playing at home this year, falling to Marquette on Oct. 11, Creighton on Oct. 12 and UConn on Nov. 22 during the regular season. 

BGSU v. St. John's, All-Time
The Falcons and Red Storm have faced just once in program history with the match being at a neutral site. BGSU and St. John's played on Sept. 19, 1998 with the Red Storm capturing a 3-1 final. The match was played at James Madison as part of the JMU/Days Inn Classic. While this is Bowling Green's first time playing at St. John's it will be the second time this season BGSU has ventured into the state of New York. The Falcons previously traveled to Buffalo, topping the Buffalo Bulls in a 3-0 final on Oct. 17. Aside from MAC matches against UB, this is BGSU's first trip to New York since the 2005 Long Island Invite. 

BGSU Making MAC History In NIVC
The Falcons have now recorded three wins within the NIVC this year, beating Binghamton, Wright State and DePaul all in four sets. With the three wins in the NIVC, Bowling Green is just the third team in the history of MAC Volleyball to win three or more matches in the postseason. The Falcons are joined by the 1992 BGSU team that won five matches and finished as the runner-up in the NIVC and the 1993 Miami (OH) team that won four matches. This is also the first time under head coach Danijela Tomic that the Falcons have won multiple postseason matches in the same season and the third time in program history. 

Winning Ways For 2024 Falcons
With three NIVC wins, the Falcons have now won 24 matches this season, the most during the Tomic Era of BGVB. The total surpassed three 22-win seasons, coming in 2012, 2020-21 and 2022, which are the three NCAA Tournament appearances under Tomic. Overall, BGSU has won 24 or more matches eight times in program history, including a program record 30 matches in 1992. Additionally, the Falcons now have 12 wins as the true away team in a match, not including neutral sites. This is the most in program history, surpassing the 2020-21 and 2006 seasons. As for all games away from BGSU, including neutral sites, the record is set at 20 when the Falcons went 20-4 away from Bowling Green in 1990. 

Mettille On Pace For Two Records
Alexis Mettille has been one of the most efficient players on the attack this season. Mettille's .427 hitting percentage ranks 10th in the nation and is on pace to break the Falcons' program record for hitting percentage in a season. No player in BGSU Volleyball history has hit over .400 in a season with the record currently belonging to Tammy Schiller's .393 season in 1991. The season for Mettille has pushed her career hitting percentage to .362, which would break that record as well. Currently, the career record is held by Schiller's .344 mark from 1988-91. 

Hovey Aces In The Record Book
Lauryn Hovey has landed 54 aces this season for the Falcons after having 59 last year. In program history, 50 aces has been reached in a season just six times with Hovey being one of two players to do it twice, being joined by Holli Costein. However, Hovey is the first Falcon to have 50+ aces in consecutive seasons with Costein's marks coming in 1990 and 1992. 

Follow the Falcons
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