Falcons Continue Non-Conference Slate With Loyola Invitational
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will continue the 2025 season with their final four-team invitational this week, the Loyola Invitational. Hosted by Loyola Chicago, Bowling Green will be joined by Indiana and Stephen F. Austin in the field. For the Falcons, play will begin on Thursday (Sept. 11) against (RV) Indiana at 4 p.m. EST, making it four consecutive opponents for BGSU to be receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25. Bowling Green will transition to SFA on Friday (Sept. 12) at 3 p.m. EST before wrapping up the weekend on Saturday (Sept. 13) against the host-Ramblers at 3 p.m. EST. The match against Loyola Chicago will be aired on ESPN+.
Loyola Invitational Schedule (Times EST)
Thursday, Sept. 11Bowling Green vs. RV Indiana | 4 p.m.
SFA at Loyola Chicago | 7 p.m.
Bowling Green vs. SFA | 3 p.m.
RV Indiana at Loyola Chicago | 6 p.m.
SFA vs. RV Indiana | 12 p.m.
Bowling Green at Loyola Chicago | 3 p.m.
First Serve
- The Falcons will be taking on Indiana, SFA and Loyola Chicago in the team's final four-team invitational of the regular season. The three matches will be the final tests before BGSU's home opener as well, set for Wednesday, Sept. 17 against Oakland.
- With Indiana receiving votes in the AVCA's Top 25 poll, the Falcons will face four consecutive teams that are receiving votes or inside the Top 25. Indiana joins three teams from last week, including #15 Kansas, #17 Purdue and #23 Georgia Tech.
- Indiana enters the week not only undefeated, but on a 15-set winning streak. The Hoosiers lost their first two sets of the season but have not dropped one since to create their 5-0 record.
- The meeting against SFA will be the first in program history between the two teams. The Lumberjacks join Saint Mary's as new all-time opponents for the Falcons this season, bringing the list of teams faced to 237 during the program's history.
- Last season, Loyola Chicago advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ramblers are the fourth team that BGSU has faced this season that won at least one match during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, being joined in the feat by Kansas, Purdue and Georgia Tech.
Homing In On The Hoosiers
Coming off three matches against nationally-ranked opponents, BGSU will have another test with Indiana who enters undefeated and receiving votes in the national poll. The Hoosiers have registered wins over Miami (FL), VCU, SEMO, Northern Kentucky and Western Michigan this season to start 5-0. Of the five wins, the only to go more than three sets was a five-set finish against Miami, which was a reverse sweep, giving IU wins in 15 straight sets. Indiana has been paced by an efficient attack, hitting .347 this season, including a .403 mark from kills-leader Candela Alonso-Corcelles.
Scouting SFA
Preparing for the first meeting in program history between BGSU and Stephen F. Austin, SFA enters with a 4-1 record. Their lone loss came in four sets to Sam Houston while topping UTSA, Texas State, Louisiana and Abilene Christian. The Lumberjacks led the field at the Loyola Invitational for digs per set (15.8), kills per set (14.4), assists per set (13.7) and blocks per set (2.7). On the attack, SFA has used a team approach with seven different student-athletes with 18 or more kills. A similar approach has worked for digs with six above 22 and four above 51.
Looking At Loyola
Coming off a 22-win season and an NCAA Tournament first round win in 2024, Loyola Chicago has had a bumpy start to 2025. The Ramblers sit at 2-4 with five-set wins over Drake and Illinois State. However, they've been swept by Western Kentucky, Butler and Iowa as well as a five-set loss to Wright State. The Ramblers have been searching for attackers after losing their top two from 2024 that combined for 642 kills. So far, Leyna Nguyen and Kaitlyn Burke have stepped up with 76 and 69 kills, respectively, through the first six matches of the season.
Hovey Shines Against Ranked Foes
Lauryn Hovey was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Stacey Clark Classic last week and also earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The recognition came after Hovey landed 64 kills with a .338 hitting percentage for the week. The efforts have moved Hovey inside the Top 40 in the nation for multiple stats. Most notably among the stats, Hovey is ranked fourth in the nation for points with 128.0 and tied fifth in the nation for total kills with 107.
Andrews Returns To BGVB Action
After missing the opening week of the season due to international play, Jessica Andrews returned to the lineup for the Falcons against #23 Georgia Tech. It was quite a week for Andrews. On Monday (Sept. 1) she played for Team Canada in Bangkok, Thailand against the United States. By Wednesday (Sept. 3) she was on the bench for the Falcons in West Lafayette, Ind. and by Friday (Sept 5) was back in the lineup. In her return to the court with BGSU, Andrews landed seven kills while adding a team-high six blocks in the five-set match against the Yellow Jackets.
Bowling Green Block Party
So far this season, the Falcons have accumulated 58 total blocks as a team, tying for 26th in the nation and third in the MAC. For BGSU, the block has been a team effort with four different Falcons in double-digits and eight with at least one block. Helen Wilford tops the sheet with 25 followed by Kendall Williams (21), Amanda Otten (19) and Lauryn Hovey (16). The Falcons now add Jessica Andrews back into the fold who is already in the program's top five during the Rally Scoring Era for each of career solo blocks, career block assists and career total blocks.
Falcons Against Ranked Teams
Last week, the Falcons took on #15 Kansas, #17 Purdue and #23 Georgia Tech, going four sets with Kansas and five with both Purdue and Georgia Tech. BGSU has now faced at least one ranked opponent in each of the last five seasons, playing 11 ranked teams over the five-year span. This year, the Falcons forced five sets against both Purdue and Georgia Tech, giving BGSU three five-set matches against ranked opponents in the last three years, joining a five-setter against #14 Ohio State in 2023.
International Falcons
For the 2025 season, the Falcons roster consists of eight international players. The total is the most among teams in the MAC, doubling up the next team on the list, being Buffalo with four. In fact, the rest of the MAC has a total of nine international players compared to the eight on BGSU's roster alone. For Bowling Green, Canada leads the way with three student-athletes followed by two from Poland. The list rounds out with one student-athlete from each of Croatia, Czech Republic and Serbia.
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Latest Women's Volleyball News
- Lauryn Hovey Named MAC Offensive Player Of The WeekCLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the MAC Players of the Week Monday afternoon (Sept. 8). Of those named, Bowling Green's Lauryn Hovey received this week's Offensive Player of the Week award. For Hovey, this is her first honor of the season and the 11th career MAC Offensive Player of the Week recognition.
- BGSU, No. 23 Georgia Tech Go To Five Sets In Stacey Clark Classic FinaleWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team took a nationally-ranked opponent to five sets for the second straight day, going five against No. 23 Georgia Tech on Friday (Sept. 5). Concluding the team's portion of the Stacey Clark Classic, the Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match, but the Yellow Jackets fought back to take the match in five sets. In three matches against ranked opponents, the Falcons went four sets against No. 15 Kansas and five sets against both No. 17 Purdue and No. 23 Georgia Tech.
- Falcons Fight No. 17 Purdue Down To The Wire In Five-Set ThrillerWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team took No. 17 Purdue down to the wire in five sets Thursday night (Sept. 4) with the Boilermakers edging out the Falcons for the 3-2 final. The teams traded sets with the Falcons taking the second, 25-22, before forcing a fifth set with an extra-points, 28-26, win in the fourth set. In the fifth, Purdue pushed ahead late to claim the hard-fought set in front of a packed Holloway Gymnasium. BGSU will now face No. 23 Georgia Tech on Friday (Sept. 5) at 1 p.m. to wrap up the week.
- Falcons Force Four Sets Against No. 15 Kansas To Begin Stacey Clark ClassicWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team took on No. 15 Kansas Wednesday (September 3) to begin the Stacey Clark Classic, hosted by Purdue. The Falcons challenged Kansas in each set, including threatening in the second set before taking the third. Despite the Falcons' strong effort, the Jayhawks held on for the 3-1 win in four sets. The match marked the first for Bowling Green against a ranked opponent since taking on No. 14 Baylor on Sept. 9, 2023 at the Colorado State Tournament, a match that also ended in a 3-1 final.
- Falcons To Face Three Nationally-Ranked Opponents At Stacey Clark ClassicWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will continue the 2025 campaign with a trio of ranked opponents at the Stacey Clark Classic hosted by Purdue. Of the field, each of BGSU's opponents not only made the 2024 NCAA Tournament, but advanced to at least the second round. Bowling Green will begin play against No. 15 Kansas on Wednesday (Sept. 3) at 3 p.m. before taking on host No. 17 Purdue on Thursday (Sept. 4) at 7 p.m. BGSU will conclude their slate in West Lafayette on Friday (Sept. 5) against No. 23 Georgia Tech with a 1 p.m first serve. All matches will be available to stream through Big Ten Network Plus.
- Bowling Green Block Party Paces Falcons To Four-Set Victory Over Saint Mary’sGRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team picked up their second win of the season, topping Saint Mary's in a 3-1 final Saturday afternoon (Aug. 30). The Falcons jumped out to a strong offensive outing in the first set, hitting .308, but defense proved to be the key factor in the victory. As a team, the Orange and Brown totaled 17 blocks with three different student-athletes logging at least seven blocks. The win moves BGSU to 2-1 through the opening weekend of the season with three Top 25 teams on deck this upcoming week.
