Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
#7 Bowling Green (MAC Tournament)
Volleyball Sweeps Past Bowling Green in MAC Tournament Opener
11/18/2005 1:02:00 PM | Volleyball
#2 Eagles Advance to Saturday's Semifinal Round at 4 p.m.
Box score.
Live Statistics.
TOLEDO, Ohio – The second-seeded Eastern Michigan University volleyball team swept a seventh-seeded Bowling Green State University squad, 3-0 (30-27, 30-22, 30-24) here Friday afternoon at the SeaGate Centre in the quarterfinal round of the 2005 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
The victory marks the first time the Eagles have advanced to the tournament's semifinal round since the 1990 season when the team advanced all the way to the championship game. With the victory the Eagles improve to 22-6 on the season, while the Falcons end their season with a 18-14 mark.
In the first set, the two teams traded points, knotting the score at 8-8. Bowling Green grabbed the lead and took a four point advantage, 19-15, but the Eagles rattled off 12 of the next 19 points to reclaim control at 27-26. The Green and White wrapped up the frame 30-27 as senior Bethany Piccolini chalked up six kills and three block assists for a total of 7.5 points. Senior Becky Baltare added five kills and three block assists, while sophomore Kate Sulewski tallied 16 set assists.
In the second game, BGSU rolled off seven quick points to take a 7-4 advantage. The Eagles responded though with a 23-15 run to seal the 2-0 match lead with a 30-22 victory. EMU's Baltare added a game-high five kills, while BGSU was paced by Ashlei Nofzinger with four kills and a block.
In the finale, the two teams battled back-and-fourth until the Eagles took a one point lead at 8-7. The Falcons responded to claim their own two point advantage, 16-14, but the lead was short lived forcing Bowling Green to call a time-out. BGSU would never threaten again as EMU was able to close out the game and the match with a kill from senior Olivia Hinkle.
For the match, EMU was paced by Bethany Piccolini with 15 kills and six total blocks (1 solo, 5 assist) for a total of 19.5 points. Baltare posted 12 kills and five block assists, while junior Lindsay Piccolini tallied 10 kills and four blocks for the Eagles. Junior Ashley Cudney led EMU with 11 digs, while Sulewski recorded 46 assists.
For Bowling Green, Madeline Karges paced the attack with 10 kills. Chrissy Gothke recorded 24 set assists and nine digs, while Chelsey Meek added 12 digs
The Eagles continue play in the MAC Tournament tomorrow afternoon, Nov. 19, facing #3 Ball State at the SeaGate Centre. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
