Third-seeded Ohio (14-16 overall, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) will be heading up to Bowling Green, Ohio, to take part in the 2025 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Tournament. Coincidentally, the Bobcats will be taking on the hosts, sixth-seeded Bowling Green (16-14 Overall, 10-8 MAC), in the first round of the tournament.
These two teams both opened up MAC play against each other, also in Bowling Green. The Bobcats traveled to that game on a seven-game losing streak, while the Falcons were sitting at .500 with a 6-6 record. This game was predictably dominated by Bowling Green as it beat Ohio 3-1 and extended Ohio’s losing streak.
Since that game, Bowling Green has a decent record of 9-8, while the Bobcats are a very dominant 12-5. That 12-5 record includes a hot 12-2 record to close out the season. In this dominant streak by Ohio, it has proven time and time again that it can and will beat anyone. Bowling Green has shown that they are a consistent team that is able to bounce back from losses and hang with anyone.
Bowling Green’s key to success this season has been holding teams to bad hitting percentages, as it is third in the MAC in hitting percentage allowed (.181). The Falcons' biggest reasons for success are their dominance in blocks with 273.7 on the season (second in MAC) and their ability to not let teams get an abundance of kills on them, as they are third in the MAC with the least amount of kills allowed.
Ohio has also shown its keys to winning games this season as well. The Bobcats have allowed the least amount of assists in the entire MAC this season. They have also impressively allowed the fewest amount of kills on them in the conference this season, while also being third in kills. Their serving strategy of aggressive serves has shown to be very effective as they are second in the MAC in service aces.
You could go on and on about the very impressive stats behind both of these teams, but at the end of the day, these are two of the best teams in the MAC statistically, as they are high on the leaderboards in every stat. This battle of first-year head coaches also sees a battle in opposite ideologies. Bowling Green has been strong in their front-line defense this year, while the Bobcats have focused on passing the ball around the court to create many kill opportunities
If both teams are very strong statistically and match each other perfectly ideology-wise, this game is going to come down to the superstars. The Falcons' superstars consist of dominance on both sides of the ball, with both Junior outside hitter Avery Hobson, who is seventh in the MAC in kills with 362, and Junior setter Amanda Otten, who is fourth in assists with 817, dominating the offense.
On the other side of the ball, redshirt Sophomore outside hitter Helen Wilford, with 129 blocks (6th in MAC), and Sophomore defensive specialist Sydnie Hernandez, with 445 digs (4th in MAC), have been dominating defensively.
Ohio has also had its abundance of superstars, but its dominance comes strongly from the offensive side. Their offense has seen freshman middle blocker Bailey Blair be ninth in MAC kills with 350, Sophomore outside hitter Sierra Evans be 10th in hitting percentage with .285 percent, Senior setter Kendall White 10th in assists with 650 despite missing time, while Mady Long and Bryn Janke are both top 10 in service aces with a combined 61 on the season.
This game sees two very successful teams that have taken advantage of opposite sides of the ball facing off against each other. It seems to be a 50/50 game statistically, but Ohio certainly has the momentum coming into the game, riding a crazy hot streak in the MAC.
