Bowling Green’s volleyball team could never get any consistent traction against Texas Christian Friday
evening in the second round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournament at the Stroh
Center.
The Horned Frogs ended BG’s season in three sets, 26-24, 25-21 and 25-13.
“The credit has to go to TCU. They played well enough to beat us,” BG head coach Danijela Tomic said.
“They (BG) wanted it. It was not like our team was ready to be done. I just think we burned everything
in us, emotionally, physically and mentally. It’s been a grind.
“We couldn’t get in any rhythm,” Tomic added. “They shutdown our outside hitters and our first contact
wasn’t good to get our middles involved.”
In a highly contested first set, TCU topped Bowling Green, 26-24. The Falcons led 24-23, but could not
close it out. There were 11 ties in the set.
“Losing 26-24, I felt like we gave it to them,” Tomic said.
Katie Clark and Sarah Swanson each had four kills for the Horned Frogs to go with eight assisted team
blocks and 12 assists from McKenzie Nichols.
Katelyn Meyer had six of BG’s 14 kills in the opening set and Isabelle Marciniak had 13 assists.
TCU continued its strong play, posting a 25-21 win in the second set to take a 2-0 lead. The Falcons had
only two leads in the set at 1-0 and 2-1.
There were five ties in the second set, the fifth at 15-15. The Falcons were within 23-21, but the Horned
Frogs scored the final two points to secure the set.
Audrey Nails had five kills and Clark had four for TCU. Nichols had 14 more assists and the Horned Frogs
connected on eight more assisted blocks.
Meyer had four kills while Jessi Holly and Lexi Sauber each had three for the Falcons. Marciniak had 13
assists.
There was a 1-1 tie in the third set and then TCU took control rolling to a 25-13 victory.
The Falcons had only seven kills in the final set.
Nails added seven kills for TCU in the third set to finish with a team-high 13. Nichols had 16 assists to
finish with 42. Defensively the Horned Frogs had one block and 20 assisted blocks for the match.
“We knew they were a good blocking team. They put a lot of pressure on our outside (hitters),” Tomic
said. “If they didn’t stuff us and if they didn’t score with a block their defense came up behind … I
just think we ran out of gas.”
For the Falcons, Meyer, an Eastwood graduate, finished with 11 kills and Holly had eight. Marciniak had
26 assists and Julia Walz finished with 13 digs. BG had a total one solo block and six assisted blocks
in the three sets.
The Falcons finish the season 20-13 overall, losing five seniors — Marciniak, Holly, Macie Linne, Paulina
Iacobelli and Victoria Iacobelli.
“I told the team that what we did this year was so special,” Tomic said. “This team, I absolutely love
them. Our seniors were such great role models for our underclassmen. The only time we lost two matches
in a row was in the preseason (in the Golden Dome Invitational).
“This loss is not going to define who we are, but who we became … Our players came through adversity and
through setbacks. In the big scheme of things that’s what matters and that’s what I’ll remember,” she
continued. “Our life lessons are going to stay with us forever.”
TCU, 11-17, now waits for its next opponent and match site in round three of the tournament.
