Nov. 7, 2003

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio-Miami University's volleyball team (8-20; 2-11 Mid-American Conference) suffered a four-game loss at Bowling Green (12-14; 4-8 MAC) Friday evening, 24-30, 30-20, 29-31 and 17-30.

Early kills from junior outside hitter Angie Zent, redshirt freshman middle hitter Lauren Slusser and freshman outside hitter Jordan Centers handed Miami a 3-2 lead in the first game. Bowling Green rattled off three unanswered points to post a 5-3 edge and never looked back. Trailing by seven, 9-16, Miami was able to shrink the gap to four, 14-18, with help from two kills by senior setter Melinda McCormick and kills by senior middle hitter Susan Poll and junior outside hitter Tara Buroker. The RedHawks were as close as 22-26 until BGSU posted three straight points to post a 22-29 edge. Bowling Green eventually took the first game on a kill, 30-24.

A 5-0 surge in the second game catapulted the RedHawks to a 9-3 edge. Poll collected two kills, while Centers added a kill and a service ace and Buroker notched a kill. The Falcons pulled with in two, 9-7, but back-to-back McCormick service aces and a block by the Centers/Slusser tandem spurred Miami to a 24-12 lead. BGSU was eventually able to close the gap to seven, 26-19, but a pair of kills by Zent and another block by Centers and Slusser iced the second game for the RedHawks, 30-20.

Zent knocked down a solo block, BGSU committed four miscues and Buroker collected a kill as Miami pulled out to a 6-1 edge in the third game. Bowling Green notched six unanswered points to post a 7-6 advantage. From there the teams went back and forth until two Buroker kills and a kill by sophomore outside hitter Kristen Walters handed the RedHawks a 20-17 lead. Again the Falcons chipped away at the Miami advantage to claim a 24-22 lead of their own. A kill by Buroker and a block by Zent and Poll knotted the game, 24-24, and Miami eventually was at game point, 29-27, off a powerful block by Zent. Bowling Green, however, collected four unanswered points to inch out the third game, 31-29.

In the fourth game, the Falcons went on a 5-0 run to capture a 15-9 lead and never looked back as Bowling Green ended the match with a 30-17 Game Four win. Walters posted five kills in the fourth game for the RedHawks.

For Miami, sophomore libero Suzy Wolford tallied a career-high-tying and match best 21 digs. Buroker added 13 kills and 13 digs, while Slusser tallied five blocks and two service aces.

Miami returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Central Michigan in its final road contest of the regular season. Match time is 7 p.m.