BGSU women to be in Hall of Fame event
8/22/2012BOWLING GREEN -- For the 2013-14 season, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team will participate in the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, playing four games in the NCAA exempt tournament.
The Falcons' first three games in the tournament will take place in Columbus, as Ohio State hosts one pool of four teams. BGSU will play each of the other three teams in the round-robin pool -- the Buckeyes, Marist, and Monmouth -- on three consecutive days between Nov. 22-27, 2013.
The other pool will be hosted by Connecticut and includes Boston University, Old Dominion, and St. Bonaventure.
Then on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013, all eight teams in the tournament will head to Springfield, Mass. The Falcons will take on St. Bonaventure as part of the neutral-site showcase at the MassMutual Center.
"Our program is excited to participate in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge," BG coach Jennifer Roos said. "There are so many benefits to playing in this event, including great competition and three games within close proximity for our fans to travel.
"This event will have a post-season feel even though it will be played in late November and early December."
The four games will be a challenge for the Falcons, who last season finished with a 24-7 record, won the Mid-American Conference title with a 14-2 record, and earned a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Ohio State finished with a 25-7 record and was an NCAA tournament participant, as was Marist, which was 26-8.
Monmouth is an up-and-coming program that was 19-13 last season, while St. Bonaventure finished 31-4 and also played in the NCAA tournament.
MAC VOLLEYBALL: The BGSU volleyball team was picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference East Division, while Toledo was chosen to finish sixth in the West Division in a vote of the league's 12 coaches.
Defending East Division champion Ohio was picked to finish first and earned 11 first-place votes. Miami earned the only other first place vote and was picked second. Buffalo, Kent State, and Akron rounded out the bottom of the East Division.
In the West, Western Michigan picked up 10 first-place votes to earn status as the favorite. Ball State and Central Michigan split the other two first place votes and were picked second and third, respectively.
Defending MAC regular season champion Northern Illinois was selected fourth, followed by Eastern Michigan and Toledo.
Western Michigan was selected as the most likely candidate for the regular-season and tournament championship.
The Falcons of first-year coach Danijela Tomic, who return 12 letter winners and five starters from last season, open the season at the Marquette Challenge, facing Marquette Friday and Northwestern Saturday.
The Rockets of coach Greg Smith open at Ohio State's D.C. Koehl Classic Friday and Saturday, facing Houston, Oregon, and the Buckeyes.
SOCCER STARTING: Bowling Green's soccer teams will spend plenty of time at Cochrane Field over the next few days.
The men's squad of coach Eric Nichols will open with three home games, starting with a match Saturday against St. Bonaventure.
The Falcons then host Michigan State on Aug. 29 and Marshall on Sept. 1. All three games will begin at 7 p.m.
The women's team of interim coach Kellie Evans also will be home this weekend, hosting IUPUI Sunday at 1.
The Falcons opened the season with a 4-0 loss to Michigan State and a 2-1 overtime setback against Cleveland State.