CHECK THIS OUT! #1 IN OUR OPINION!

Throughout the summer, BGSU athletics will be releasing our list of the Top 10 Moments of the 2009-10 athletic year at BGSU. The list was compiled and voted on by members of the Athletics Department administration and the Athletic Communications office. We think this one is #1!

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Bowling Green Volleyball Coach Denise Van De Walle Wins 500th Career Match

No volleyball coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference has won more matches than BGSU's Denise Van De Walle and she reached milestone win No. 500 in 2009 with style. Heading into the MAC Tournament, Van De Walle stood at 499 career wins and the team went on the road as an underdog to play rival Toledo in the opening round. The Falcons, as the No. 11 seed, faced the No. 6 seed looking to avenge a loss earlier in the year. Sure enough, Bowling Green won the first two sets but dropped the next two, forcing the match to a deciding fifth. The Falcons came away with the 15-12 win to give Van De Walle her 500th career victory. For more, read the match story here: 500 Wins For Van De Walle!

MEET SUSIE ISPHORDING!

In the photo are Susie (on the right) and teammate Noelle Spitler...

Hi! My name is Susie Isphording from Huron, Ohio and I am a junior outside hitter/defensive specialist for BG. I am number 4 on the volleyball team and my major is Telecommunications. My real name is Susan but everyone calls me Susie and some of my favorite nicknames that the team calls me are Scuzzy and Suzabear. My favorite food would definitely be anything from the restaurant Noodles and Co. because their food is absolutely amazing! Recently I have been listening to a lot of John Mayer’s new album, Battle Studies. All of the songs are awesome and I also like any Dave Matthews Band song! Since Huron is located right on Lake Erie I spend a lot of my time at the beach when the weather is nice. Even though it is awesome to have a beach in my backyard, if I could go anywhere in the world right now, I would want to go to Jamaica! I have been there once before and it was one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on. The best present I’ve ever received was for my 18^th birthday, my mom gave me a ring and it is the most important thing that I own. My favorite quote of all time would have to be:

“The only thing that gives me hope, is I know I’ll see you again someday.” -2 Corinthians 4:16-18

MEET ASHLEY HERZBERG!

Hi! My name is Ashley Herzberg and I am from Willoughby Hills, Ohio. I am #2 and am a sophomore defensive specialist for BG. I am majoring in nursing here at BG. I don't really have a definite nickname, but most people call me Ash, and Coach Van De Walle calls me Herzy sometimes. I'd have to say my favorite food is lemon chicken and my favorite movie right now is The Blind Side, even though my favorite movie changes all the time. I can't say that I have a favorite song or artist, because I pretty much like everything! My favorite summer time activity is swimming in my pool and going to the beach. The best present that I have ever received would have to be my Mercury Mariner that my parents gave me. If I could go anywhere in the world I would want to go to Australia, probably because it is basically on the other side of the world and the beaches look so beautiful there! A quote that I really love is, "Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance" by Samuel Johnson.

This summer I have already had something very exciting happen to me. My sister, who lives in Waco, Texas (unfortunately), had a baby! I am now an aunt to Kellan Christopher who weighed 6lbs. 15oz. when he was born and is so adorable. I get to see him again in about two weeks and I can't wait!

KAUTH - SPAIN - UPDATE!

Emily Kauth is in Spain studying this summer. We asked her to post on our blog occasionally over the summer. Here is her first Spain update! Yes, we are all jealous.

11 June 2010

We woke up early today and got on a bus to go south to Toledo for the whole day. It took about an hour and a half to get there but as soon as we entered the city, the entire area was absolutely breathtaking. We went to a hotel called Parador Nacional to get coffee and take pictures at the best scenic overlook in the city.

Our first stop was to the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. It was huge and pretty and there was a beautiful church inside. The whole place was open with corridors going outside and around the complex and there were courtyards filled with plants, flowers, and tropical fruit trees. A lot of the ceilings were made of wood carvings and it was really pretty.

Next, we went to El Museo Sefardi which was the national museum of Hispanic Jews. There were a lot of pretty paintings and artifacts including clothing, jewelry, and pottery. We went to Santo Tome which housed one of the most famous paintings of El Greco "The Burial of Count Orgaz and was above the tomb of Don Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, Count of Orgaz himself. There were other paintings inside and also a church which was again, beautiful.

After that, we saw the Catedral de Toledo. It was the biggest and most beautiful cathedral I've ever seen. Photography was not permitted inside but even if it was, it wouldn't have done it justice. The entire place was just covered in paintings, sculptures, and gold. It was amazing.

We went to the Plaza de Zocodover after that and had some time to shop around and see other parks and areas. Toledo is known for its hand painted ceramics so I bought a pretty plate made with enamel and gold by a family in Toledo. The whole city is so clean and pretty and there are the nicest people there. I met a man who taught at Bowling Green awhile ago which was awesome!

I can't believe I've already been here for two weeks! We had midterms on Friday already and in another two weeks; we'll have finals then start two more classes. This weekend is going to be pretty wild because the world cup started today for soccer...everyone is out walking around and showing their support for Spain!

MEET EMILY KAUTH!

Hi falcon fans! My name is Emily Rose Kauth and I wear the number 6 jersey for Bowling Green State University. Not a lot of people have my middle name, but Coach Van de Walle does, which is why I decided to attend BGSU--just kidding! Haha, I'm playing for the falcons because I absolutely love the girls on the team, the coaches are outstanding, and the academics here are awesome. I am a junior middle blocker on the team which I love, because I get to hit the quickest sets and block the whole length of the net. I have many nicknames, but a few of them I often respond to at BGSU are Kauth, Emmy, Miss Kauth, and Bambi.

Back to the academics--my major is international business and I'm minoring in Spanish. I am studying abroad in Spain for two months this summer which I am so extremely thrilled about. I have lived in a lot of different places so far here in the states including California, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Ohio, and I can't wait to experience as many new places abroad as I can after I graduate! If I could go anywhere in the world, I would first go somewhere with a rainforest, probably in South America, so I could go on a jungle safari and catch a red-eyed tree frog (my favorite animal of all-time).

My favorite foods would have to be ice cream and my mom's enchiladas :) I am also a huge fan of dark chocolate and crunchy peanut butter. I am almost constantly saying movie quotes from just about every movie released, but my all-time favorites are wedding crashers, top gun, anchorman, and anything with Julia Roberts. As far as television shows go, I am a huge fan of Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, Family Guy, and The Office. I enjoy just about every kind of music, although, I am obsessed with John Mayer, The Fray, and Jack's Mannequin. When I'm not playing volleyball, watching movies, or listening to music my favorite things to do in the summer are travelling, visiting old friends, and going to the beach house in Virginia with my family.

Apparently the best present I've ever received is silly putty for Christmas when I was around 5 years old, because I went absolutely crazy--like jumping up and down screaming--over it in a home video. My twin brother Zack, younger brother Alex, and little sister Grace don't let me live this down. My favorite quote is “Fun is good.” by Dr. Seuss. Falcon Volleyball=Fun=Good.

I'm glad I could share a little bit about myself with you, and I hope to see you in the stands for our last season playing in Anderson Arena!! It's going to be a great year. Falcon Pride :)

MEET MADI NITTA!

Hello Falcon Volleyball Fans! We started this blog to keep you up-to-date on the latest news and to give you an inside look at the Falcon program. We wanted you to have the opportunity to get to know the players and staff on a more personal level. We have asked our players to introduce themselves to you on our blog. Below is our first introduction. Enjoy and check back often for updates on your favorite volleyball program!

Hello Falcon Fans! Greetings from California! As singer, Katy Perry, sings, "... you could travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast (girl)." I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful and relaxing summer. I just wanted to take the time to formally introduce myself. My name is Madison Nitta, but most of my friends and teammates just simply call me Madi. I was born and raised in a small beach town in Southern California, called Manhattan Beach. As I approach my junior year at BGSU, majoring in Sports Marketing, I currently play as a defensive specialist (DS) on the volleyball team, wearing the #3 jersey. Being a volleyball player growing up by the ocean, I love to eat seafood, especially Dungeness crabs and sushi. Also, whenever I get to go back home from college, I always enjoy my mom's spicy homemade chili. When I'm not busy between volleyball and schoolwork, I love to watch movies. My favorites include Almost Famous, 500 Days of Summer, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Not only do I enjoy watching movies, but I also absolutely love listening to music. I love any songs by Incubus, but if I had to choose one of my favorite songs by them, it would be "Drive." When school is out for the summer, I enjoy attending outdoor concerts, traveling/road-tripping, eating charbroiled burgers while hanging out with my family, playing beach volleyball, and definitely watching my Los Angeles Lakers play and win in the NBA Finals! I would say that the best gift that I ever received was two Incubus concert tickets, then spending the weekend in one of my favorite cities, Santa Barbara, California, for my birthday. However, I still haven't really received my best gift yet, which is to one day to get an English bulldog! On the other hand, I think that the best gift that I ever gave was to help build a home for an underprivileged family with Habitat for Humanity. If there were one place in the world that I could visit, it would be Positano, Italy. Finally, tow quotes which I strive to live by include, "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you die today, " by James Dean, and "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do," by Coach John Wooden. I hope to see you in the stands this upcoming season! FALCON PRIDE!

ANDERSON ARENA MEMORIES FROM BGSUFALCONS.COM!

Throughout the 2010-11 season, the BGSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will be celebrating the storied history of Anderson Arena, as we are 'Closing the Doors of the House That Roars' and preparing for the opening of the Stroh Center in the fall of 2011.

To share your favorite memory of Anderson Arena or to keep up with the latest Stroh Center happenings, Click Here. We will be posting some of your fondest memories of Anderson here at BGSUFalcons.com in the coming weeks and months.

Stephanie Swiger was one of the top players in BGSU volleyball history. A two-time All-MAC First-Team selection, she finished her career in 2007 ranked among the school's all-time leaders in kills, hitting percentage and blocks. Stephanie clicked here and shared some memories of one of her favorite evenings at Anderson Arena.

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As a former volleyball player I have many wonderful memories of practicing and competing in Anderson arena. Volleyball players experience both the heat of preseason in August with no air conditioning and the cold of chilly, blustery Bowling Green in November. Even with these extremes there was no greater feeling than running out of the players entrance to the sounds of fans cheering right on the edge of the court.

My favorite memory in Anderson Arena by far happened my junior year of college (2006). We had a tremendously successful season, going 26-6. It was a season in which we reset multiple school records including the longest winning streak at 17 matches which climaxed with the showdown between Ohio University and the mighty Falcons at home at the end of October. Both teams were undefeated in MAC play and the MAC regular season crown came down to this match.

The crowd that arrived at Anderson Arena that night set a new attendance record for volleyball. We had never seen anything like it. It was unbelievable to look at the crowd from the court and to see people sitting, filling both sides of the gym up to the windows for a volleyball match. Our wonderful women’s basketball team -- which reached the Sweet Sixteen that year -- attended almost every home match as a group, and they were all there in full force cheering and adding to the noise.

It was so loud during the game I could not hear the play calls that our setter Chrissy Gothke was making. We had never experienced anything like that. The students that lined the court were constantly being told to step back, they were practically on the court with us. The Ohio coach was complaining throughout the match that the students were too loud and were interfering with play, but in reality it is the beauty of the design of Anderson Arena and that is why it is the house that roars.

Swiger in action vs. Ohio University at Anderson Arena

We lost the first two games of the match, they were all Ohio and we went into the locker room needed to regroup. Games three and four were all BGSU with huge kills and blocks that sent the crowd into a frenzy. I liked to consider myself an intense player, and as middle hitter who relied on big offense I always fed off the crowd. I was in heaven that night and so were my teammates. Unfortunately, game five went back and forth before three controversial calls resulted in an Ohio victory. It was a hard fought match by both teams and truly it could have gone either way. Sadly that was the closest I came to a MAC championship during my career at BGSU, but I have no regrets and I cannot complain we had so much success that season and truly put the BGSU program on the national stage.

My teammates and I had the time of our lives that night in Anderson Arena thanks to the wonderful fans that consistently support Falcon Athletics and that night they truly showed up for the women’s volleyball team. I will never forget that match or any of the wonderful memories I made in Anderson Arena, it always felt like a second home to me.

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We'd love to hear about your favorite memories of Anderson Arena. Click here to share them with us, and perhaps you will see your own recollections of 'The House That Roars' right here at BGSUFalcons.com in the near future. Roll Along!

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