PITTSBURGH — The Bowling Green State University volleyball program captured the team’s first three-set victory of the season, topping American, 25-21, 25-14, 25-17 on Saturday.

The win closes out the weekend for the Falcons at the Panther Challenge in Pittsburgh, bringing the team’s record to 4-5 on the season. American falls to 6-3.

Against the Eagles, the Falcons were paced by a balanced attack led by 6-foot sophomore outside hitter Kat Mandly (Perrysburg) with 13 kills.

“We are pleased with the performance today not just because of the outcome that we got, but because of the improvements we made from yesterday and throughout the match,” BGSU coach Danijela Tomic said.

“Our serve and serve receive game was strong once again and made a huge difference for us. The biggest improvement that we saw today was the efficiency of our hitters after the first set,” Tomic continued.

“That’s something that we have been emphasizing and working on, so it was great to see it executed.

Six-foot-1 sophomore outside hitter Mia Tyler and 6-0 freshman outside hitter Lauryn Hovey both added nine kills to the effort. Tyler had a career high 22 attacks and a hitting percentage of .364.

BGSU junior setter Jaden Walz added a season-high 31 assists along with 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.

BGSU junior defensive specialist Alex Laboy matched her career-high for digs in a match with 14 for the Falcons. Laboy also had 12 serve receptions without an error, tied for the most on the team.

“We also played excellent team defense and created offensive opportunities in transition. We showed the depth that we have this year and everyone on the team contributed to today’s win,” Tomic said.

The Falcons will conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule next weekend with matches against Mississippi State and Michigan.

Bowling Green will face Mississippi State on Thursday before taking on Michigan on Sunday, both taking place in Ann Arbor.