Two Ohio teams will gauge their offseason progress Saturday when they take part in exhibition games to get a better grasp of their fall 2012 outlooks.
The volleyball team will play in the KIVA College Tournament in Louisville, Ky., while in Athens, the soccer squad welcomes Capital and Marshall to Chessa Field.
Volleyball
The KIVA (Kentucky-Indiana Volleyball Academy) College Tournament is an event organized to give KIVA players a chance to watch college volleyball. It is also a chance for Ohio to add some excitement to its spring season.
The Bobcats start the tournament against Samford. After that, Ohio’s next two opponents will be determined by its success.
“If there was an event to care about winning or losing, it would be this,” coach Ryan Theis said. “We would like to win to be able to play the best competition possible.”
Ohio State, Kentucky and Louisville will also take part in the tournament.
Despite the implications, the Bobcats are not concerned with learning their opponent’s tendencies or habits.
“A couple of players are working on a few specific things that they need to be better at,” Theis said. “That might mean that they make more mistakes this weekend than they normally would, but that’s OK.”
Ohio also wants to focus on creating a more balanced attack. The Bobcats have received huge contributions from the left side of the court and are looking to duplicate the productivity from the middle and right side as well.
Soccer
Ohio will open its spring schedule in a tournament with two opponents from the region. The Bobcats will kick off against the Crusaders in the early afternoon then face the Thundering Herd three hours later.
The matches will be Ohio’s first taste of 11 vs. 11 play since November, as the team does not have a deep enough roster for full-sided training. The squad has been working on player development since the end of the 2011 season.
“We are looking to get comfortable and have some young players gain valuable experience,” coach Stacy Strauss said. “We will play a number of people both in the back and in midfield, and all players will have a somewhat equal opportunity to play.”
The Bobcats do not have much depth between the pipes. Mattie Liston will start, but goalkeepers Rachel Fryan and Nicole Amari are still recovering from offseason surgeries. Former Ohio goalie Kelsey Warren will serve as backup for future spring games.
Strauss is still eager to return to the sideline despite the minor setback.
“I'm most looking forward to scoring goals and to witnessing the impact of transfer Maggie Murnane,” Strauss said.
This will be Murnane’s debut with the Bobcats after arriving from Dayton in the fall. In her two seasons with the Flyers, she played in 18 games.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
