Every year, Ohio volleyball coach Ryan Theis schedules prominent schools, which are normally nationally ranked, for the team’s out-of-conference schedule to begin the season.
The Bobcats opened the 2012 campaign facing a schedule that featured four ranked opponents in just its first six matches — not including a Dayton squad that entered the national rankings immediately after facing Ohio and is still ranked.
Ohio took the court with and lost to each of then ranked-No. 7 Illinois, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 11 Pepperdine, and No. 17 Oregon, as the latter two teams remain in the rankings today at No. 24 and No. 2, respectively.
After playing the first six matches, Ohio had won just one, which came against Western Carolina, who is a mere 8-19 at this point in the season.
Not only did the Bobcats lose five of their first six matches, they won only four of 15 sets during that span against their highly-credited opponents, beginning the season in a deep hole.
Ohio endured struggles with consistency not only match-to-match, but also within sets. However, those problems are long gone.
Theis did the Bobcats a favor by scheduling tough opponents to begin the season, because since MAC play has begun, the Bobcats have coasted through its schedule.
The Bobcats haven’t lost a match in more than a month. The squad is sitting in first place in the Mid-American Conference’s overall standings, as well as multiple statistical categories.
Ohio is in the midst of an 11-match winning streak, in which the Bobcats have won 33 of 37 sets played.
The lone blemish in conference play came in the opener at Bowling Green, when Ohio was swept by the Falcons in straight-sets, but the Bobcats turned to record a sweep of their own in Saturday’s rematch.
With two contrasting portions of the season and five road matches remaining on the schedule, one wonders how much taking the court with strong competition has helped the Bobcats and will continue once the MAC tournament begins.
“It’s going to be very hard to play teams the second time around, especially on the road,” Theis said. “We have been making great strides and have been playing good volleyball, but we will continue to encounter different challenges in each match.”
Ohio has made great strides throughout the season and after defeating the Falcons, the Bobcats now possess the best record in the conference, with Bowling Green now sitting in second — one game behind Ohio.
It’s safe to say that the team has benefited from its tough line-up, despite hampering Ohio’s record and presenting a rude awakening to the season.
The Bobcats have already defeated every conference opponent — aside from Central Michigan, who has yet to play Ohio — and with the MAC tournament closing in, Ohio has an increasingly large target on its back.
However, having already endured great adversity throughout the season, Theis and the Bobcats are optimistic they will be able to keep rolling.
“We played some of the best volleyball we have played all year (on) Saturday,” Theis said. “But we will be playing teams that will be fighting for seeding in the MAC tournament. It will be tough to play back-to-back weekends away, but it is what it is.”
Chad Lindskog is a sophomore studying journalism. Do you think Ohio is the best volleyball team in the MAC? Email him at cl027410@ohiou.edu.
