Ohio opened its season this weekend in the Oregon Classic, where it faced off against Bryant, Eastern Washington and No. 8 Oregon on Friday and Saturday.
Despite traveling across the country for their season opening tournament, the Bobcats won every set they played to sweep their opposition 3-0, including a straight-set win against the ranked Ducks.
Sophomore setter Abby Gilleland said that the Bobcats wanted to come out tough, especially against Oregon.
“We were excited, and I think we showed a lot of focus,” Gilleland said. “I think that is a big step for our team, which is always good.”
Coach Ryan Theis was also very impressed with the performance by his team after all of the hard work that they put forth during the off-season.
“I was really happy for our team,” Theis said. “To get a big win like that, it feels good. I was mostly impressed with our efficiency, we just didn’t give any points away.”
On Friday, Ohio opened the gates well, as it won all three sets to clinch their first victory of the season.
The Bobcats hit their best hitting percentage in four years with a .521 percentage, compared to Bryant’s percentage of .116. Ohio also recorded 44 kills compared to Bryant’s 22, and notched eight service aces in the match.
Freshman outside hitter Katie Horton finished with 10 kills, while freshman outside hitter Mallory Salis recorded a match-high three aces.
Junior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti led the offense with a match-high 13 kills, while sophomore setter Abby Gilleland recorded a team-high 29 assists.
On Saturday, Ohio took the court against Eastern Washington in the first of two matches on the day.
The Bobcats won in straight sets, once again, as Ohio dominated at the net with 37 kills compared to Eastern Washington’s 17 kills.
The underclassmen put forth strong efforts again in this match, as sophomore middle blocker Karin Bull tied her career-high with 10 kills, while Horton added eight kills, three blocks and one dig.
Gilleland racked up a team-high 27 assists and Ashy added a team-high 10 digs, along with two service aces.
In its second match on Saturday, Ohio faced No. 8 Oregon — the host of the tournament.
The Bobcats pulled off the upset against the No. 8 team in the nation in straight sets to win the Oregon Classic and record their biggest regular season win in recent history.
Ohio knocked down 50 kills, compared to Oregon’s 42, and held the slight advantage in assists, 48-40.
Gilleland was named the Most Valuable Player of the Oregon Classic after her performances this weekend.
The sophomore recorded a team-high 36 assists against Oregon and finished the tournament with 92 assists, 18 digs and 12 kills.
Lamberti also received All-Tournament honors after her weekend in Oregon. In Ohio’s upset, she logged 13 kills against, while finishing the weekend with 34 kills, 14 digs and five blocks.
Junior outside hitter Chelsea Bilger notched 10 kills and two digs in the match, while graduate student middle blocker Alexis Pinson recorded nine kills and three blocks.
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