Ohio hosted a pair of Mid-American Conference East foes this weekend in The Convo and used precision from all areas of the court to match their best start to a season since 2005.
No. 20 Ohio (14-2, 4-0 MAC) defeated Miami on Friday before edging Bowling Green on Saturday during the program’s annual “Dig Pink” contest.
Ohio defeated Miami (8-8, 0-4 MAC) in four sets with help from another double-double performance by junior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti, as she recorded a team-high 19 kills and 16 digs.
“(I was most pleased with) the balance after the second set,” Ohio coach Ryan Theis said. “All of a sudden everyone was producing, and suddenly we had balance. That’s the key to this team. For us to win we’re going to have to have balance.”
Freshman outside hitter Katie Horton notched 12 kills and two digs, while sophomore setter Abby Gilleland recorded a team-high 44 assists and nine digs.
Graduate student middle blocker Alexis Pinson registered five blocks and four kills, while liberos sophomore Meredith Ashy and freshman Mallory Salis finished with 19 and 10 digs, respectively.
Entering Saturday, the Falcons (6-9, 3-1 MAC) had won three consecutive matches after being picked to win the MAC East in the preseason coaches’ poll, but their luck ran out, as the Bobcats recorded a sweep.
The Bobcats handled the Falcons throughout the three-set sweep and came from behind in the second set with a swing point from freshman defensive specialist Geneva Yee.
“I thought our team played very well (against Bowling Green),” Lamberti said. “I think our team did the little things much better than we have in the past.”
She recorded her eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 10 kills and 10 digs, along with two aces against the Falcons, while Horton helped out with nine kills and 1.5 blocks.
Gilleland added a team-high 34 assists, while Salis and Ashy had a team-high 11 digs apiece. Pinson notched a team-high four blocks, four kills and two aces.
The Bobcats improved to 4-0 in MAC play with their victories this past weekend, and the team’s 14-2 start is tied with the program’s best since 2005, when they finished MAC play undefeated and lost to Arizona in five sets in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
“The team is really good about wanting to win the regular season,” Theis said.
“They’re very into this race and they’re a really focused, toned-in group. I really like that about them, they make my job easy that way.”
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