Ohio faces a difficult non-conference schedule to repeat as regular season Mid-American Conference champions.
Ohio and second-year head-coach Deane Webb will certainly be tested early in 2015 to see if it can make another run at the NCAA Tournament.
The Bobcats 2015 schedule was released Monday featuring eleven matches against top-100 teams and a non-conference schedule consisting of four teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship Field last season.
The Bobcats begin their campaign in West Lafayette, Indiana, at the Mortar Board Premier. Ohio will go against Austin Peay on Aug. 28 and then, finish the tournament battling Virginia Commonwealth University and host, Purdue.
Following a Sept. 1 match against a 2014 top-20 RPI ranked Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, the Bobcats will host their annual Bobcat Invitational.
At the Convo, Ohio will compete against LSU and in-state rival Xavier on Sept. 4 and then Michigan on Sept. 5. All three teams finished a combined 52-38 last year.
"I am particularly excited about our home event," Webb said. "Michigan, LSU, Xavier and Ohio is quite a tournament, and I am thrilled we get to deliver that level of competition to our great fans at the Convo."
Next, the Bobcats travel to Louisville, Kentucky, on Sept. 11 for the Active Ankle Challenge. The tournament includes two 2014 NCAA Championship qualifiers in Seton Hall and Utah, as well as tournament-host Louisville.
Ohio’s non-conference schedule concludes with a trip to sunny Fort Myers, Florida, for the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational. Ohio looks to defeat Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 18, and will play Florida Gulf Coast again on Sept. 19.
Ohio opens up Mid American Conference play against Bowling Green at the Convo on Sept. 25 and will then end its 16-game MAC regular season play against Akron on Nov. 14 at home.
By winning the 2014 MAC regular season title, Ohio will host the MAC Championship Tournament in Athens for the second year in a row.
Ohio completed its 2014 season 23-6 overall, which included a 16-0 performance in MAC play — a feat that had not occurred since 2006.
The Bobcats have won the MAC title (regular season/ tournament) in 11 of the past 12 seasons and have qualified for the NCAA Championship in nine of the past 12 seasons.
"We're excited about the challenges we will face in our non-conference schedule," Webb said. "We will need to grow and improve quickly. We have an experienced senior class, and we will rely heavily on them as we seek excellence throughout the entire season."
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