Ohio sweeps LSU and Xavier and loses to Michigan in five sets.
Nearly 2,000 fans were in attendance for Friday night’s match between Ohio and Xavier at the Bobcat Invitational. The fans erupted when the lights went dark and the starters were introduced, as it was the first time they’ve seen their home supporters since November.
Needless to say, Ohio was excited when it took the floor, too. To some extent, maybe the players were too excited.
Offensive miscues, mental errors and poor communication plagued the Bobcats throughout the first two sets.
The Bobcats headed to the locker room down two sets to the Musketeers on the verge of being swept by their in-state foes.
Coach Deane Webb didn’t focus on tactical issues when he spoke to his team. Instead he talked about character.
“This is what we want to be known for — showing our character and working our way through the five gamers," senior libero Meredith Ashy said. “We didn’t want to quit. Xavier is a good team. We played them last year and they’re going to put up a fight.”
The Bobcats went on to win the next three straight sets, earning an improbable victory over the Musketeers.
Ohio was helped in part by Ashy who set a school record with 43 digs in one game. She passed Stephanie Blackburn and is now ranked second for most overall digs in school history.
The five-set win over Xavier was the second of the day, as they swept LSU earlier Friday.
The next afternoon, in the so-called “title game” of the Bobcat Invitational, Ohio met with undefeated Michigan in another match that would go five sets and end with a loss for the Bobcats.
Ohio seemed somewhat lethargic during the match — and rightfully so. The Bobcats had played 13 sets in 36 hours.
“We don’t like to use (fatigue) as an excuse,” Ashy said. “I would say that we’re a little tired, but it’s not an excuse. We battled back. We’ve had many five sets in the past year.”
The Bobcats had four players with double-digit kills, including sophomore Jaime Kosiorek, redshirt sophomore Ali Lake, senior Shelby Walker and senior Karin Bull.
Despite the loss to Michigan, Webb still has positives to look at for this week. Ohio defeated two SEC teams, including the then-No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday, and earned a five-set win over an in-state foe.
“It was a really great week overall,” he said. “Tuesday (against Kentucky) was a great win for us. Last night against Xavier, that was a great character win. Today stings a little bit to have a Big Ten team right there where you can get the win and not get it. Overall, it was a really good week and I’m proud of our kids for that.”
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