The women’s club volleyball team gained national recognition in 2013.
Kelley Namaky said the Bobcats wanted to prove the tournament officials wrong.
Back in 2013 when the Ohio women's club volleyball team arrived in Dallas for the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation National Tournament, an official wanted to give the program a reality check. Instead, Ohio offered one itself.
“They put us in the second division and we asked them why they did that,” Namaky, president of the team, said. “They said, ‘Well, OU is not a big name and not a big school,’ and they were ragging our whole team."
Prior to the tournament, Ohio wasn’t a big name in the club volleyball landscape. Schools such as Ohio State, Dayton and Kent State were considered powerhouses. That would change after the 2013 NCVF National Tournament.
Namaky said the Bobcats were "kind of mad" about their ranking in the tournament after going undefeated and "crushing" opponents throughout the 2013 season.
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“We ended up winning (the tournament) and the guy that said that to us was the one who had to give us our medals, so that was a cool moment for me,” Namaky said.
As Namaky enters her fifth season with the team, the tournament run remains her favorite memory to date.
Vice President Emilie Kipp, who's in her third year with the team, also said the 2013 tournament is one of her favorite memories as a Bobcat.
Treasurer Kerry Murphy was a freshman that year in Dallas. Despite being a freshman on a squad loaded with seniors, Murphy was invited to the tournament.
“I was in between the A and B team so when they were like, ‘Oh, do you want to come to nationals?’ I was super excited,” Murphy said. “The last game (of the tournament) wasn’t close, so we knew we were gonna win. One of our freshmen scored the winning hit, and it was a crappy hit too, but we all went crazy."
The victory in Dallas is bigger than just a few memories. It has helped Namaky incorporate a competitive culture in Athens.
Since Ohio won the NCVF National Tournament, it has climbed up the national rankings and is now recognizable.
“I have a few friends from Grand Valley (State), which is always ranked one or two in the nation and they would tell me they don’t like playing us,” Kipp said.
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