After first conference loss in nearly two years, Ohio heads to Miami for "The Battle of the Bricks".
Ohio is on a zero-game winning streak. At least, that’s how coach Deane Webb puts it.
For the first time since Oct. 19, 2013, Ohio (19-4, 9-1 Mid-American Conference) is coming off a MAC loss in the regular season after it was swept by Northern Illinois on Saturday.
The Bobcats are of course disappointed, but Webb said the loss could reveal the team’s true character.
He brings up Northern Illinois as an example.
The Huskies, who lost last Friday to the Golden Flashes, came back strong to defeat the Bobcats.
“What character, or combined competitive excellence, did NIU have that allowed them to be great for the last month without two of their starters, and now they get going and do some great things,” Webb said. “We're going to learn some things about our team. We're going to learn that tonight in practice, tomorrow in practice and in practice later this week.”
Because Ohio did lose to Northern Illinois, Webb said he doesn’t have to worry about keeping his team grounded.
If the team had kept its winning streak against conference opponents alive, maybe Webb would've had to keep Ohio grounded, but with the streak snapped — and just a one game lead in the standings — Webb said Ohio is only thinking one week at a time.
“We need to win our next one,” Webb said. “We’ll be able to focus on this next opponent.”
Ohio's next opponent isn’t just any opponent. It’s Miami.
The RedHawks (15-8, 7-3 MAC) sit two games behind Ohio in the East division. The RedHawks boast two of the best hitters in the conference in senior Jenny Ingle and junior Paige Hill, who have the second and third-best hitting percentage in the conference, respectively.
Ohio has taken the past 10 matches against Miami, with the last contest going four sets at The Convo.
After Miami, the Bobcats will head to Bowling Green on Saturday to take on the Falcons (5-18, 1-9 MAC).
Though Bowling Green has the second-worst record in the conference, the Falcons feature an exceptional talent in junior Jelena Sunjic. Sunjic ranks fifth overall in the MAC in kills and second in points. Webb said the 6-foot-3 Croatian talent is similar to that of a ‘Big Ten kid’.
As Ohio tries to rebound against Miami and Bowling Green, it awaits a critical four-game homestand afterward which could show their true character.
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