Ohio was in action at The Convo on Tuesday night and defeated Marshall in four sets.
The three sets the Bobcats won were close. In the one they lost, they were beaten 25-11.
Close sets have big moments, and when the moment gets bigger, coach Deane Webb is confident in his team.
“At the critical moments late in sets, we had some really good swings,” Webb said. “It just says a lot that when their best is needed, even if it hasn't been great all night, they can come up with that.”
Lunch pail approach
With a number of injuries so far in the young season, there are some players who are playing out of position due to necessity. With that, there can be nights when the team does not attack well.
The Bobcats had 28 attacking errors, including 20 hit balls out of bounds; they hit just .167 for the match. They also had five service errors and seven return errors.
Although they struggled with errors, the Bobcats have taken a more blue-collar approach since losing players and shuffling positions.
“We’ve had to really fight and be gritty,” sophomore middle blocker Sara Januszewski said. “And go out with a mentality that we should be running around for balls, just being aggressive.”
Sara and Tia
Januszewski was thrusted into the starting lineup over the weekend. She started again Tuesday night, and her play is beginning to turn some heads.
She isn’t doing it alone, however. Januszewski has been receiving help and pointers from two of her teammates: one injured and one on the floor.
“Katie (Nelson) is always giving me tips and tricks,” Januszewski said. “And Ali (Lake), she’s up there telling me who to keep my eye on and what spots are open on the court. They’re awesome.”
Meanwhile, freshman Tia Jimerson continues to shine. Her hitting percentage is the highest in the MAC through the first two weeks of the season. Jimerson led the Bobcats again in hitting percentage Tuesday night, hitting .367 with 16 kills.
Next, the Bobcats will travel over the weekend to Charlottesville, Virginia, to play in the Jefferson Cup presented by Fairfield Inn and Suites.
