Macy Reihing hasn’t played Miami yet.
But that doesn’t mean the freshman libero from Lexington, Kentucky, doesn’t know the meaning of the rivalry.
“I knew coming in this was going to be one of our biggest games of the year,” Reihing said.
If it is the biggest game of the year, it comes early on Ohio’s schedule when the Bobcats and Miami renew their rivalry in The Convocation Center on Friday night.
Both opened Mid-American Conference play last weekend with a 1-1 record, and although it’s a rivalry, there is a mutual respect between the two programs.
“It’s the right kind of rivalry,” coach Deane Webb. “It’s what you would want in college athletes, to have that one team they get a little extra excited to play every year, but it’s over, we shake hands and walk away with great respect for them.”
It’s not only the rivalry that has Ohio excited to play this weekend.
After three consecutive weekends on the road, the Bobcats finally get to stay in Athens and welcome an opponent.
And The Convo provides a home-court advantage that Webb and the players love.
“We have great fans,” Webb said. “A great crowd and having a band here, all great things that come from the match.”
It’s not just a home match that will be a fresh change of pace after the weeks away. Going a weekend without a bus ride, a plane ride, hotel stays or traveling back to Athens will be welcomed with open arms by the Bobcats.
And it’s also an opportunity for parents to come watch the student-athletes they raised play at home.
With the parents coming into town, Webb is excited. It’s Miami week, it’s a home match, but it’s also the weekend the dad’s of Ohio volleyball do a barbecue cook-off, something he looks forward to.
“As someone who is a ‘meat-atarian,’ I’m very glad to have those guys cooking it up for us,” Webb said with a smile.
With barbecue being cooked and a fierce rivalry being played, it’s an exciting weekend for Ohio volleyball.
“I can’t wait,” Reining added.
