Ohio volleyball walked away from Northern Illinois with a series sweep this past weekend, taking down the Huskies (8-14, 8-14 MAC) 3-0 on Saturday to seal the deal. The Bobcats (11-7, 11-7 Mid-American Conference) had not swept a team series since February, when they defeated Buffalo 3-0 on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12.
Here are the numbers to know from Ohio’s 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-23) victory over Northern Illinois:
2
This series sweep is only Ohio’s second of the season. Ohio split five series this season but was not swept at any point in the season. The Bobcats fare well when playing single games. Being able to win back-to-back games is important because it is similar to how tournament play works. Ohio will need to keep its winning mentality from these past few matches to help them in the MAC tournament.
3
Ohio secured the three-seed in the conference tournament, which will be played at one-seed Bowling Green’s Stroh Center on April 2-3. The Bobcats were a five-seed in the 2019 tournament. Ohio was not able to make it past the second round in the last tournament, but with a smaller playing field, anything is possible for the Bobcats. The team will take on Western Michigan on April 2 for its first-round match.
8
Northern Illinois had eight service errors throughout the match. These were committed by six different players and hurt the Huskies offensively. Northern gave free points to the Bobcats with these errors and dug themselves into an even greater point deficit with each mistake.
19
Tia Jimerson has been aggressive at the net all season for the Bobcats. She reached her season-high kill total in the final regular season match of the year, landing 19 against the Huskies. The senior previously reached 1,000 kills earlier this season and has been adding to that total ever since.
Jimerson is a staple for the Ohio offense and defense alike. She has a leadership-oriented mind and a dominant playing style. Her presence is going to be extremely important going into the MAC tournament without junior Lauren Park, who is still out with injury.
