Ohio has not had an easy path this season. It recently picked up its first win against Toledo on Sept. 24, but the winning spirit has left Ohio.
This past week, it traveled to Muncie, Indiana, for another crack at a Mid-American Conference opponent. Ohio took on Ball State in two matches and took home a loss in both. It lost 3-2 Thursday and 3-0 Friday.
Here’s how the week went for the Bobcats:
Thursday
Thursday’s match posed a good start for the Bobcats after they took sets two and three. They were on the path to securing their second win of the season, but the Cardinals did not want to relinquish the chance to win just yet. They defeated the Bobcats 25-20 in set four and 16-14 in set five.
Ohio’s attackers were led by Caroline Clippard. The freshman had a career-high 22 kills and the most of any athlete that evening. Her efforts were aided by setter Parker Kwiatkowski, who had 37 assists. Ohio’s other setter, Tria McLean, also contributed to the action with 28 assists.
The loss was not due to the Bobcats being outdone by their opponent in stats. The Cardinals trailed the Bobcats in points, kills, assists and digs. The Bobcats only fell behind in aces 11 to six as Cardinals’ freshman Megan Wielonski reached a career-high seven.
Friday
Ball State came out of the gates with intensity on Friday. It took over the court and led in all defensive and offensive categories. The Ball State defense kept Ohio from collecting a single ace and kept the attackers from earning more than 10 kills.
The Bobcats were led by Caitlin O’Farrell and McLean on Friday. The two took over the reins in attacks and assists. Sam Steele was once again a contributing factor on defense due to her ability to track the ball in different areas of the court.
There was not much Ohio could do to stop Ball State. Although Ball State’s individual statistics do not appear to be astronomical, it came together as a team to dominate Ohio. Ohio never broke the 20-point threshold in a single set that evening.
What’s Next?
Ohio will face two different opponents over the weekend, both at home. It will play Eastern Michigan on Friday and Central Michigan on Saturday.
