It's no secret that Ohio (8-11, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) has looked to underclassmen for big contributions from its underclassmen this season. Freshmen Darbi Ricketts and Bryn Janke are penciled-in starters every game, and the team’s other two first years, Sierra Evans and Lexi Grissett, have seen an uptick in play time over last weekend.
Ohio’s group of freshmen, the team’s least experienced quartet, all saw time in this year’s rendition of the Battle of the Bricks, contributing to a win in the highly anticipated rivalry matchup against Miami (7-13, 1-8 MAC), in which the team saw a 3-1 victory.
Joining her fellow first-years in the starting lineup, Evans was a last-minute addition in the rivalry matchup. Evans learned she’d be starting in her first Battle of the Bricks the day of the game during practice and contributed a career-high in kills and points, with four and 5.5 respectively, as well as a team-high in blocks with three.
“Being a freshman, it’s my first time playing Miami,” Evans said. “Getting this victory feels really good.”
Evans wasn’t the only freshman impacting the game. Other first years contributed to the victory as well.
Ricketts, while not getting her usual chances on the outside, found other ways to influence the game. She only netted one kill on just four attempts but came away with two service aces and 14 digs, both team highs. Her versatility is something the Bobcats can always look to rely on, giving the team more room to experiment.
“She’s gritty, she’s competitive, she’s fiery, she can do a lot of different things,” Ohio coach Geoff Carlston said. “When she’s on, she’s so fun to watch, and part of my role has been to find that balance between letting her go … and that IQ, that sweet spot in between is what we’re working on with her.”
Then, Ohio’s duo of freshmen setters, Janke and Grissett, both saw action and served well for the team. Janke, who’s been the team’s starter when healthy, led the way with 22 assists, tied for the team’s high, while Grissett saw the court for the second consecutive game in the absence of sophomore Leah Shumate, playing two sets.
The team overall is much younger this year, which means Ohio is still trying to fill in some of the unknowns. While Carlston stated that coaching is not a role with a “sense of ease,” the young talent and opportunities to experiment with the lineups and see results have been a bright spot.
In the case of Evans, following a 3-2 loss against Ball State, where Ohio’s defense was porous up front, Carlston saw the freshman as a potential solution.
“I’m really proud of … the freshmen to be able to come in, like with Sierra,“ Carlston said. "That’s kind of her first experience. We just made a decision (Friday) night that we needed to get a little bit more physical.”
On the historic rivalry that is the Battle of the Bricks, however, Carlston thinks his freshmen may have been partially unaware of the history behind the game. Whether that helped is uncertain, but notching a win in the freshman group’s first taste of the rivalry certainly sets them off to a great start.
“I think I need to do a better job of reminding our team the history of this program and the history of the rivalry,” Carlston said. “Everyone around here knows it, but I think when you’re coming here from Michigan or Indiana … you know you don’t like Miami, but you’re not sure why, but … everyone feels a little better, got a little more jump in their step when you beat that team.”
