Ohio seniors Elizabeth Hoerlein and Makenna Schafer gave it their alls Saturday afternoon against Buffalo in their last home match as Bobcats. Before the team swept the Bulls, The Convo gave a standing ovation for the team’s eldest leaders.
Ohio coach Geoff Carlston watched Hoerlein and Schafer grow in their time at Ohio, both on and off the court, as essential pieces to the puzzle that is Bobcat volleyball.
“They were the only ones around when we were really bad,” he said. “I mean 0-11 bad, like, not win a match back in our preseason. We were 1-15 at one point their sophomore year, and that group came back and won 10 in the last eleven.”
For Senior Day, before announcing both starting lineups, Ohio recognized Buffalo’s seniors, Mandy Leigh, Abby Leigh, Katrin Trebichavska and Maria Futey. Afterward, Hoerlein and Schafer walked hand-in-hand with their family members to the court, where they received flowers and their jerseys framed from Carlston.
The Convo took to its feet to applaud them for all they’ve done for the team over the years. With many contributions from both players.
In this match, Schafer ended with five kills, two digs and one block, and Hoerlein with one kill, two digs and six blocks. Throughout this season, however, their contributions were far and wide and stacked in numbers.
Schafer recently hit her career high in kills with 18 against Central Michigan, out of the 50 she racked up this season, for a total of 84 kills across her career as a Bobcat. Coach Carlston said her blocking at the end of Saturday’s game added to the finishing blow.
“It was cool to see Makenna get those blocks at the end to end the match,” he said. “It was very poetic, right?”
Hoerlein had her career high in kills against Eastern Michigan with 12, for a total of 164 this year. In her time at OU, Hoerlein has accumulated a whopping 581 kills during her career.
Carlston added his team felt as though they adapted to each other as a family on the court, with their progress clearly being shown on the court in an incredible display of offense and communication that would result in an astounding sweep.
Carlston even compared the team’s work to Ohio’s well-known mascot in the wild.
“We're very adaptable, like a bobcat … right?” Carlston said. “(That’s) one of their tendencies. (I’m) really proud and happy for how our team played.”
Wherever they may end up following their time at Ohio, Hoerlein and Schafer have left their legacy on the court in The Convo for fans to witness and remember as they enter a new chapter of life beyond the bricks.
