Despite dropping its first match of the season and finishing second place in the Baymont Inn Invitational at home, Ohio will compete in another tournament this weekend at the Western Kentucky University Invitational.
The Bobcats are off to a 5-1 start to the season for the first time since 2009 and are looking forward to this weekend following a loss to No. 18 North Carolina.
“I think it taught us a lot; that every single game isn’t going to be a sweep,” graduate student middle blocker Alexis Pinson said. “We learned how to fight back, and applied it to what we did (against Cincinnati).”
Sophomore middle blocker Karin Bull and Pinson received all-tournament team honors in the Bobcats’ first home tournament.
Pinson was also named the Mid-American Conference East Division’s defensive player of the week after her weekend performances. She played her best match in an Ohio uniform on Saturday against the Tar Heels with 22 points, 13 kills and eight blocks.
Ohio leads the MAC with a .286 hitting percentage, which ranks the Bobcats No. 24 in the country in the category. Ohio also received 58 votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll this week, ranking them No. 29 in the NCAA.
This weekend, the Bobcats will match-up against University of Nevada Las Vegas on Friday before playing No. 21 Western Kentucky and Virginia on Saturday.
UNLV (3-3) is coming off a 1-2 weekend in the Gonzaga Tournament, despite the Rebels being picked to finish third in the Mountain West Conference with an 18-11 (10-6 MWC) record last season. Ohio has never faced UNLV on the volleyball court.
Western Kentucky’s (5-3) offense is led by AVCA All-American senior setter Melanie Stutsman, who leads the Colonels with 287 assists. Ohio and Western Kentucky have split four meetings all-time, and most recently played each other in 2011 when the Colonels won 3-1.
“Western Kentucky plays extremely hard; they’re the ultimate blue-collar overachievers that work their way to victories,” coach Ryan Theis said. “You can’t say enough good things about what they do at that program. They’re really good every year.”
Virginia was picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason poll, despite bringing in the NCAA’s 12th-best recruiting class. The young core of players have led the Cavaliers, including freshman outside hitter Haley Kole, who was named the ACC freshman of the week on Monday.
Ohio also last played Virginia in 2011 for the finale of the Baymont Inn Invitational in The Convo, though the Bobcats lost the match in four sets.
“I think that this will be the biggest test of all so far. There will be three awfully good opponents in one weekend,” Theis said. “Hopefully we can continue some good play and get wins. It’s going to be a good high-level tournament.”
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