Ohio dominates Kent State (25-16, 25-19, 25-18) and gears up to face Eastern Michigan and a former Bobcat staff member.
The Bobcats play two awkward Thursday night matches this season, both against the Golden Flashes.
With classes closed on Ohio's campus Friday for "Reading Day", this particular midweek victory over Kent State (25-16, 25-19, 25-18) was a little sweeter for the Bobcats (13-3, 3-0), as they took the Flashes to school on the court.
Coach Deane Webb said earlier this week in his press conference that Ohio's loss at Kent in 2013 was largely caused by a tough crowd.
Weekday attendance at the M.A.C. Center was no match for the balanced Bobcat attack this time around, however, as six players recorded five or more kills on the night.
Ohio Sophomore Jaime Kosiorek led the group with nine kills, while senior Abby Gilleland put up impressive numbers with five kills, 33 assists and 16 digs.
Sophomore Kelsey Bittinger carried the Kent State offense throughout the match, tallying 14 kills of her own.
Following a day off, Ohio will stay on the road and travel north to take on Eastern Michigan (9-7, 1-2 MAC) Saturday in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Eastern Michigan's coaching staff could have a bit more knowledge of Ohio’s tendencies than most of the Bobcat’s opponents this year.
EMU assistant coach Michael Shearer, a volunteer assistant on Ohio’s coaching staff last season, will be on the opposite bench planning how to stop his former team Saturday.
That is not necessarily an easy task against a team that is riding a six-game win streak and hasn’t lost a game in MAC regular season play since Oct. 19, 2013.
“We’re happy for him, that he’s there,” Webb said about Shearer. “I’m glad we get to see him again. I hope when it’s over I’m saying ‘Good match. We still won and good luck the rest of the year.’”
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Webb said Shearer’s presence on the Eagles staff will not change anything tactically regarding the Bobcats’ style of play, but Ohio will need to get ready to match Eastern Michigan’s intensity.
“They just play hard,” Webb said. “We scouted them early, early. We watched their match versus Xavier before we played Xavier, and I was just blown away with how hard these kids are playing. They really fly around. Credit to those kids, credit to those coaches that have a culture where kids want to play that hard. That makes it fun.”
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