For the first time since 2010, Ohio will return to NCAA Tournament play when it heads to Lexington, Ky., for a first-round match against Michigan State on Friday.
The Bobcats are a member of a four-team pool that also includes Duquesne and regional host No. 15 Kentucky, which Ohio could play if it wins its first-round matchup. The third and fourth rounds will also be played at Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum.
“I think we’re all really happy about where we’re ending up,” sophomore libero Meredith Ashy said. “Michigan State is a really good team, but I really think we can take them on. It’s a perfect setup for us at UK.”
Ashy, who is from Louisville, Ky., is the Bobcats’ lone native of the Bluegrass State and leads the team in digs with an average of 4.5 per set.
Ohio (27-5) had its 11-match winning streak snapped in a 3-1 loss in its regular season finale against Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday. The team’s five-match sweep streak was also broken when it fell to the Rams by a score of 25-13 in the first set.
“(The loss at VCU) was a wake-up call,” Ashy said. “Not a lot of teams are going to just give the game to us. We learned from our mistakes, and we’re going to move forward and hope that doesn’t happen to us again.”
Michigan State (21-11), ranked No. 19 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and finished seventh in the Big Ten Conference this season after starting conference play with six consecutive victories.
The Bobcats are 10-3 against non-conference opponents this season and 0-2 against the Spartans in program history. They also hold a 5-8 all-time record in the NCAA Championship during their eight appearances.
“This team loves big games, they always love playing big-named schools in big-gym environments,” Ohio coach Ryan Theis said. “Hopefully in a neutral environment we’ll be able to get after them a little bit.”
This is the fourth time the Bobcats will head to the NCAA Tournament under Theis, including three consecutive appearances from 2008 to 2010. The Bobcats reached the second round during the latter two years but haven’t returned to the postseason tournament since.
“We’re excited about the opportunity, but now it’s about advancing in the NCAA Tournament,” Theis said. “That’s always one of our goals as a program, but first you have to get there. Getting there from (the Mid-American Conference) is not easy—you really have to win a ton of matches or get hot the last weekend to get there from our conference.”
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This article appeared in print under the headline "’Cats to face Spartans in NCAA Tournament"
