Ohio entered the weekend trying to rebound from its first Mid-American Conference loss, but the Bobcats were once again unable to string together two weekend victories.
The Bobcats (16-4, 6-2 MAC) defeated the Rockets in four sets Friday, before falling Saturday in five sets to the Cardinals (19-4, 7-1 MAC). Ball State is in first place in the MAC West and is a team Ohio knew would be tough to put away.
“They’re a good passing and good ball-control team, and they get a whole lot of kills,” Ohio coach Ryan Theis said. “I think we played pretty well defensively at times, but in the fifth (set) we didn’t get a couple stops.”
Ohio was victorious in the second and fourth sets by eight and 12 points, respectively, but couldn’t secure the match victory during the fifth set.
“The momentum didn’t seem to be carrying much from game to game,” Theis said. “We were playing relatively well, we battled, and I thought if we could have stolen (the third set) then we would be in good shape.”
Junior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti suffered an ankle injury during the third set, which proved to be a factor in the loss, as Ohio dropped the set. Lamberti leads the Bobcats in kills (242) and ranks second on the team in digs (220).
After the match, Theis said he didn’t know the seriousness of the injury.
Sophomore setter Abby Gilleland led the Bobcats with her fourth double-double of the season, as she notched 42 assists and 13 digs. She also added 50 assists during the win Friday.
Sophomore libero Meredith Ashy notched a career-high 31 digs Saturday, while freshman setter Brooke Coleman registered a career-best 16 digs.
Freshman outside hitter Mallory Salis finished with a balanced weekend, as she finished 32 digs, 13 kills and an ace.
“We put a lot of focus in practice this week to make sure we’re more balanced,” redshirt junior Liis Kullerkann said. “When someone’s having a bad day, or the other team is stopping someone — to make sure that there’s someone to step it up.”
The Bobcats will look to rebound from their second MAC loss when they hit the road for a pair of matches next weekend.
Theis said last week that the team learns from every loss. If the Bobcats want to contend for a MAC Championship this season, they will have to put this loss behind them.
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