After dropping three of their last four, Ohio picks up a sweep against Central Michigan.
The usually long-winded coach Deane Webb was brief in his message after Ohio swept Central Michigan on Saturday evening.
“We won,” he said with a wry smile. “We like winning.”
Though it was just a quip from the second-year head coach, there was a lot of meaning in what he said.
The Bobcats (21-6, 11-3 MAC) like to win, of course, but they have struggled to as of late, losing three of their past four matches — an unprecedented streak for the program as of late.
Ohio's latest loss against Kent State knocked it off the top of the Mid-American Conference leaderboard, with Northern Illinois now taking the helm.
So, Ohio needed to "get back to playing their brand of volleyball" if it wanted to compete to stay atop of the conference standings.
That was the theme of the week leading up to Central Michigan, according to junior Mallory Salis.
“It was about playing for each other, focus on ourselves and doing what Ohio does best,” she said. “I think going off that, we were Ohio volleyball tonight. We played like we normally play. When we’re on, we’re on — and we’re good.”
If Saturday night was any indication of what Ohio’s "brand" of volleyball is, it seems to heavily involve Salis.
The outside hitter recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 10 hits against the Chippewas.
Sophomore outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek saw a considerably lower amount of swings than she normally does, as she had only 15 attacks today, though she did have a .333 hitting percentage.
Sharing the ball on the attack is critical for Ohio’s offense, as it limits Kosiorek’s errors, but also maintains its offensive efficiency.
Almost always a fixture in an Ohio win, Gilleland recorded a double-double as well with 40 assists and 10 digs.
Despite the Chippewas being just 6-8 in the MAC, Webb said it was a confidence-boosting win because Central Michigan is a team that will most likely be competing in the conference tournament in just two weeks.
Confidence is something Webb said the team had been losing the past few weeks after they’ve began to lose their grip on the No. 1 seed.
“It’s good to get a win where you really feel like you did something,” Webb said. “This was a good win. Period.”
@efelderstein14
ef684013@ohio.edu
