Ohio upsets nationally ranked Kentucky in an away match Tuesday evening.
Coach Deane Webb wagered with senior Abby Gilleland before the match that he would dance in the locker room if Ohio defeated Kentucky.
After the game, a hoarse-voiced and emotional Webb said he was more than happy to embarrass himself.
For the first time in two years, Ohio earned a win over a ranked program, as it defeated No. 10 Kentucky 3-1 Tuesday evening in Lexington.
The win was the program's first win over a top-ten program since 2013, when Ohio defeated No. 8 Oregon.
Ohio lost the first set, but a shift in momentum — thanks in part to back-to-back aces from Gilleland — near the end was what made a difference in the match.
After taking an early 7-3 lead in the second set, the Bobcats controlled the pace of the match, winning 25-19.
With sets knotted at one a piece, a back-and-forth third set resulted in Ohio edging Kentucky, 25-23. The two teams were tied at 22 near the end of the set, but with help of two kills from sophomore outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek, the Bobcats took a crucial lead in the match.
The third set saw 14 ties and six lead changes.
In the fourth and final set, Ohio trailed 17-13, but after a rally — which included two points given to Ohio after an overruling from the referees — the Bobcats came back to force extra points.
The Bobcats took the set, 30-28, after a kill from senior middle blocker Karin Bull and an attack error from the Wildcats' Kaz Brown.
Webb, whose energy from the sideline showed the entire match, praised the efforts of senior libero Meredith Ashy after the game.
Ashy is a native of Louisville, Kentucky and went to high school just an hour away from Lexington. She had a team high 29 digs to go along with her one kill and one set.
Kosiorek led the team with 18 kills, and Gilleland led with 44 assists.
It was a breakout performance for redshirt sophomore Ali Lake, who led the team with eight blocks. She also had seven kills and a hitting percentage of .267.
Webb said prior to the match he didn’t know if Lake was going to be a starter, as the competition between her and freshman Stephanie Olman was close.
Webb said he went with his gut to start Lake.
Webb’s gut, as well as the team’s grit, perseverance and talent, was the ultimate factor to one of the biggest wins in program history.
“It wasn’t the prettiest at every moment,” Webb said. “But we outworked them. To me, there’s not many things more honorable than that — to work your butt off and to know you outworked somebody. I’m proud of that and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed seeing them do this.”
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