In the final two matches of the Bobcat Invitational Saturday, Ohio (2-1) came out with a winning record. Facing off against two tough opponents, Appalachian State (1-2) and Wright State (3-0), Ohio showed its strengths and weaknesses.
Ohio vs. Appalachian State
Ohio’s first match came against Appalachian State, which provided a hard-fought five sets en route to a 3-2 victory for Ohio.
Ohio would begin its first match trailing Appalachian State, but the team never fell too far behind. The Bobcats’ scrappy defense kept them within close distance for the majority of the set. A pair of aces from Lexi Grisset would force a Mountaineers timeout and put the Bobcats up by 2 points. Appalachian State’s Maya Winterhoff gave Ohio trouble on both sides, tallying 15 kills and four block assists.
A kill from Emily Waddell would put Ohio at its largest lead of the set at 21-18, and despite climbing back to close the point gap, a service error from Appalachian State would close the set 25-22 in favor of Ohio.
The second set would begin similarly for Ohio, panning out to be closer in terms of scoring. Both teams would trade possession of the ball, however the Bobcats were consistent in keeping the game close and shutting down any runs the Mountaineers would go on. Appalachian State and Ohio were each eager to pull ahead, through another round of sparring for points, the Bobcats would take set two 26-24.
Ohio would lose its footing a little in set three as Appalachian State took an early 10-7 lead. Ohio middle blocker Emily Waddell would answer at both the net and service line, giving a boost to her team. The Mountaineers would pull ahead 13-18, leading Anna Kharchynska to fight back, eventually landing her with 19 kills total during the match. An overturned challenge would turn the set in favor of Appalachian State, and the Raiders would go on to take Ohio’s first set from it this season 23-25.
The fourth set began with the Mountaineers pulling ahead of the Bobcats in total kills and digs during the match. A pumped-up Appalachian State offense would begin to gain steam, despite Ohio libero Kendall Hickey’s best efforts. Even so, she would end the match with 17 digs total.
Another crucial point turnover would give Appalachian State its biggest lead of any set, and take set four 18-25.
Although Ohio struggled to pull ahead during previous sets, its determination shined through in an intense first rally ending a point for Ohio. An ace from Hickey would force an early timeout for the Mountaineers and Ohio coach Geoff Carlston encouraged his team to keep the energy high.
“They were fighting,” he said. “... I think there were a lot of nerves going on. You could feel it. I think we used a lot of energy in trying to get ourselves back and righted.”
A kill from Winterhoff would put the set 7-8 to change sides. Ohio’s offense pulled forward to take the lead, and a block from Kam Hunt and Waddell would put the Bobcats at match point. Fans in The Convo took to their feet as Kharchynska would end the match on a kill 15-12, marking a significant win for Ohio.
Ohio vs. Wright State
Wright State was going to be the biggest challenge for the Bobcats during their invitational; the Raiders won each of their previous games in three sets, controlling each match they played. Although they fought hard, the Bobcats couldn’t match the Raiders’ offensive or defensive capabilities, losing 0-3.
The first set of Ohio’s match against Wright State started tight, with both teams making plays, positive and negative. It was clear from the beginning that despite having played a five-set match against Appalachian State just hours earlier, Ohio was fighting hard.
However, the Raiders were able to take a definitive lead, having more kills than the Bobcats in the team’s early exchanges. Wright State would continue to lead in kills throughout the rest of the match, utilizing oppressive offensive and defensive strategies to push Ohio to call back-to-back timeouts. The first set ended 16-25.
The second set started as a closer round, with the Bobcats taking their first lead in the match and re-injecting fervor into the packed stands of The Convo. Unfortunately for Ohio, this push did not last. Despite players like Hunt, Darbi Ricketts and Hickey playing strong on defense, Wright State’s outside hitter Myra Ayro continued to pummel Ohio, and setter Lauren Yacobucci amazingly set up each hit. Ayro led both teams in kills with 15 by the end of the match, and Yacobucci led both teams in assists with 34. The second set had a mirror ending to the first, with another 16-25 loss for the Bobcats.
Going into the third set, Ohio had to rally to have a chance of winning. Wright State had yet to lose a set in the invitational, so this was a make-or-break moment for the home team.
The set started and quickly saw Wright State go up big, forcing Ohio to call a timeout when the score hit 4-8. This deficit would widen from a 3-point disadvantage to a 7-point disadvantage, putting the Bobcats at 13-20 for their next time out.
After the time out, Ohio bounced back, jumping from 13-20 to 19-22 after a series of offensive wins and Wright State errors. Following a timeout from Wright State, the score would eventually be tied at 22 and then 23, breathing some life back into Ohio and the crowd of fans.
The air was tense as both teams continued to spar over points, with Hunt pushing through two powerful kills.
Despite the newfound force, the Bobcats were not able to overcome Wright State’s brutal offense. The Raiders pulled ahead at 26-27, and Yacobucci lent an assist to outside hitter Sam Ott to finish the game at 26-28.
There were numerous strong points throughout the match; Kharchynska had 27 kills between both matches, and several other players like Hunt and Hickey had big showings. Kharchynska says a major part of the team’s success at the invitational this weekend is its training.
“We try to recover our body; our trainer room, we visit every time (a match ends),” Kharchynska said. “We have a great preseason. We have practice, five per day. So we have this power to go through two matches.”
Despite some of the team’s shortcomings, Carlston was happy with Ohio’s performance.
“If you would tell me we're gonna be 2-1, knowing what I know going this weekend, that we're gonna be cool,” he said. “I would have said, ‘Okay, I'll take that. I'll take that.’”
