Blocking is something the Ohio volleyball team has been trying to improve all season. Last weekend, the Bobcats may have found the solution to their blocking woes as they switched to a new type of shot stopping.
After spending a week working on their new system ' called swing blocking ' the Bobcats had some early success employing their new strategy against Western Michigan. The change from standard blocking to swing allows the Bobcats to be more aggressive on defense and focus on reading the opposing hitters.
With 10 total team blocks against the Broncos, the Bobcats had a strong start to their new technique even though Western started to figure it out. In the first two games, the Bobcats were getting more hands on the opponents' shots.
We worked all week on swing blocking because we knew we had to change things up
we were getting a lot of touches and not enough solid blocks middle blocker Melissa Griffin, who had five blocks against the Broncos, said. It started off well then they changed their shots so we weren't getting as many blocks
but it's a work in progress.
Coach Geoff Carlston made the decision to have the team switch to swing blocking after last weekend's matches against Buffalo and Akron when the team struggled in blocking shots. He employed the new system even though the team had two tough matches coming up against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
Western was a tough team to start off blocking this way; we just made a decision to change our philosophy on blocking
Carlston said. It is more aggressive and we did it a little last year
but we weren't blocking before and there was no reason not to.
To get 10 blocks and to only have been working on it for a week is good. It if makes the players more excited about blocking we are going to make it happen. It is a tougher system, but we are going to stick with it.
Everyone on the team uses the swing blocking strategy except for setter Savanah Parra. She continues to block regularly and creates an obstacle for the other team's hitters.
Our middles get so much higher, so with me I try to set up a solid block so the team has to play around me, I'm not out there to get five blocks a game, Parra said. The middles are so much more aggressive, and they cover so much more space, playing behind Melissa ' she is huge up there when she swing blocks ' we still have some things to work out with tempo and timing but for our first time we did a really good job.
Though the 'Cats only registered six total team blocks in the win against Northern Illinois Saturday night
they said they are determined to figure swing blocking out.
It is hard to get used to, sometimes I forget some of the plays, middle blocker Amanda Andersen said. Overall, I think it will be very effective when we get it down pat.",",17,Archives,Nick Miller,200610243711midsize.jpg,Ohio middle blocker Melissa Griffin (12) spikes the ball through the blocking attempts of Northern Illinois outside hitter Laura Baetzel (3) and middle blocker Kate McCullagh (11).,",",",","
15966,2006-10-23 06:10:00,Editorial headline: Home sweet home,",Less than a week before Court Street explodes with thousands of guests and visitors
Athens and Ohio University got a block party dry run.
There were drunken spectators at the parade
Bobcats fans stumbling through the crowd at Peden Stadium and bar flies of all ages perched on stools everywhere.
And yet
the police did not report an excessive number of arrests or violence. The streets remained calm
if just a little jubilant after a blowout of Buffalo.
Things in Athens have certainly been better
