Going into this past weekend's matches, the No. 21 Ohio volleyball team was aware of how dangerous the Ball State Cardinals could be ' it was the Cardinals who the Bobcats dispatched in the finals of last season's Mid-American Conference Tournament and who jumped out to a 3-1 record within the MAC this season.
After the weekend, Ohio is the team looking as dangerous as ever.
Spurred by several long runs throughout the course of the match, the Bobcats (14-3, 6-0 MAC) swept the Cardinals (6-12, 3-3 MAC) Friday 3-0, by scores of 30-23, 30-16 and 30-12. Ohio then went to Toledo and swept the Rockets (5-14, 2-4 MAC), with scores of 30-18, 30-23 and 30-24.
Any time you win two on the road within the conference
it's a good thing Ohio coach Geoff Carlston said. I was pretty happy with the way we played against Ball State at their place.
Ohio jumped to a 9-3 lead in the first game against the Cardinals, but watched it slip away as Ball State closed the gap to 19-18. The 'Cats then went on an 11-5 run to close the game.
The closest Ball State would get in game two was 10-9. An 11-1 Bobcat run in the middle of the game allowed the team to cruise to the second-game victory. The Bobcats continued their dominance in the third game, leading 20-6 at one point on their way to a 30-12 victory and a match win.
Ohio out-dug Ball State and hit .423 for the match, both of which impressed Carlston.
We out-dug them by 20 which is something you rarely see (from a Ball State opponent)
Carlston said. As for the hitting percentage ' that's ridiculous. It's a tribute to our passing.
Middle blocker Melissa Griffin led all players with 16 kills, but they did not come easily.
(Griffin) started slowly
Carlston said. Ball State was teaming up on her and she struggled
but she was able to adjust and hit some different shots.
Outside hitter Stephanie Blackburn posted her ninth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 18 digs against the Cardinals.
We controlled the tempo of the match and really imposed ourselves on them
Blackburn said. In the second game
we really pushed ourselves hard because we knew they were a good team and they would come out and play harder.
Against Toledo, the Bobcats emerged from a 4-4 tie in the first game with a 14-5 run to put it out of reach. The second game was a bit of a struggle for the Bobcats, as they trailed by as many as four points at 17-13 before rallying and holding off the Rockets for the victory. The third game was a back-and-forth struggle, as neither team held a lead greater than five points until Ohio took a 20-14 lead late in the contest.
We struggled a little bit
but we served and used ball control well enough to win in three (games)
Carlston said. We're getting better in some areas
but there's still room for this team to grow.
Outside hitter Ellen Herman, who was playing in her hometown for the first time as a Bobcat, was the only Bobcat in double-figures in kills with 16, putting on a show for the crowd at Savage Hall.
