Ohio learned a valuable lesson from its match against Alabama Friday. After winning the first two games against the Crimson Tide, the 'Cats shockingly dropped the next three games to lose the match.
Coach Geoff Carlston said that the Bobcats lost focus in the final three games of the match.
We were up 2-0
and we came out in game three soft and unfocused thinking that they weren't going to stop us he said. They were really good and they outplayed us over the final three games. That's a big lesson for us to learn that we don't ever take a break and relax.
Setter Michelle Jantsch said this defeat served as motivation for the rest of Ohio's matches in the Shamrock Invitational, which the Bobcats would go on to win by victories in their next two matches.
We were so motivated and when you lose
it can always be a learning experience
she said. We knew we had to step up our game and win the next two matches.
Following the startling defeat to the Crimson Tide (3-5), Ohio (6-2) only dropped one game the rest of the way ' to the Irish ' over the final two days of the tournament.
We always learn from our mistakes
outside hitter Ellen Herman said. I don't think that losing was a positive
but it puts into perspective that other teams are always going to play their best against us.
The Bobcats showcased their balance in a 3-0 defeat over the College of Charleston (4-3) Saturday, with four players tallying double-digit kills in the match.
We're trying to move toward that direction
Carlston said. We're still not where we want to be
but I think we really moved towards more balance in the last two matches.
Middle blocker Melissa Griffin led Ohio with 16 kills, outside hitter Stephanie Blackburn added 13 kills and middle blocker Jane Sytsma had 11 kills in the victory. Herman also totaled 12 kills to complete the quartet.
In their victory over the Cougars, the Bobcats were on the positive side of a comeback; in the third game, they rallied from a 29-25 deficit to take the game and match, 36-34.
There's no clock and it's never over
Carlston said. It's crazy to be able to come back and do that.Ohio rounded out the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Notre Dame (3-4) yesterday in what Carlston called the Bobcats' best match of the season.
We played very wellG?against Notre Dame
which is the strongest team in the tournament that we played
