Double-doubles seem to be regular occurrences for Stephanie Blackburn every match now. The outside hitter, who had recorded eight double-doubles in her previous nine matches, notched her ninth in 10 matches against Kent State as the Bobcats cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Golden Flashes yesterday.
Blackburn had 13 kills and 11 digs for Ohio (12-4, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) and middle blocker Melissa Griffin led the team in kills with 15.
The Bobcats, coming off their loss last weekend against Miami, had no problem with the Golden Flashes, maintaining a comfortable lead throughout much of the match.
In game one, the 'Cats were deadlocked with Kent State 19-19 before going on a 6-0 run to take a comfortable lead. With the increased margin, Ohio would not falter, topping the Golden Flashes 30-25.
The Bobcats continued their late-game surge into the second game, jumping out to an 8-1 lead over Kent State. Despite the wide margin, the 'Cats did not relent, pushing the lead to 17-9 and taking the game, 30-23.
The third game proved to be more of a challenge for Ohio, going point for point with the Golden Flashes late into the game. With the score tied at 22, the Bobcats tallied two consecutive points and did not look back, taking the game and match 30-26.
Setter Michelle Jantsch found her teammates throughout the match and they delivered as she recorded a career-high 29 assists. Setter Jill DeArmond also contributed to the Ohio victory with 16 assists.
Outside hitter Ellen Herman, still hobbled by her ankle, totaled nine kills on the night. Middle blocker Meghan Simons led Ohio with eight blocks and defensive specialist Molly Mangan had 10 digs.
Ohio made quick work of the Golden Flashes, taking the match in less than an hour and a half. As a team, Ohio out-hit Kent State, recording a .252 hitting percentage to the Golden Flashes' .210. The 'Cats also had nine blocks as a team to Kent State's two.
The Bobcats will travel to Eastern Michigan tomorrow for their second match of the weekend. The Eagles (12-7, 2-2 MAC) lost both matches to the Bobcats last season, though they pushed Ohio to five games in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament a year ago.
The Eagles lost both of their matches last weekend, falling to both Western Michigan and Northern Illinois in four games. Ohio is 26-16-1 in the all-time series against the Eagles.
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Steve Gartner
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