Having won their last 12 sets played during their four-game win streak, the Ohio volleyball team kept the streak alive in the first match of a three-match trip in North Carolina.
Thursday night, the Bobcats (5-5) took the court with UNC Greensboro (4-4) and swept the Spartans in straight sets (25-15, 25-16, 25-19) to reach the .500-mark, after starting 0-4.
“We played very well the first two sets,” Ohio coach Ryan Theis said. “Kelly Lamberti was there whenever we needed her and winning 12 straight sets has been great. We’ve been very efficient in 10 of them and scraped out the other two.”
Lamberti continued to build on last week’s player-of-the-week performance as she led the team in points scored (17.5) and kills (13) in the victory Thursday. Sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Bilger also contributed nine kills, three digs and 10 points.
The Bobcats will remain in North Carolina for the rest of the weekend, as they will take the court against two Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
Ohio will face off against North Carolina and NC State, who will play each other Friday before each facing the Bobcats in their home arenas.
The Tar Heels (8-1) have won eight straight matches since falling to then-No.10 Kentucky in their season opener, which defeated Ohio the following weekend.
UNC is led by outside hitter Emily McGee, who is first on the team in kills (89) and second in digs (99). Opposite hitter Chaniel Nelson stands out for the Tar Heels. She was named the ACC player of the week and also was named the MVP of the Aggie Invitational this past weekend.
“Both North Carolina and NC State are great teams,” Theis said. “They are strong with the kills so we will have to side-out and not give up many points if we want to win.”
Ohio is 0-2 all-time against UNC, but the Bobcats did defeat NC State in 1997, which is the teams’ only previous meeting.
NC State (9-1) is also in the midst of a four-game winning streak and won all three matches played in its own tournament, like Ohio. The Wolfpack takes the court with the Bobcats for its ninth consecutive home match, part of a 13-match home stand.
In the team’s match against UNC Wilmington on Tuesday, four NC State players recorded 10 or more kills, highlighted by Dariyan Hopper, who had 17 kills.
The Wolfpack is led by senior setter Megan Cyr, who is ranked third in the ACC in assists with 336. Her standout performance came Tuesday, when she assisted her teammates 52 times in the five-set win.
This weekend will comprise the last two non-conference matches the Bobcats play before beginning MAC play this coming weekend.
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