Ohio had to overcome early adversity against Northern Illinois Friday in order to extend its winning streak to eight consecutive matches.
The Bobcats began the match with a 25-15 loss in the first set that was initially close until Northern Illinois took a 17-11 lead and did not look back in the game.
After taking an early 1-0 lead in the match, the Huskies (15-10, 6-3 Mid-American Conference) carried their momentum into the second set, but could not continue to press on for another win.
Down 15-0 in the second, Ohio (13-8, 8-1 MAC) called a timeout to refocus and then went on a 16-9 run to finish the set and shift energy into their favor, as the home crown rallied the Bobcats.
“We were down five early and just fought back,” said Ohio coach Ryan Theis. “It was big to take the time out and come back out to push through and take advantages of some opportunities.”
Ohio and Northern Illinois traded points for the majority of the third set, but the Bobcats were able to rally toward the end and secure another set victory to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The Bobcats were led in the third set by sophomore outside hitter Kelly Lamberti, who recorded four kills and an ace in the set, on her way to a notching a match-high 17 kills and 20.5 points.
With momentum from finishing out the previous two sets, Ohio coasted in the fourth game to a 10-point victory to clinch the match.
The victory extends Ohio’s winning streak to eight matches overall and five at home, all of which have come in MAC play.
Senior setter Leah Petrovich and freshman libero Meredith Ashy also added major contributions for the Bobcats, as Petrovich assisted her teammates 28 times, while Ashy recorded 24 digs. Both totals were team-highs on the night.
Ohio will take the court again Saturday against Western Michigan, which defeated the Bobcats last season.
“We have had a lot of 3-0 sweeps at home this season,” Theis said. “To lose the first game by playing poorly, then come back and play well proved to us that we can win despite adversity.”
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