Having defeated a pair of nationally ranked opponents and recorded a pair of tournament victories to begin the season, the Bobcats head into Mid-American Conference play with a number on their back.
Ohio finished what it calls its “pre-season” portion of the schedule 10-2 for the first time since the 2005 campaign, as the Bobcats are also ranked No. 22 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
The Bobcats are attempting to take their non-conference schedule with a grain of salt, though, as they claim that MAC play will be high competition, but might feature less-skilled teams than those Ohio has already taken the court against.
“Our preseason was great, but we’re going to focus on MAC play now,” sophomore libero Meredith Ashy said. “That’s what our coaches want us to keep in mind, and we’re just going to move forward.”
One of the big differences between preparing for MAC contests rather than for non-conference matches is that MAC teams are ones that Ohio plays multiple times every year.
“The biggest thing with conference play is just familiarity amongst opponents, most opponents know who we are,” coach Ryan Theis said. “As they play against each other, everyone starts to know what the other people are doing; they start to remember each other, and that’s really the biggest difference.”
The teams in the MAC that faired the best in their non-conference schedules were Buffalo and Ball State as both teams were picked to finish fourth in their respective MAC divisions.
Buffalo (12-1) won its first 12 matches of the season before losing to No. 13 Ohio State in a straight-set sweep on Saturday. Ohio is set to face Buffalo on Friday. in both teams’ MAC season opener.
Ball State possesses the best record in the MAC West, as it finished 12-3, including wins in each of its past nine contests after being swept by then-No. 4 Minnesota and Duke.
Bowling Green (3-8) and Western Michigan (7-6) were the coaches’ preseason picks to win the MAC East and West Divisions, respectively. However, the Falcons and Broncos have not had much success, including a stretch where Bowling Green lost six of seven matches.
Freshman outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis is new to the MAC play that Ohio is about to endure for the next 16 matches leading up to the MAC Tournament.
“MAC play is really important for us. I think that it’s going to really set the tone for the rest of the year,” Salis said. “Our goal is to play in December, and I think MAC play is going to have a huge role on if we do play in December.”
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