During the last road trip of Mid-American Conference play, Ohio clinched the MAC East for an 11th consecutive year after a pair of five set victories.
Ohio (22-4, 12-2 MAC) defeated Bowling Green Friday with a fifth-set comeback after trailing 2-1, while Ball State’s loss to Toledo gave the Bobcats an opportunity to take the sole lead in the MAC.
“Rings are won on the road, but in the quest for a championship every match is important,” coach Ryan Theis said.
Friday, Ohio faced Bowling Green, which lost to the Bobcats in a three-set sweep in The Convo in October. The Falcons were victorious in a straight-set sweep the last time the two teams met in Bowling Green.
After trailing the match 2-1 the Bobcats prevailed by coming back in the fourth set to win 28-26 and taking the fifth set by five (15-11).
“It’s nerve-racking and playing in the (Stroh Center) is hard,” Katie Horton, a freshman outside hitter, said. “We pulled together as a team and got it done.”
Saturday Ohio dropped the first set before claiming the next two sets. The Bobcats then dropped the fourth set, but were able to rebound, as they were victorious in the final set 15-12.
“(Saturday) was another gutsy performance,” Theis said. “I thought Miami played so hard and has been playing really well in their past two matches. It was a tough road match against a rival on their senior night, we played well.”
The Bobcats claimed the MAC East regular season title after the victory on Saturday, but since the MAC Tournament is straight seeded the MAC East title doesn’t affect the team that much.
“You’re not automatically guaranteed the one or two seed if you win your side,” Theis said. “Winning the (MAC) is a huge motivating factor for us the rest of the way.”
Setter Abby Gilleland notched two double-doubles this weekend, as she combined for 111 assists and 16 digs. The sophomore recorded her 2,000th career kill in the third set against Miami.
“It’s exciting, but I do rely on our other players,” Gilleland said. “I have to get a good pass and the hitters have to put it away for me to get an assist.”
Horton recorded a team-high 15 kills on Saturday along with a career-high 17 kills on Saturday.
“When we get tired or start to lose energy we have to remind ourselves that this is the situation we will be in (during the MAC Tournament),” Gilleland said. “Our bench helps us and it’s an all-around effort to leave it all out on the floor.”
Fast Facts:
- Ohio 3, Bowling Green 2
- Ohio 3, Miami 2
- Sophomore setter Abby Gilleland registered her 2,000th career assist during the third set against Miami Saturday
- Gilleland notched a career-high 60 assists on Saturday
- Freshman outside hitter Katie Horton set a career-high in kills on Saturday (17)
- Ohio has won six games in a row
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@Alex_Busch91
