Playing on national television for the first time in Ohio University’s history, the Bobcats clinched the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s Mid-American Conference Tournament against the only MAC East team it had not defeated this season.
Ohio (23-4, 13-2 MAC) topped Kent State in a straight-set sweep on Thursday after dropping its first conference match of the season in Kent last month.
That win clinched the Bobcats at least a share of the MAC regular season title for the second consecutive season and the right to host next year’s MAC Tournament.
The Bobcats jumped to a 22-8 lead in the opening set and coasted to the match victory by winning each set by at least eight points.
“After losing to them earlier (this season) we wanted to really jump on them early,” sophomore setter Abby Gilleland said. “The big difference this time around was service pressure and execution. When everyone got into rhythm it kept everything going.”
Gilleland led Ohio with 34 assists, while sophomore libero Meredith Ashy posted a team-high 14 digs. Freshman setter Brooke Coleman also served three aces for the Bobcats.
Ohio featured a balanced offense, as six players recorded at least six kills, though no one finished with double-digits.
“On a night like this when everyone is efficient it’s like clockwork,” coach Ryan Theis said. “We were efficient and Abby was sharing the ball with passes. Kent’s serve is what can give people trouble, but (we) did a great job tonight.”
Ohio has the chance to clinch an outright MAC regular season title with a Toledo loss Friday, but if the Rockets win, the Bobcats must do the same Saturday against Central Michigan.
Central Michigan (11-16, 5-10 MAC) will enter The Convo on Saturday after it was swept by Eastern Michigan on Thursday. The Chippewas have lost their past five matches and sit at the bottom of the MAC West standings.
Saturday will be Ohio’s final home match of the season, so the program will honor its four seniors during the annual Senior Night celebration.
“It’s definitely great to see all that hard work accumulate to something,” graduate student middle blocker Alexis Pinson said. “There’s still some regular season left, though, so we have to continue to play hard.”
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