Ohio University's volleyball team had a heartbreaking finish to last season after a historic start.
A spinning, Molten volleyball floated in the air untouched, only to be slammed violently to the floor in a sudden, unexpected halt.
The path of the ball summarized Ohio’s 2014 season.
The Bobcats (23-6, 16-0 MAC) lost to Western Michigan in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament, eliminating an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament.
“When you lose when you’re undefeated, then it’s a different set of feelings,” said first-year coach Deane Webb. “I think that’s harder to go through as a team. It was a great overall year that didn’t end the way we wanted. It was tough, but it was a learning lesson, as well.”
Losing senior players is something that every successful program goes through, Webb said. The team will be missing an indispensable piece of its offense with the departure of the outside hitter Kelly Lamberti, who had 1,642 kills in her career.
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The team’s middle blocker and senior Karin Bull said an essential part of being successful is building up a program with younger players who can fill in anywhere that’s needed.
With an incoming class of six players, including two outside hitters and sophomore Jaime Kosiorek, the Bobcats will continue the program’s established momentum.
Kosiorek had first-hand experience of contributing coming right into college, having a total of 104 sets played this past year.
“To have that support from your team and coaches to know that as a freshman you can make an impact, it was awesome — just the rush of it,” she said.
Ohio’s centerpiece will remain the same, with two-time MAC Player of the Year winner and starting setter senior Abby Gilleland, who anticipates the gelling of a new group.
“I think seeing the transition and welcoming those six girls in is going to be very key to our program and the success coming up this year,” Gilleland said.
A new year will bring new changes and new players, but Webb hopes consistency will remain a part of the program.
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“What we expect is that we are going to be the hardest working team there,” Webb said. “What we expect is that we are going to compete hard. After that, we’ll let things fall where they may.”
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