Ohio will travel to Louisville, Ky. as they'll compete in the Active Ankle Challenge.
The Cardinal Arena, where Ohio will take part in the Active Ankle Challenge this weekend, seats 840 fans, but coach Deane Webb hopes at least 100 of them will be supporting the Bobcats.
When Ohio (5-2) travels to Louisville, Kentucky this weekend, it’ll be a homecoming for senior libero Meredith Ashy, who went to high school less than ten miles from the University of Louisville campus.
Ashy said that she expects a sizable fan section.
“We went to (Kentucky) on Tuesday — that’s near home, too,” she said. “I had a few people there, but I’m expecting a huge Meredith section. I just want my home base and the people that have coached me in the past to come watch me because I have to thank all of them.”
Ohio will face three very competitive teams in Louisville as they’ll take on Seton Hall (4-2) Friday evening, Utah (5-2) Saturday at noon, and the host Louisville (2-3) Saturday night.
All three teams were nationally ranked last year; Seton Hall and Utah advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite getting ready to take on three teams from big conferences and a packed house, Webb said his team is ready.
Ohio is coming off what will probably be one of the toughest weeks of its season, upsetting Kentucky and then coming home to play two games that went five sets.
The only game Ohio lost last weekend was to Michigan, which is ranked No. 24 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Ohio is not ranked in the latest poll but did receive 20 votes.
“Just thinking back through the rankings, going into this last week and who all that we played, I would say this last week as a whole was maybe a little tougher,” Webb said. “I would probably agree that this next weekend is probably a little tougher. It's still hard to know early in the year how good people really are because everything changes. Rankings are a little bit of a guess early in the year.”
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="76893ab4-5651-11e5-aec1-9f1733cf2e6d"}}
Ohio’s opponent Friday, Seton Hall, is coming to Louisville right after hosting the Seton Hall Classic, where it won all three games.
Ohio's first opponent on Saturday, Utah, is fresh off a trip to Spokane, Washington, where the Utes competed in the Gonzaga Invitational —winning two of three matches.
The Bobcats' last opponent, the Cardinals, is off to a slow start in the season. Louisville has lost both of its first two matches on its home floor, falling to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Only one of its two wins comes against Ohio’s Mid-American Conference rival Miami.
Not only does Ohio have a chance to improve their resumè against out-of-conference opponents, but Webb has a chance to improve his own. With a sweep this weekend, he’ll clinch his 400th win of his career.
He said despite the accomplishment showing his age, it’ll also show the quality of players he has coached over his career.
“None of those wins have I earned a kill or a block or an ace or anything else,” he said. “It's about these young ladies, and it's an honor to coach long enough to be there.”
@efelderstein14
ef684013@ohio.edu
