Ohio ended non-conference play over the weekend when it played in the Penn State Classic in State College, Pennsylvania.
The Bobcats went 0-3 in their matches: a four-set loss to Wake Forest and sweeps at the hands of Yale and No. 2 Penn State.
On the bright side
Although the record doesn’t show success from the last non-conference weekend of the season, there were things coach Deane Webb saw that he liked, particularly against Penn State.
Lizzie Stephens — who Webb said has become a leader since the two captains of the team are still hurt — played well and earned high praise from Webb.
“Lizzie, hitting .250 on a pretty high volume of swings against a block that size, I was really, really pleased," he said. "Even though they're a much more physical team, we were only one block off of them.”
Stephens wasn’t the only Bobcat to play well against a high level of competition. As a team, the Bobcats tied the No. 2 Nittany Lions in aces.
Bring on MAC play
As the Bobcats wrap up non-conference play with a 6-8 record, the team looks different from the start of the season.
After a week of practice, the Bobcats will open Mid-American Conference play on the road at Buffalo on Friday night.
There are many things to work on, but Webb knows the mentality of the Bobcats is key heading into an important part of the season, especially with how non-conference play ended.
“There comes a point where you lose a couple in a row and you start to lose some belief in who you are,” Webb said. “I think they were reminded tonight (against Penn State) that we have a lot to work on, but we have a chance to be a pretty good team.”
