With fall right around the corner, the volleyball season is also nearing. Bringing new additions and familiar faces, Ohio looks to start the season off on the right track after having gone 14-15 during the 2024 season.
Roster and Coaching changes
The dawn of a new season always brings about change for every program in the country and Ohio is no different, maybe the most important of these new faces is the interim head coach, Kenzie Brinkman.
Brinkman has been an assistant coach since 2022 but was given the role of interim head coach in May after former head coach Geoff Carlston retired. Brinkman’s speciality is with offensive players and setters, something that can benefit Ohio heavily. Both assistant coaches, Steve Jones and Kevin Gwinn, are returning.
With big expectations for this season, the players will also have to step up. Ohio lost its leading scorer last season, Anna Kharchynska, to a student manager role and also lost its second leading scorer, Kam Hunt, to Dayton. With two heavy hitters gone, Ohio has a lot of offensive ground to make up this season.
Ohio’s new teammates look to help make a difference though, as senior setter Kendall White transferred from Kent State to Ohio. Ohio also got four new freshmen, Lacy Marx, Bailey Blair, Cienna Lapsley and Mady Long. All have amazing high school accolades and look to contribute to an Ohio team, hungry to prove themselves.
Ohio also has returning players, such as junior Olivia Gardner, the third leading scorer for Ohio, who scored 234 points last season. Sophomore Bryn Janke also returns. She led Ohio in assists, totalling 633.
With many inexperienced players, new additions, along with a new interim coach, Ohio has a lot of ground to cover this season.
Schedule
Ohio opens by hosting the Bobcat Invitational at The Convo on Friday. The opponents are Bucknell, Iowa State and Eastern Iowa. Ohio quickly follows up the Bobcat Invitational with the Chattanooga Classic. In the first away games for Ohio, it will face off against Cincinnati, Chattanooga and Jacksonville State.
Ohio has two more invitationals before it starts Mid-American Conference play, as it participates in the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational. This tournament hosts tougher teams like Pittsburgh, who went 33-2 in the 2024 season. The invitational also pits Ohio against Ohio State and Wright State, with all three of the games being played in Dayton, Ohio.
The last invitational for Ohio is the Charlotte Invitational. Once again an away tournament, Ohio will play Maryland Eastern Shore, Charlotte and Furman. With all of the invitationals finished, Ohio looks to move into conference play, with the first team it is facing off against being Bowling Green, who boasted a 25-10 record. Bowling Green finished at the top of the MAC last season, leading to a pivotal game for Ohio.
Ohio’s next two games are played against Toledo and Akron, respectively, which were both middle of the pack teams like Ohio last season. With both games looking like equal matchups, Ohio will want to win both of these. Ohio moves onto Buffalo after, with both the Akron and Buffalo games being played at The Convo.
After a two two-game stretch of playing at home, Ohio moves to Kent, Ohio to play against Kent State, who finished dead last in the MAC last season. After facing off against Kent State, it will then move on to a doubleheader at home against Miami. Miami struggled last season, only having eight wins compared to 21 losses. Ohio continues to play at home in its next two games, as it faces off against Eastern Michigan during Alumni Week.
After four games at The Convo, Ohio travels to Muncie, Indiana, to play Ball State in two games. Ball State has proved to be a formidable opponent, as it was able to secure the third seed in the MAC during the 2024 season. Ohio then gets a break against Kent State with a game at The Convo. Ohio is thrown back into the meat grinder,r though, as its next two games are away against Central Michigan, who were one game away from winning the conference.
With only four games left before the MAC Tournament, Ohio plays two away games against Northern Illinois and finishes its regular season at The Convo against Western Michigan, who were a great offensive team last season.
The MAC Tournament will be held on November 21 through November 23 in Bowling Green, Ohio.
