Ohio (2-4) played in its first road outing in the Chattanooga classic this weekend, where it played against Cincinnati (4-1), Chattanooga (2-4), and Jacksonville State (3-3). Ohio won its game against Chattanooga but lost against Cincinnati and Jacksonville State. Ohio was able to keep up in its losses, though, as it won at least a set in all the games played.
Cincinnati:
Ohio played Cincinnati first and came out with a strong start, as it kept up with Cincinnati's scoring for the entire first set. Ohio was also able to steal the first set with a score of 25-23 and have a 1-0 lead very early in the matchup.
Cincinnati came back during the second set, though, as it smothered any scoring attempt made by Ohio. Ohio was only able to go on a scoring run of 2 points at max while Cincinnati opened the set with 5 unanswered points. Ohio lost this set with a score of 25-10, and the next set didn’t get any better for.
Ohio would also lose the next set, with a score of 25-14, with Cincinnati once again having large stretches of scoring, compared to Ohio not getting anything going. The final set was much more competitive as Cincinnati opened with 5 points, but Ohio was able to claw its way back to tie the game at 24 each. Cincinnati would go on to win the set 26-24 and take the set and the game with an overall score of 3-1.
Chattanooga:
After a disappointing loss, Ohio opened the game ready to play against Chattanooga. Much more aggressive than against Cincinnati, Ohio was able to take the first set away from Chattanooga with a score of 25-21. In a repeat of the last game, Ohio wasn’t able to win the second set and keep the momentum going, as Chattanooga played extremely well, with two scoring runs of 4 or more points, and comfortably won the set 25-21.
Not wanting a repeat of last game, Ohio traded off scores with Chattanooga for almost the entirety of the third set, but thanks to four quick scores, it was able to pull ahead with a score of 23-18. Chattanooga didn’t let those scores go unanswered, though, as it sent shots back and made the game 24-22, but Ohio was able to close out. The final score of the set was 25-22, Ohio.
Ohio closed out the game in the final set with lots of offensive firepower, as it didn’t let Chattanooga get many scores. Almost all of Ohio’s points were scored in bunches, and not many point trades happened. Ohio went on to win the set 25-14 with a dominant performance. Ohio would also take the game, winning three sets to Chattanooga’s one.
Jacksonville State:
This was the final game of Ohio’s in the Chattanooga Classic, and it didn’t go down without a fight. Jacksonville State was able to take a commanding 25-19 win against Ohio in the first set, but in a tight-fought second set, Ohio would be the victor with the score being 25-23, a narrow 2-point margin. Ohio and Jacksonville State also traded the third and fourth sets, as Jacksonville State won the third with a score of 25-17 and Ohio won the fourth with another close score of 25-23.
All coming down to the fifth set, Ohio and Jacksonville State were ready to play. The fifth set came down to only 15 points; there was less room for error, and Ohio committed too many. It was down by 5 points for most of the set, and Jacksonville State went to take the set 15-10, giving Ohio its second loss of the tournament.
With the Chattanooga Classic wrapped up, Ohio continues its road trip and plays in Dayton this coming weekend, participating in the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational.
