After a tough stretch of tournament play, Ohio (2-10) starts Mid-American Conference play, with the first two opponents being Bowling Green (6-6) and Toledo (9-3). These games further continue Ohio’s road trip as Ohio won’t play at home until next week. Ohio has a chance to make a splash with its conference record while working on getting out of the hole that it dug itself in at the beginning of the season.
Ohio has struggled mightily this season and its schedule didn’t help at all. It is currently on a seven-game losing streak, not winning a match since playing Chattanooga on September 5th. Ohio has struggled a lot on both sides of the ball and rarely is able to keep games close, as other teams tend to pull away towards the end, or Ohio gets into a huge scoring deficit to open a set.
Not everything is negative with the Bobcats though, as they boast a roster with lots of talented freshmen. Standouts include Bailey Blaire and Mady Long, both of whom have shown a bright future for this Ohio program. Ohio did do a bit better in its past tournament, winning four sets, but it was unable to win a single match. This brings further question about whether Ohio will struggle or not within conference play.
Game 1 Info:
Opponent: Bowling Green
Date and Time: Sept. 25, 6 p.m.
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio
In what was once a 2-5 start for Bowling Green, it picked up the slack and brought its record up to a respectable 6-6. Bowling Green struggled heavily at the beginning of the season, with multiple 3-2 losses against #17 Purdue and #23 Georgia Tech, which shows that it can match up with some of the best teams in the country.
Bowling Green did have some puzzling losses, though with a 3-0 loss against North Dakota State. Bowling Green has been on a run, though, as in its last five games, it has a record of 4-1 and has won a combined total of 13 sets to its opponents' five. This team is much better than its 6-6 record shows and will be a tough opponent for Ohio to beat.
Game 2 Info:
Opponent: Toledo
Date and Time: Sept. 26, 6 p.m.
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Toledo has been a dominant team record-wise, winning nine games and holding almost all of its opponents without a set win in those games. Toledo did have a few bumps in the road during its tournament play in Colorado, as that was the only tournament where it lost more games than it won, those losses being against Colorado and Arkansas.
Toledo has had a weaker schedule than Ohio, though, but it has shown the ability to put away those teams and not keep the games close, which is something that Ohio has struggled with. In its last tournament, the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, Toledo won nine sets to its opponents' zero, showcasing how suffocating the team can be. Ohio will have to prepare well for this team, as it looks to be one of the better MAC teams this season.
Player to Watch:
Ohio’s junior, Torre Kildow, stepped up big in its last tournament. Despite starting the season out somewhat quietly, Kildow was second on the team in kills in the close match against Furman, totaling 21. She also contributed to the other game with 10 kills against Charlotte. Expect a bigger role for Kildow moving forward and look for her to keep up the great performances.
bg326422@ohio.edu
