With six games left in the regular season, Ohio (9-15, 7-5 Mid-American Conference) will go on the road to face off against Central Michigan (9-15, 6-6 MAC), another team that is trying to make a late-season playoff push. With both of these teams in the middle of the pack, wins in both of the games could spell doom for any of these teams' chances to reach the tournament.
The Bobcats have been on a roll in the MAC. After a 0-4 start that put them near the bottom of the conference, they have clawed their way up to the top five with an impressive 7-1 record in the past eight games. The team looks completely different with everyone making contributions and the serves finally landing. Ohio also proved that it could compete with the top dogs in the MAC.
During this stretch, the Bobcats split the series with first-seeded Ball State, losing the first game with a score of 2-3, but coming back in the next game and orchestrating a clean 3-0 sweep. The Bobcats are playing with a lot of passion right now, and with the momentum they currently have, expect it to travel to Mount Pleasant with them.
Game One Info:
Opponent: Central Michigan
Date and Time: Oct. 31, 6 p.m.
Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Game Two Info:
Opponent: Central Michigan
Date and Time: Nov. 1, 4 p.m.
Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
In an almost identical fashion to Ohio, Central Michigan lost its first four MAC matchups. Since then, the Chippewas have been on a hot streak, going 6-2 in their last eight games. Both teams also have identical 9-15 records and are finally finding their footing midway through the season.
With the game being a home game for Central Michigan, who have a 3-2 record at home, it should be optimistic, with those two losses coming from its four-game MAC slump to start conference play. Ohio is 3-5 on the road, but looked like a very competent team on Ball State’s home court last weekend.
While Central Michigan doesn’t dominate any MAC stat leaderboards, it has allowed the second most digs to teams and also has allowed the fourth most kills to teams, with Ohio being first in that category. Central Michigan is coming off a very poor performance in its last game, as it didn’t win a set against ninth-seeded Eastern Michigan. None of the sets were competitive either, as the only time Central Michigan scored over 14 points in a set was in the third with 21. With a poor road performance, coming back home to play a traveling Bobcat team could be a huge benefit if the Chippewas hope to stay in the race for a MAC tournament spot.
Players to watch:
Ohio junior Emily Waddell has been outstanding for the Bobcats this season, and she showed that with her most recent performance. Against Kent State, she hit .800 and was also responsible for 10.5 of Ohio’s points in a quick defeat over Kent State.
Ohio freshman Bailey Blair also continued racking up her kill count this season, as she had 12 against Kent State. Blair leads the team in kills with 270 total this season. Look for her to continue to add to that count against Central Michigan, as Ohio looks to stay hot on the road.
