Ohio (14-17 overall, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) lost to Bowling Green (17-15, 10-8 MAC) with a set score of 1-3. This loss marks the end of what was a huge turnaround season for the Bobcats, as at one point early on in the season, Ohio was 2-14, starting 0-4 in the MAC.
After dropping those first four games, Ohio would go on a huge 12-2 streak throughout the MAC, defeating numerous big teams, including giving Ball State its only loss in the conference and also making its other game against Ball State a close one. Bowling Green was one of the teams that Ohio did lose to in its six MAC losses.
Entering the first set, both teams wanted this win badly. Both Bowling Green and Ohio were close in conference record, and they had played each other in Ohio’s first MAC game of the season, which was a 3-1 win for Bowling Green.
Both teams were familiar with each other, and it showed. New strategies had to be brought out, but Ohio had a target on its back from how hot it had gotten over the past month, and Bowling Green struck.
Bowling Green got the first points on the board for the game and soon followed that up with a five-point scoring run, which brought the score to 7-2, giving Bowling Green control of the set. Bowling Green did use that to its advantage, as with Ohio getting in a hole early on, the Falcons could play a more relaxed style of play, while the Bobcats had to fight for any extra they could get.
Despite a late set 4-0 run for Ohio, with Bryn Janke contributing two service aces, it was too late as that only brought the score to 21-18, with Bowling Green still holding a lead. Bowling Green wouldn’t lose the lead and secure the set with two attack errors from Ohio, giving it the 1-0 set lead. The first set ended with a score of 25-20 in favor of Bowling Green.
The Bobcats struggled a lot more in the second set, as the Falcons instantly scored four points, three of them being kills, to put Ohio into a hole once again. Throughout the season, one thing Ohio struggled with was playing from behind early on in games, and Bowling Green used that to a tee, forcing them to play from behind in both sets.
Ohio couldn’t get much going, and Bowling Green soon jumped up to a seven-point lead, scoring five more points to Ohio’s two. Ohio was able to get the lead down to five points, but once Bowling Green entered the 20-point territory, Ohio had only scored 11 points. The Falcons dominated the set completely and took the second set, bringing up match point. The final score of the second set was 25-16, showcasing Bowling Green’s overwhelming offense.
With Ohio having its back against the wall and being a set out of getting knocked out of the MAC tournament, it turned up the intensity in the third set. The Bobcats opened the set with two kills from Sierra Evans to match the Falcons' two points, and Ohio never allowed Bowling Green to get a huge point run, something that would be essential to taking this set.
Ten points away from a set victory, Bowling Green and Ohio were tied up at 15-15, but Ohio managed a 5-1 run, allowing for more wiggle room. This gave Ohio control of the set and thus allowed for a comfortable victory of six points. The next set would still be a match point, as Bowling Green had won two sets. The final score of the third set was 25-19 in favor of Ohio.
The fourth and final set of the game was Ohio’s last stand. The set opened poorly for Ohio as they got into a three-point deficit almost instantly, with Bowling Green having three kills and a service ace.
Despite the score being tied numerous times during this set, Bowling Green was never down points, and it showed. It played under control and with confidence while Ohio tried to force too many plays to get much-needed points. There were numerous times when Ohio was getting dangerously close to tying the game, though, as late into the set with an 18-16 score, Bowling Green decided it was time to end the game.
The Falcons rattled off six straight points, with Lauryn Hovey having three back-to-back kills. The Bobcats tried to rally with the score being 24-16, but traded points with Bowling Green to end the set with a score of 25-17, giving Bowling Green the victory and another game in the MAC tournament.
Numerous Bobcats played their hearts out in this game, with Ohio’s Bailey Blair and Emily Waddell both scoring 11.5 points for the Bobcats. Blair also has 10 kills, with Waddell and Gentry Brown rounding out the top three with eight apiece.
Brown also had nine digs of her own, with Kendall White also contributing another five digs. Throughout the season, both Waddell and Blair were bright spots, and they were honored, with Blair getting the MAC freshman of the year and both Blair and Waddell getting All-MAC honors.
Despite the crushing defeat in this game, Ohio showed lots of promise this season after a very concerning start. The team looked like it had gelled together with a first-year interim head coach, who is now the official head coach, in Kenzie Brinkman.
