Ohio is headed to Indianapolis on Thursday to compete in the Hampton Inn Invitational and is now making its way back to Athens after finishing the weekend with a disappointing 1-2 record. The team failed to replicate its dominance at the Marshall Invitational, but the season is still fresh, and a 4-2 record is nothing to scoff at.
The team’s second shootout-style tournament of the season began Thursday against Indiana University Indianapolis in a match Ohio also competed in. However, IU Indy finished sets more effectively than Ohio and scraped out three straight wins in a trio of tight sets.
The first set went to extra points, with the Jaguars narrowly escaping, 26-24. The Bobcats were unable to recover from the loss, but still competed in sets two and three, dropping both, 25-21 and 25-22. IU Indy completed the sweep in a match that was more competitive than the box score shows.
Bailey Blair, sophomore opposite hitter, went to great lengths to support the Bobcats in the game, with her match-leading 13 kills. Ohio’s defense only recorded two blocks, letting IU Indy thrive above the net.
Ohio avenged the loss and came out Friday afternoon against Youngstown State. The Bobcats won both of the first two sets in similar fashion, 25-21 and 25-22. The Penguins punched back in set three with a 25-21 victory to turn the first set on its head. That resistance was quickly shut down, and the Bobcats finished the match with a 25-12 win in set four and took a 3-1 lead.
Ohio was unable to parlay the sweep into another win Saturday when they walked into Hinkle Fieldhouse to face Butler on its home court. The Bulldogs capitalized on the home advantage, giving Ohio flashbacks to Thursday as they also pulled off a sweep over the Bobcats.
The match was highly competitive out of the gate, as Butler only narrowly stole the first set, winning 25-22. The Bobcats ran out of gas later in the match, as Butler’s high-major prowess began to show. The Bulldogs took sets two and three, scoring 25-14 and 25-10, respectively.
Torre Kildow, senior outside hitter, led the charge in both Friday’s win and Saturday's loss. She laid down 19 kills and tallied nine digs against Youngstown State, and she was the driving force behind the dominant win. She only registered six kills in the affair against Butler, but still led the team with that mark.
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Kildow’s play over the weekend was a positive takeaway for the Bobcats in the midst of their 1-2 result. She recorded a total of 34 blocks at the Hampton Inn Invitational, and her 19 kills against Youngstown State translated to the team’s lone win.
She started her senior year strong and could be a key piece all season long as she has registered the Bobcats’ second-most kills in their first six matches.
Indianapolis did not treat the Bobcats as well as they may have hoped, but all experience is good experience, and there is a lot to build on with a 4-2 record. Regardless of the two losses, the Bobcats left the Hampton Inn Invitational with one convincing win. Getting their first taste of high-major competition against Butler may also prove very valuable later in the season.
Competing against serious opponents in the non-conference slate like Ohio did will have the team prepared once Mid-American Conference play begins in more familiar settings come late September. The Bobcats will be back on the road Saturday when they head to University Park, Pennsylvania, to take on Penn State and Stanford.
