Despite Ohio’s disappointing 0-2 finish against Ball State in The Convo over the weekend, a pair of freshman stars continued to be a bright spot for the Bobcats in these matches. Setter Rowan Kelly and outside hitter Rose Mahin have played above their rank as freshmen all season long, and have become staples of Ohio’s attack every match.
Mahin totaled 12 kills between the weekend’s matches, despite only cracking the starting lineup in one of the two. That took her season total to 158, a mark tied for second on the Bobcats’ roster. Mahin raises the bar far past the typical level of maturity and production expected from a freshman, and has established herself as a key factor for Ohio.
Whether Mahin is starting in several consecutive matches, as she has on multiple occasions this year, or having to embrace a role coming off of the bench, her intensity and effort never waver. While change is often a hard pill to swallow for freshmen, Mahin’s maturity shows even when she’s not on the court, and in the way that she’s always prepared when her number is called.
As a freshman, Kelly has arguably been the Bobcats’ most consistent player all season long. She holds the Bobcats’ top assist count by a wide margin, with 529 and counting on the season. On a similar note, her average of 8.82 assists per set ranks third in the Mid-American Conference.
Just as Mahin has done, Kelly has put her fast-tracked maturity and production on full display, giving Head Coach Kenzie Brinkman no choice but to leave her on the court. Despite being just a freshman, Kelly has recently emerged as, essentially, Ohio’s only setter.
Earlier in the season, Brinkman ran more of a committee-style rotation at the setter position with Kelly and Lillie Meinhart. However, beginning last weekend at Bowling Green, Kelly took the reins, and did so with no hesitation. Since becoming the lead setter, she recorded 73 assists in two matches against Bowling Green and 49 between both Ball State matches.
“We’re expecting a lot out of our freshmen, and Rowan was great today just like she has been. I don’t need her to be anything other than what she already is,” Brinkman said when asked about Kelly's production and the new setter rotation style.
As Ohio aims to make the necessary adjustments to dig itself out of what is now a four-game losing streak, Kelly and Mahin are sure to remain key factors in Ohio’s game plan. If these two are able to keep up the level of maturity and production they’ve displayed so far, the Bobcats could get back in the win column quickly and mend their recent bumps in the road.
