Senior Michelle Jantsch will attempt to verify the old adage that says a team is only as good as its seniors.
Jantsch, a setter, was an All-Mid-American Conference first-team selection last year, leading the conference with 11.63 assists per set.
She also helped to quarterback the Bobcat offense, which was one of the most productive in conference history. Its .308 hitting average was the best mark in the MAC since 1985.
This spring, coach Ryan Theis said he is looking for Jantsch to continue leading his team as it looks to repeat as MAC champion.
She (Jantsch) is looking outside the box this year
he said. She's doing more things she didn't do before; she's expanding her game tremendously and I'm expecting her to continue being one of the elite players in the conference.
Theis also mentioned Jantsch's defensive development, and he highlighted block setup and timing as being an aspect of her game that has significantly improved.
Saturday afternoon, Jantsch and her teammates continued their spring season as the team traveled west to compete in the Dayton Spring Invitational.
The team won two out of three matches on the weekend, beating the Dayton Alumni team and the Cincinnati Bearcats 2-1.
It then lost its final match of the day, 0-2, to the host Flyers.
I think we outplayed Dayton I really did
Theis said. We just made a few key mistakes that really cost us down the stretch. Our players were also really worn out. It had been a long day.
The tournament was full of tough competition, as both the Flyers and the Bearcats advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2009. Dayton finished the year 30-4.
Theis said his few weeks with the entire team together can be used as a measuring stick to see what the entire team needs to work on in the offseason.
Facing tough competition, something he said he has always done, helps in this process.
We need to always play top-25 competition in the spring if we expect to compete on a top-25 level in the fall
Theis said. This is all about giving everyone the experience they need.
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Noah Meyers
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Ohio setter Michelle Jantsch, a stand-out senior, sets the ball in the third game of Ohio's win over Ball State at last year's Homecoming. Kyle Grantham | FILE PHOTO
