Like the wail of a Best Western bedside phone, Western Michigan was the perfect wake-up call.
Sitting on top of the Mid-American Conference standings has become customary for the Bobcats, but, every once in while, a little jolt is necessary to shrug any hint of complacency.
They head to Kent tonight for a match with the Golden Flashes, who have already been victims of a Bobcat sweep this season.
Coach Ryan Theis' team has played 12 three-set matches this year and won 11 of them. The Bobcats (17-5, 9-1 MAC) are first in five conference statistical categories, including hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, blocks and total kills.
MAC West Division leader Western Michigan was waiting for Ohio and promptly ended its 11-match winning streak with a 3-0 sweep.
The Broncos raced out to leads of 8-2 and 19-9 in the opening set and hit.318 as a team. Their defense limited Ohio's offensive chances, allowing just a.190 attack rate for the Bobcats.
Heading into another road weekend, Theis wants his team to learn from the loss rather than dwell on it.
I'm not worried about complacency coming off of a loss
Theis said. We're at a point now where we can push a little harder.
Defensively, (Western Michigan) put pressure on us that we need to be able to handle better.
Playing against fast and unique offenses is nothing new for the Bobcats but the team struggled to keep up with the pace early on.
Though they are leading the MAC in several offensive and defensive categories the Bobcats are surprisingly last in digs. With so few digs
offensive chances are at a premium
and Ohio will need more from its back row.
We know we need to dig a few more balls out of (the) middle-back, Theis said. That has to happen for us to be a little bit better. Our middles are very strong, and I don't think that's a conference secret.
Kent State outside hitter Arjola Prenga is one of the MAC's explosive offensive players and ranks second only to Ellen Herman in kills per set.
The Golden Flashes (11-13
4-6 MAC) are 3-2 at home in the conference and run a diverse offense that gets many hitters involved.
Kent really has potential to be a really good team, Theis said. They are a real complex offense, and have been doing it for years.
They have hitters moving all kinds of different zones. I don't know that they're necessarily going to change that or move around any differently.
This season has definitely kept the coach on his toes. Ohio has been involved in a myriad of different matches and has clawed to stay on top of the conference.
On any given day
so many different things can happen in volleyball
Theis said.
Nothing really surprises me anymore.
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