Outside hitter Melissa Szkutnik will not play for Ohio this season, said volleyball Coach Ryan Theis.
Szkutnik, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, plans to take off the upcoming Fall Quarter from school.
Melissa is taking a bit of a break from school
and we hope to have her back in the future Theis said. We even hope we may have her back as soon as the winter.
The Perrysburg, Ohio, native was expected to compete for the starting position vacated by senior Stephanie Blackburn. In her freshman season, Szkutnik played in 54 games, including 21 matches, and finished sixth in the Mid-American Conference with a .327 hitting percentage.
She just had some struggles off the court that we wanted to let her deal with and get better and get stronger and be able to come back in a better state Theis said.
Theis added that Ohio, which opens play Aug. 29 in the Hawaiian Wahine Classic against UCLA, will be forced to change their alignment because of the loss of Szkutnik combined with the graduation of Blackburn and middle blocker Melissa Griffin.
It will be extremely tough
Theis said. Last year we used two right-side hitters
and I don't know if we'll do that this year. We'll use just one.
Rather than employing two right-side hitters this season, Theis expects middle blockers Amanda Anderson and Katie Post to compete for the position of opposite hitter.
We still should be able to run a fast offense
Theis said. It won't be easy. We will be a little thin.
Harris gone
Ohio men's basketball guard Mike Harris has left the Bobcats and the school, the Ohio athletic department said in a release yesterday. Harris, a transfer from Iona, sat out last season under NCAA transfer guidelines. The Columbus native averaged 8.7 points per game as a freshman for the Gaels.
Mike Harris is no longer a member of the men's basketball program at Ohio University
coach John Groce said in a release. While I have no further comment
I wish Mike and his family nothing but the best in their future endeavors.
New golf coach
Following a season that laid a foundation for the women's golf program, another brick has been laid.
OU athletics director Jim Schaus announced July 9 that PGA teaching professional Kelly Ovington will join the Bobcats as the head women's golf coach, a position that has long gone unfilled.
Last season, Director of Golf Operations Bob Cooley focused his efforts mainly on the men's team, while his assistant, Jeff Hetler, traveled with the women's team each week.
Ovington, born in Cincinnati, spent the past year serving as the head PGA professional at Golf Galaxy in Columbus.
She also coached at the Division I level, leading the University of Cincinnati to five tournament titles in five years as the head coach from 1993-97.
With Ovington's hiring, Hetler relinquishes his duties with the women's program and will join the men's team as an assistant.
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