ATHENS, Ohio ? The Ohio volleyball squad continues to roll on as they won their 14-straight contest and stayed undefeated in the Mid-American Conference with a 30-26, 36-34, 30-28 victory over Western Michigan at the Convocation Center.

Freshmen Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) led four Bobcats in double-digit kills with 16, tying a career high. Juniors Julia Winkfield (Newark, Ohio/Newark) and Holly Schetzsle (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) added 15 and 10, respectively, while freshman Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) contributed 11.

The Bobcats (20-2, 12-0 MAC) got the first three points of the first game before Western Michigan (14-10, 7-5 MAC) worked their way into the contest and eventually took its first lead of the night at 10-9. Ohio used a 9-3 run to get some breathing room at 18-13 and maintained control of the game until the Broncos cut the lead to 26-24. Kills by Winkfield, Schetzsle, and Briana Adamovsky (Solon, Ohio/Solon) closed out the game 30-26.

The second game was nearly a carbon copy of the first for two-thirds of its duration. The two teams traded points early and after the Bobcats had a four-point advantage at 28-24, the Broncos refused to go away. Western Michigan pushed the game to overtime, where each team had three opportunities to win the game,, but the Bobcats prevailed 36-34 as Schetzsle sealed the deal with a kill.

The third and final game saw Western Michigan hold early advantages on the scoreboard, leading by as many as five points at 9-4. After the first point of the game, the Bobcats were not able to move back into the lead until a kill by Winkfield gave Ohio a 15-14 edge. The two teams combined to tie the score four times before the Broncos regained the lead at 24-23. Western Michigan was three points away from winning the game at 27-25, but two kills by Winkfield and two attack errors by the Broncos allowed Ohio to escape with the game and the match, 30-28.

?This match tonight I think really showed the heart that this team has,? said Bobcat Head Coach Geoff Carlston. ?As a team we were really tired coming into tonight, and to win in three games against a team as solid as Western Michigan says a lot about our character.?

With 49 assists on the night, Adamovsky now needs only 31 more helpers to break Ohio?s all-time career assists record. Her total of 4,298 is second only to Shannon Braden?s 4,328. The senior setter also led the Bobcats with a season-high 14 digs.

?I thought Bri?s leadership tonight was one of the keys to our success,? said Carlston of Adamovsky. Not only did she do her job as a setter very well, but she really picked up her teammates in crucial times when they needed it.?

Shaylen Jackson led three Broncos in double-figure kills with 16. Western Michigan was only the third team this year to finish the match with a higher hitting percentage than the Bobcats (.235-.227) and the first since St. John?s on Sept. 4th.

The Bobcats will be back in action Wednesday night, Nov. 3, when they travel to Northern Illinois to take on the Huskies. Match time is set for 7 p.m. (CST).