CINCINNATI ? The Ohio volleyball team closed out its regular season schedule with a four-game victory over Cincinnati Friday night in Fifth Third Arena by a final of 22-30, 30-19, 30-27, 30-12.

In the process, the Bobcats (28-2) set a new school record with their 22-straight victory and tied a school mark for wins in a season.

Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) and Julia Winkfield (Newark, Ohio/Newark) led five Bobcats in double-figure kills with 15 apiece. Briana Adamovsky (Solon, Ohio/Solon) racked up 58 assists as Ohio hit at a .331 clip on the evening compared to Cincinnati?s .115 mark.

Others that contributed to helping Ohio gain a 71-50 edge in kills include Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) tallying 13, Ashley Elliott (Orangeville, Ontario/Orangeville) adding 12 and Holly Schetzsle (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) contributing 10.

The Bearcats (21-11) took an early 6-3 lead in the first game, an advantage that Ohio would never be able to overcome. Back-to-back kills by Griffin and Blackburn cut the lead to 6-5, but that is as close as the Bobcats would get in the first frame. A steady diet of kills by Cincinnati?s Maria Pongonis put the Bearcats out in front 19-10 as they went on to a 30-22 victory. The loss was the first for Ohio in the first game of a match since Sept. 16 against Colorado State.

The second game saw the Bobcats jump out in front early and a block by Winkfield and Adamovsky on UC?s Julie DuPont made it 8-3, Ohio. A 7-3 run by the Bearcats cut the margin to one at 11-10, but three kills by Blackburn powered a 9-2 Bobcat run to give Ohio all the breathing room they would need at 20-12 as they cruised to a 30-19 victory. In the game the Bobcats pounded out a .412 hitting percentage while holding Cincinnati to a .000 mark on 38 attacks.

Out of the break the two teams would hook up to battle throughout the third game. With Ohio in the lead at 6-5, three-consecutive kills by Winkfield, Adamovsky, and Schetzsle gave the Bobcats a four-point lead, the biggest advantage either team would hold the entire game. Cincinnati would go on to score eight of the next 10 points to take the lead at 12-11. A see-saw battle ensued as the two teams traded points and the lead, combining for 18 ties and seven lead changes. With the score knotted at 27-27, the Bobcats got a kill by Schetzsle and two errors from Cincinnati to capture the game, 30-27.

Griffin got things off on the right foot for Ohio in the fourth game, registering three kills as the Bobcats jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The Bobcats would maintain the momentum and force a Cincinnati timeout with a 15-6 advantage following three-straight Bearcat attack errors. Ohio promptly tacked on an 8-2 run to push the lead to 23-8 and three kills by Winkfield helped the Bobcats close out Cincinnati, 30-12. The deciding game featured a resounding .431 to -.093 advantage in hitting percentage for the Bobcats.

Elliott led the Bobcat defensive effort with nine blocks on the night as Ohio held a 12.5 to 5 edge in the category. Michaele Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) contributed 26 digs, tying a season high.

Myanna Hellsten led the Bearcat effort with 11 kills on the evening while DuPont and Pogonis each added 10. Cincinnati finished second in Conference USA this year to Louisville, who is currently ranked 20th in the nation.

With the victory, the Bobcats are just one win away from setting a new school record for victories in a season. Ohio went 28-5 in 2003, the most successful season in school history until this year. The Bobcats finished the regular season with a games record of 85-11, including a 48-game winning streak that lasted from Sept. 25 to Nov. 20.

The win is also the first for Ohio over Cincinnati since Sept. 1993, with the Bearcats getting two victories in between.

Ohio will now await its NCAA Tournament opponent and destination. The Bobcats clinched the league?s automatic bid last weekend by winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the second year in a row. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air at 6:45 p.m., on ESPNEWS.

Fans are encouraged to join the team at Damon's for an NCAA Selection Show party starting at 6 p.m.