Oct. 28, 2005
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ATHENS, Ohio - Julia Winkfield (Newark, Ohio) recorded a career-best 21 kills in carrying the Ohio volleyball team to a 3-0 (30-27, 30-22, 30-26) sweep of Mid-American Conference East Division foe Bowling Green.
The Bobcats notched their 35th-consecutive win at the Convocation Center and stretched their winning streak over MAC opponents to 35 in the win. Ohio improves to 21-2 overall and 11-0 in the MAC while the Falcons fall to 14-10 overall and 6-5 in conference action.
Winkfield was the story tonight as she led the Bobcats from the opening serve. Her career-high 21 kills eclipsed her previous career-best of 18 set Sept. 4 of last year against St. John's. Winkfield recorded seven kills in the first game, five in the second and nine in the match-clinching third frame. She committed only two hitting errors in a season-high 37 attacks for a match-best .514 hitting percentage.
"She just worked really hard tonight," Head Coach Geoff Carlston said. "She sets some high goals for herself and she was very focused all match long."
Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 13 kills while Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich.) added nine and Amanda Andersen (Lino Lakes, Minn.) eight. Savanah Parra (Temecula, Calif.) set the Bobcat attack to the tune of 49 assists.
The match featured many long rallies which enabled five Bobcats to reach double-digits in digs. Parra matched her career-high with a team-best 15 digs with Stephanie Blackburn adding 14 for her team-leading ninth double-double. Michaele Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 12 digs with Jenna Gaughran (Centerville, Ohio) adding 11. Janice Matacic (Middletown, Ohio) posted a career-best 12 digs, destroying her previous career-high of six.
"You just have to keep working," Carlston said in regards to the many long rallies. "You have to work hard and be ready to scrap for points. You just have to read what is coming and stay on top of things. You can't check out because as soon as you do you are going to lose those points."
Parra, Griffin and Stephanie Blackburn were solid behind the service line, combining for all seven Ohio service aces while not committing a service error. Andersen and Holly Schetzsle (Pataskala, Ohio) shared team honors with three total blocks each.
Ohio started off the match slow but would rebound to take the opening frame 30-27. After falling behind 9-4, the Bobcats ran off four straight points to close the gap to 9-8. The Falcons pushed their lead back up to three at 14-11 but Ohio countered with another 4-0 run to grab its first lead of the match at 15-14.
Bowling Green would retake the lead at 18-17 but that would be the last time it would lead. The Bobcats took a game-high lead of five at 28-23 following a Parra kill and Andersen finished off the frame off a pass from Parra.
The Falcons gained an early edge on Ohio in the second frame with a 6-2 game-opening run. The Bobcats countered with a 9-2 run to take an 11-8 lead. Bowling Green slowly chipped away until it evened the score at 14 but Ohio would never let the Falcons retake the lead.
Consecutive kills from Andersen put the Bobcats up 16-14 and Ohio would never look back. The Bobcats used a well-balanced attack the rest of the frame with Winkfield, Gaughran, Andersen, Griffin, Stephanie Blackburn and McKenzie Mauck (Muncie, Ind.) each contributing at least one kill in taking the second game 30-22.
The decisive third frame saw the teams all-square at six in the early going. Bowling Green scored three straight points to gain a 9-6 edge and pushed its lead to 11-7. The Bobcats bounced back with a 4-0 run, including two Parra aces, to even the score at 11. With the score tied at 14, Ohio ran off four straight points to grab an 18-14 advantage.
The Falcons worked their way back into the game, evening the score at 23. The frame saw ties at 24 and 25 before the Bobcats finished off the match with a 5-1 run to take the final game 30-26.
The Bobcats will be back in action tomorrow night with a home contest with Miami, which is second in the MAC East Division. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tomorrow night will be Trick or Treat Night at the Convocation Center. Children will be able to walk around the lower level of The Convo between the second and third games and collect candy at numerous stations.
