Nov. 19, 2005
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio - The top-seeded Ohio volleyball team is now one win away from a third straight Mid-American Conference Tournament crown following a 3-0 (30-21, 31-29, 30-28) sweep of fifth-seeded Toledo.
The Bobcats advance to play Ball State in the finals. The third-seeded Ball State squad rallied from a 2-1 games deficit to upset second-seeded Eastern Michigan 3-2.
Holly Schetzsle (Pataskala, Ohio) led the Bobcat attack with 15 kills on a season-best .583 hitting percentage. Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) joined Schetzsle in double-digits with 13 kills.
Savanah Parra (Temecula, Calif.) set the Ohio offense, assisting on 42 of the team's 49 kills.
Ohio outserved one of the top serving teams in the nation. Toledo came into the match as the top serving team in the MAC and the 10th best serving team in the nation with 2.28 aces per game. The Bobcat back row defense held the Rockets to only three aces for the entire match while Ohio posted five aces of their own.
Michaele Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the back row with 15 digs. Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich.) led the defense at the net with five blocks while Julia Winkfield (Newark, Ohio) tallied four blocks. The Ohio defense held Toledo to a .191 hitting percentage, marking the 22nd time the Bobcats have held their opponent under .200.
The Bobcats came out energized in the opening frame and with an offense working on all cylinders. After dropping the first point, the Bobcats went on an 8-3 run to gain an advantage they would hold on to for the remainder of the game. Ohio took a two point lead and made a five point lead with a 5-0 run to go up 17-10. The Rockets were able to close to within six but the Bobcats extended their lead to a game-high 10 points on three occasions in taking the opening frame 30-21.
Ohio hit .500 for the frame with numerous Bobcats chipping in. Blackburn led with five kills in the game while Griffin added four and Winkfield and Schetzsle three each. The defense also did its part with four blocks and no receiving errors against one of the top serving teams in the country.
The Bobcats went up 2-0 in games in a highly competitive second game that featured numerous runs from both teams. Ohio used its momentum from the opening frame in the early goings of the second to gain a 6-1 advantage. The Rockets countered by running off six straight points to take a one point lead at 7-6. The Bobcats rebounded with an 8-3 run of their own to go up 14-10. Toledo again came back with an attack of its own, scoring nine of the next 12 points to take a 19-17 lead.
Ohio and Toledo exchanged blows for the remainder of game with neither team leading by more than two points. With the frame even at 28, a Stephanie Blackburn kill gave the Bobcats a one point edge. After the Rockets tied it, a Toledo hitting error and a Schetzsle kill gave Ohio a 31-29 game two win.
The Bobcat outside hitters was the story in the second frame. Schetzsle and Stephanie Blackburn combined for 12 of Ohio's 17 kills in the game with Schetzsle dropping in eight and Blackburn four.
The third and final game was much like the second in that it would not be decided until the final moments. The Bobcats held an early 6-4 edge but Toledo ran off three straight points to gain a 7-6 advantage. Ohio answered with a 3-0 run of its own to go up 9-7. The Rockets replied with four straight points and an 11-9 lead.
The frame went back and forth until the Bobcats used a 5-2 run to go up 26-22. The Rockets refused to go away easy, scoring the next five points to go up 27-26. A well-timed time out stopped the Toledo momentum with Kelsey Culver hitting the following serve into the net to even the score. After the Rockets took a one point lead, Ohio scored the final three points of the match and moved on to the finals.
The Bobcats and the Cardinals will square off in the finals of the MAC Tournament tomorrow at 1 p.m. Ohio swept Ball State at the Convocation Center in the only other match-up this year. The match will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Ohio and can also be followed through live stats here.
