Nov. 3, 2005
Box Score
KENT, Ohio - The 20th-ranked Ohio volleyball team continued to dominate the Kent State squad in hitting a season-high .430 in a 3-0 (30-14, 30-16, 30-26) sweep of the Golden Flashes.
The Bobcats hit 41 percentage points better than their previous high in the win. Ohio hit .389 earlier this season, also against the Golden Flashes. The last time the Bobcats hit over .400 came Dec. 3, 2004 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Pittsburgh, with Ohio connecting at a .458 clip.
Ohio extends its winning streak over MAC opponents to 37 and its overall winning streak to 15 with the win. The winning streak features 13 sweeps, including 11 straight at one point. The Bobcats improve to 23-2 overall and 13-0 in Mid-American Conference action while Kent State falls to 8-16 overall and 4-9 in the MAC.
Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) set a season-high with a .600 hitting percentage in tying for team honors with 10 kills. Julia Winkfield (Newark, Ohio) added 10 kills with Amanda Andersen (Lino Lakes, Minn.), Holly Schetzsle (Pataskala, Ohio) and Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich.) each adding eight.
Savanah Parra (Temecula, Calif.) set the Bobcat attack with 38 assists and added seven digs and two aces for her third consecutive match with at least two aces.
The Bobcat defense was just as strong as the offense, blocking 12 Kent attacks in only three games. Andersen blocked a career-best seven attacks to tie Griffin for team-high. Griffin has recorded at least six blocks in three of her last four outings. Michaele Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) led Ohio with 11 digs.
The Ohio offense committed only eight hitting errors all match while forcing the Golden Flashes into at least eight hitting errors in all three games.
The Bobcats wasted no time grabbing an early lead, racing out to a 10-3 edge. Ohio increased their lead to double-digits at 14-4 and proceeded to pour it on from there, going up a game-high 17 points at 26-9 and 27-10. A solo block from Andersen gave the Bobcats the 30-14 game one win.
Parra got Ohio going in the second frame by serving the Bobcats to a 5-0 lead. A Griffin ace put Ohio up 14-4 and Kent State would get no closer than nine the remainder of the game. Parra's second ace of the game gave the Bobcats a 30-15 frame two win.
The Golden Flashes put up more of a fight in the third and final game but Ohio was just too much. Kent scored the opening four points but the Bobcats countered with a 4-0 run of their own to even the game at four. With the frame tied at 10, Ohio ran off four straight to gain a 14-10 advantage and never looked back. Kent State closed to within one on two occasions but Schetzsle finished off the Golden Flashes with her eighth kill to give Ohio a 30-26 game three win.
The Bobcats will conclude their home schedule Saturday night when they host Central Michigan. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
