Sept. 17, 2005
Box Score
Updated Season Stats
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Ohio volleyball team capped the Mortar Board Premier by sweeping the defending Southeastern Conference Tournament champions and current No. 16 Tennessee 3-0 (30-20, 30-24, 30-27) and Xavier 3-0 (30-24, 30-17, 30-27).
The defeat of the 16th-ranked Lady Vols is the biggest upset in the history of the program. Ohio's previous biggest upset came in last year's 3-1 defeat of No. 18 Pepperdine. The victory over Tennessee marks the third time in school history that the Bobcats have defeated a top-25 foe. The win is Ohio's fourth over a 2004 NCAA Tournament participant this year.
"This is the biggest win in school history," Head Coach Geoff Carlston said. "It's a big step for us. Tennessee is a team that beat Florida twice last year and brought in some talented players this year. We showed toughness and grit today and that's huge."
Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) paced a well-rounded Ohio offensive attack with 13 kills to go along with a season-best .407 hitting percentage. Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich.) added 12 kills while Julia Winkfield (Newark, Ohio) and Holly Schetzsle (Pataskala) each added 11 kills. All four players hit .360 or better with Griffin hitting a team-high .556 for the match.
Savanah Parra (Temecula, Calif.) set the Bobcat attack to the tune of 49 assists. Michaele Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) led Ohio in digs with 13 while sister Stephanie contributed 12 digs to complete her fifth double-double of the year. Michaele Blackburn's final dig of the match moved her into fifth place on Ohio's all-time digs list.
The Bobcats recorded their best blocking performance of the season, totaling 11 blocks for the match. Griffin led Ohio with season-highs of three solo blocks and six total blocks. Winkfield added a season-best five total blocks. The Bobcats held Tennessee, 20th in the nation in hitting percentage at .289, to a .202 hitting percentage while connecting at a .360 clip themselves.
"We just kept to the game plan today," Carlston said. "We felt that we could play with Tennessee if we just stayed within the game plan and took away Tennessee's strengths."
Ohio stormed out of the tunnel in the opening game, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. The Bobcats pushed the lead to 14-4 following Griffin's second consecutive kill and did not allow the Lady Vols to get any closer than eight points the rest of the way. Ohio increased the lead to a game-high 11 at 29-18 and finished off the frame with a 30-20 win. Winkfield concluded the game with seven kills with five coming in the first 11 points of the match.
The Bobcats continued their strong play in the second frame, trailing only once at 1-0. Ohio gained a five point advantage at 12-7 following a Stephanie Blackburn kill. Tennessee cut the lead to two at 18-16 but the Bobcats countered with a 6-1 run to go up 24-17. The Lady Vols closed to within 28-24 but Ohio scored the final two points of the game to take the frame.
The third game was neck and neck in the early going with Ohio holding a 10-9 lead. The Bobcats ran off four consecutive points to increase the lead to 14-9. Ohio kept at least a three-point buffer between Tennessee until the late goings of the frame. The Lady Vols trimmed the Bobcat lead to one at 27-26 but Ohio scored three of the match's final four points. Griffin took a set from Parra and put down the final kill of the match to finish off Tennessee.
"We did not want to fall behind a team like Tennessee," Carlston said. "So we pushed the tempo and kept the intensity high. The team did an excellent job of maintaining that intensity and never letting up."
Ohio didn't suffer a let down in its final match against Xavier, disposing of the Musketeers in three games. The win is the seventh 3-0 sweep for the Bobcats this year.
"I was definitely worried we would have a let down," Carlston said. "Xavier is a very athletic team that could win the Atlantic 10 Conference. But the team came out and responded very well."
Winkfield and Schetzsle paced the Ohio attack with 15 kills a piece. Stephanie Blackburn added 13 kills with Amanda Andersen (Lino Lakes, Minn.) posting a career-high nine kills.
Parra had her best match of the tourney with her second career double-double. She assisted on 55 Bobcat kills and dug 10 balls while matching career-highs with three kills and two blocks. Michaele Blackburn reached double-digits in digs for the 11th time in 12 matches with 10. Winkfield and Griffin led the Ohio defense with four blocks each.
Ohio trailed 6-5 in the first game but went on a 6-0 run to gain an 11-6 advantage over Xavier. The Bobcats saw their lead cut to three numerous times throughout the frame but the Musketeers could not get over the three-point hump with Ohio taking the opening game 30-24.
The Bobcats were in control of the second frame from the beginning, going up 6-3. Ohio continued to increase the lead, pushing it to seven at 14-7 and to 11 at 22-11. Xavier was able to cut the lead to single digits later but would get no closer with the Bobcats taking the second game 30-17.
The third frame featured 13 ties with neither team gaining an advantage of more than two points until the latter stages of the game. The Bobcats scored three straight points late in the frame to take a game-high four point lead at 24-20. The Musketeers fought back to tie the game at 26 but Ohio scored three of the final four points to take the third and final frame 30-27.
Winkfield and Griffin were named to the all-tournament team following the conclusion of the tourney.
Ohio improves to 10-2 on the year with the wins today. The Bobcats' pre-conference schedule record is the best in the program's history.
"We learned that we can play with anybody today," Carlston said. "The team challenged themselves and showed a lot of heart today. This is a team that can do some great things."
The Bobcats will return home for the first time in a month when they open the Mid-American Conference regular season. Ohio will host Akron Friday at 7 p.m. and Buffalo Saturday at 6 p.m.
