Sept. 14, 2007
Box Score
Denver, Colo. - The No. 17 Ohio volleyball team won two matches in very different ways on the first day of the Denver Pioneer Classic Friday.
Ohio (8-2) survived a scare from tournament host Denver (4-6) in the opening match, coming from behind to win in five games (30-27, 30-32, 28-30, 31-29, 15-10) and then handled its business in a much timelier fashion in the evening match against Washington State (9-3), defeating the Cougars in straight games (30-24, 30-23, 30-23).
In the first match, Ohio took the opening game from Denver, 30-27, despite landing only 10 kills to Denver's 14. Ohio's fortune turned in the following two games, as Denver escaped with narrow two-point victories, 32-30 and 30-28, to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Bobcats fell into an early deficit in the fourth game and had to make a late run to remain in the match. Trailing 23-16 and then 28-23, Ohio won five straight points to knot the score at 28-28. A service error by Ohio sophomore outside hitter Ellen Herman (Toledo, Ohio) gave Denver a match-point opportunity, but Ohio scored the next three points to win the game 31-29 to extend the match to a fifth game.
In the deciding game Ohio out-hit Denver .545 to .000 en route to a 15-10 victory. The Bobcats registered eight kills on 11 attacks in the game, including four from senior middle blocker Melissa Griffin (Whitehall, Mich.). The game was tied 7-7 when Ohio won four straight points and eight of the final 11, to win the match.
Griffin tied a career-high with 23 kills and added eight digs, seven blocks and five assists in the match. Herman finished with 19 kills and five blocks. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Blackburn (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs and junior setter Jill DeArmond (Fort Wayne, Ind.) posted her second double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs.
The evening match against Washington State proved much easier for Ohio. The Bobcats held the Cougars to a .081 hitting percentage to win in straight games, 30-24, 30-23, 30-23.
Blackburn led Ohio with a team-high 13 kills on a .458 hitting percentage and added 12 digs in the match, to collect her second double-double of the day and fifth of the season. Herman had a solid match against the Cougars with 11 kills in two games of action, and Ohio freshman setter Michelle Jantsch (Mission Hills, Kansas) had 32 assists, nine digs and four blocks in the victory.
The Bobcats connected on a .278 hitting percentage for the match, including an impressive .389 mark in the second game.
Ohio takes the court tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 15, in search of its third tournament title of the 2007 season. The Bobcats will face perennial power Long Beach State at 7 p.m. ET.
