Aug. 30, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - Senior outside hitter Ellen Herman ripped 19 kills to lead four Ohio University players in double figures and the Bobcats held Wisconsin to just .181 hitting on Sunday as Ohio earned a 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 29-27, 25-21) victory over the Badgers to claim the InnTowner Invitational championship.
Ohio (3-0) hit .261 as a team and enjoyed a 62-49 advantage in the kills department en route to capturing its first-ever victory over Wisconsin, and just the third in program history against a team from the Big Ten Conference. Since the beginning of the 2002 season, Ohio has compiled a 36-12 (.750) in pre-conference tournaments.
Sunday's win over 29th-ranked Wisconsin also marked the Bobcats' second win over a team ranked in the national top-30 in as many days, having swept No. 27 Duke on Saturday night on the strength of a dozen service aces.
"It's a phenomenal feeling to be a tournament winner on the opening weekend of the season," Ohio head coach Ryan Theis said. "We felt like we needed to play well the majority of the time in order to be successful here, and we did that. Wisconsin was a first-class host, and we really appreciated the opportunity to be a part of their tournament."
Herman (Toledo, Ohio) capped off the tournament with a season-high 19 kills, moving past both Laura Hageman and Stephanie Blackburn into fourth place on the program's career list with 1,471 kills. The performance also propelled Herman past Blackburn into second on Ohio's rally scoring career kills chart.
Senior middle blocker Jane Sytsma (Madison, Wis.) and junior outside hitter Sue Jacobi (Louisville, Ky.) were also active in the Bobcats' offensive set on Sunday, collecting 12 kills apiece while hitting .476 and .296, respectively. Senior middle blocker Meghan Simons (Lancaster, Ohio) rounded out the quartet of Ohio players in double figures with 10 kills, hitting .333 on 21 swings.
Junior setter Michelle Jantsch (Mission Hills, Kan.), who set the Green & White to a hitting percentage of .250 or better in each of the weekend's three matches, led all players with 53 assists while picking up three kills of her own.
"Our passers were really keeping us in system, and our first and second contacts were great today, which allowed us to be successful on offense," Theis said. "Michelle was really making good decisions today, and Ellen had two blockers committed to her for a majority of the match, which opened things up for our other attackers. Everyone really did a good job of executing when their number was called."
In addition to its offensive display, Ohio also out-blocked Wisconsin by a count of 10.0-8.0, while holding the Badgers without an ace on the afternoon. Simons was the Bobcats' catalyst at the net, leading all players with six total rejections, while Post contributed with a career-high five assists in the victory. Sytsma added three blocks of her own on Sunday, and Jacobi and Jantsch each recorded a pair.
Senior libero Sarah Petrulis (Westlake, Ohio) provided Ohio with an anchor in the back row on Sunday, collecting a match-high 19 digs to mark her first double-digit performance of the year. The effort also moved her past former teammate Janice Matacic for ninth place on the program's rally scoring career chart with 667 digs.
Herman narrowly missed her second double-double of the season, finishing with nine digs, while Post added five and Jantsch chipped in with four.
Following the match, Herman was named the tournament's MVP, while Petrulis and Sytsma both joined her on the InnTowner Invitational All-Tournament Team.
"We're going to head home and try to recover and refocus as fast as possible," Theis said. "We have a tough task ahead of us next weekend, but we should have a great confidence boost after beating quality competition this weekend."
Ohio will return to action next Friday when it faces Northern Iowa, an NCAA Championship qualifier from a year ago, at 8 p.m. ET in its first match at the Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Bobcats are also slated to meet Georgia Tech and Middle Tennessee State on Friday and Saturday, respectively, before returning home.
