Oct. 15, 2010
Final Stats
MUNCIE, Ind. - Despite Katie Post's career-high 11 blocks and a season-high 17.5 total team blocks, Ohio fell on the road to Ball State in five sets, 14-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 9-15. The `Cats fell to 12-8, 4-3 in the MAC, as Ball State (15-4, 5-2) remained unbeaten at home in 2010.
"Obviously we blocked extremely well tonight but their defense also did a great job of not allowing us to get going," Head Coach Ryan Theis said. "They did a nice job getting a hand to every ball and we need to do a better job of spreading it around offensively."
Sue Jacobi finished with a match-high 20 kills and Mandy Nichols added 12 for Ohio. Six different players recorded kills and Lexie Hartnett hit a team-best .429 for the match. Michelle Jantsch finished with a team-high 41 assists and 10 digs, while Meryl Bender led the team with 15. Faith Robins added seven kills and seven blocks with Nichols also knocking down six attacks.
Ohio led 2-0 in the first set before allowing four successive points and eventually going down 14-8 before using a timeout. The `Cats could not recover and fell behind by as many as 11, dropping the set 25-14. BSU hit .485 and racked up 17 kills while Ohio only hit .172 and amassed 10 kills. Jacobi did have five kills in the set and Post hit .400 for the `Cats
Ohio took four of the first five points on the second set in an effort to even the match. The lead crept out to four points but the Cardinals evened things eventually at 11-11. The `Cats would fall behind 17-15 before then evening things once more at 18-18. The set was tied for the eighth time at 22-22 but three-successive kills by Jacobi won the set 25-22 for the Green & White. The senior finished with six kills while hitting .333 and Nichols added four kills and hit over .500. As a team, the Cats had their best attacking set of the night finishing with a .324
Ball State led 8-6 in the third set and ran off three points in a row for an 11-6 lead before Ohio used a timeout. The `Cats would score three of the next four points to trim the gap to 12-9 before a 4-0 run by BSU pushed the lead to seven. Out of the break, Ohio rattled off four points in a row on a block by Hartnett and Robins, a kill by Jacobi and a kill and ace by Jantsch.
Ohio had to make another run in the set after falling back 19-14. Two kills by Robins, an Ohio block and a BSU error made things very interesting at 19-18. However, the Cardinals scored four of the next five and eventually won the set 25-21 for a 2-1 lead in the match. Jacobi finished with four kills and hit .400 while Nichols added four kills and Robins converted three times and picked up four blocks.
Ohio did not hang its heads and came out in the fourth set with a quick three points. The lead grew to six after an ace by Jantsch made it 8-2 but BSU answered with four points of their own before a block and by Jacobi. A three-point swing by the `Cats was then answered by a four-point run by the Cards.
Once again, a run would give Ohio some breathing room as it took five of the next six points for a 16-11 edge. The lead sat at 19-15 in favor of the Bobcats but Ball State countered with four of the next five points to force a timeout at 20-19. The Cardinals would eventually tie the set only to have the resilient Bobcats score the final four points and even the match with a 25-21 victory. Jacobi and Nichols each registered four kills with Nichols hitting .333.
The fifth and final set started 2-1 in favor of Ohio but the Cardinals rattled off four-straight points and forced a timeout at 5-2. After the teams switched ends, the deficit for the Bobcats grew to four at 10-6 as another timeout was used. However, there was no rally on this evening for Ohio as BSU took the match with a 15-9 win.
The `Cats will return to the floor tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. against Toledo.
