Nov. 12, 2010
Final Stats
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Volleyball clinched the MAC East Division title on Dig Pink Night in The Convo. The victory also locked up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament as three Bobcats recorded double-digit kills during the 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-17, 26-24).
Sue Jacobi led Ohio with 13 kills and Katie Post chipped in with 12 (.526 hitting percentage) while Lexie Hartnett had 11 (.444 hitting percentage). Jacobi has only fallen short of 10 digs in a match once this season while Post has now put together a string of four-consecutive matches of double-digit kills. Not to be outdone, it was a career-best night for Hartnett in kills and she tied for the team-high with three blocks.
Michelle Jantsch had another solid evening with 33 assists and also surpassed 900 digs for her career. Meryl Bender led the team in digs with 10 while Kelly Colyar added nine digs and two of Ohio's seven aces.
The win avenged an early-season loss at Miami for the Bobcats and gave them back-to-back home wins in front of the largest Convo crowd this season, 3,285. More importantly, it clinched another winning season in the Roundhouse on Richland and earned Ohio a ninth-straight winning season in the Mid-American Conference.
Ohio knew what it was playing for when it took the floor this evening and pounced on Miami by scoring the first seven points (five kills) of the match. However, Miami responded with a 15-4 run and was helped by four-consecutive Bobcat errors to take a 15-11 lead. Ohio would score the next five points to retake the lead 16-15. The run was bookended by kills from Nichols and Jacobi.
Another kill by Nichols created the final lead change of the set at 19-18 Ohio. Now leading 22-20, a Jantsch ace was sandwiched by kills from Hartnett as the Bobcats won the set 25-20 for a 1-0 lead in the match. Jacobi, Post and Hartnett finished with set with four kills apiece and as a team the 'Cats hit a match-best .414
Jantsch, Jacobi and Post rattled off consecutive kills to break an early deadlock in the second set and give Ohio a 6-3 lead. Now up 8-6, two kills by Hartnett, a Jacobi ace and a Miami attack error helped the 'Cats double up the visitors at 12-6.
Jacobi's fifth kill of the set gave the Green & White its largest lead at 23-13 and after Miami pulled a few points back, a service error doomed the RedHawks and Ohio had itself a 2-0 lead in the match after a 25-17 second-set win.
After the break, Ohio faced their most difficult challenge of the match, falling behind 20-13 in the third set. Kills by Hartnett and Ashley Jordan got things going and an ace from Jantsch got the 'Cats within striking distance at 20-17.
Prospects remained bleak with the scoreline 23-19 in favor of Miami but kills from Post and Nichols and an attack error by the RedHawks forced a timeout. Still trailing by one at 23-22, the rally continued as a kill by Post would eventually even things for the first time since 8-8. In fitting fashion, the seventh-best blocking team in the country would win the match with consecutive solo denials from Jacobi and Hartnett.
The solo block by Jacobi moved her into third place during the rally-scoring era with 73 for her career and she also went over 1,300 career points in the set. Post had her best set of the night with six kills while Hartnett added four more.
Tonight's Dig Pink Night helped Ohio raise over $3,000 for the Side Out Foundation in its fight against breast cancer. In three years under Head Coach Ryan Theis, the Bobcats have raised almost $9,000 for this great cause.
The last time Ohio was a No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament was in 2008. That season, the 'Cats went on to beat Western Michigan for the conference's crown.
The 'Cats return to the court tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. as they close the MAC regular season with a match against Bowling Green. After the contest, Ohio will recognize its four senior student-athletes, Bender, Jacobi, Jantsch and Nichols.
