Nov. 6, 2010

Final Stats

AKRON, Ohio - Ohio Volleyball atoned for an early-season loss and spoiled Akron's Senior Night on Saturday with a four-set victory, 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20). Sue Jacobi matched a MAC season-high with 22 kills and Katie Post registered her third-straight game with double-digit kills (12) for the victorious `Cats (16-11, 8-6).

Jacobi registered her third-straight double-double with a team-high 13 digs and Post led the way with eight blocks. The `Cats registered 14.0 total team blocks as they moved one game ahead of the Zips in the race for the MAC East Division crown.

The backline of Mollie Geske, Kelly Colyar and Meryl Bender continued to gel. Colyar had 12 digs, her second-consecutive game with 10 or more digs, a first in her young career, while Bender picked up her ninth-straight game of double-digit digs. Michelle Jantsch finished with a match-best 41 assists, marking the third-straight match with 40 or more assists for the senior setter.

"It was fun to see the freshmen make a couple big plays in matches because we see it in practice," Head Coach Ryan Theis said. "You like to see their practice play translate over to the game. The upperclassmen get excited when the younger players are able to step up and make plays."

In the first set, Jacobi had four kills and the team accumulated four total blocks, while five other players registered solo kills for the Bobcats. Down 13-11, Ohio regrouped and back-to-back aces by Post put it up 16-13. After that, Akron scored five in a row and eight of nine for a 21-17 lead. The teams would go back and forth over the next six points before an Akron kill closed it out at 25-20.

Ohio quickly fell behind 5-1 in the second set but closed back within three at 9-6. However, Akron scored four-straight points to take their largest lead at 13-6. Now trailing 18-13, Ohio was able to get a trio of kills from Post, one from Mandy Nichols, a block and a Kent error to move back ahead 19-18.

The score would be deadlocked 23-23, when Ohio received Lexie Hartnett's second kill of the set for a lead. Nichols closed things out with a thunderous smash to even the match.

Ohio had their best attacking percentage of the evening in the second set, hitting .452. That average was helped by Jacobi and Post's six kills apiece. That duo hit .409 on 22 total attempts.

"I think the second set got us believing and Katie's consecutive aces got us going," Theis said. "Sometimes all it takes is a little belief."

With the match tied 1-1, no one could imagine the rollercoaster ride that awaited both teams in the third set. Ohio led 9-7 before Akron rolled off seven successive points for a 14-9 lead. The Zips would eventually take nine of 11 for an 18-11 advantage.

A kill and two aces from Jacobi cut the gap to 19-16 and created some buzz on the Bobcat bench. However, four of the next five points went in the favor of the Zips for a 23-17 lead and things started looking bleak as Theis was even hit with a yellow card.

With the crowd at the J.A.R. rocking, kills by Nichols and Post were followed by an Akron attack error that cut the deficit to 23-20. After a Zip timeout, an ace by Kelly Colyar was followed by two Akron errors to even things before a kill from Jacobi and another Zip error gave Ohio a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-23 third-set win.

"Sometimes a call that goes against you can light a fire under a team," Theis said. "That was the straw that broke the camels's back for our team. They realized they were not going to get any breaks so they took it upon themseleves to make their own breaks."

Ohio quickly jumped on a stunned Akron team for seven of the first 10 points in the fourth set. After the teams traded points, the `Cats still led 13-10. A block by Post and Jacobi was followed by three consecutive kills by Jacobi that stretched the lead to 17-10. In fact, the senior from Louisville would put together a run of six-successive kills for the Bobcats (points 15-20).

"When a player is feeling it, you have to keep getting her the ball" Theis added. "Mij was doing a good job this weekend at getting her the ball. She was like a shooter that's on fire, we had to keep getting her the ball in scoring opportunities."

Ohio continued to roll along and a kill by Post ended things, 25-20, in favor of the Green & White. Jacobi would finish the set with eight kills on 15 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage in the set.

Ohio will host Bowling Green and Miami next weekend in The Convo to close the 2010 MAC season.