Oct. 30, 2011
Final Stats
Oxford, Ohio - Ohio Volleyball earned the MAC East Division crown this afternoon with a 25-20, 28-26, 25-14 sweep of rival Miami. The Bobcats improved to 17-9, 9-3 in the MAC, behind Chelsea Bilger's 13 kill, 15 block performance and Kelly Lamberti's match-high 15 kills.
The two Bobcat freshmen continued their strong play with Lamberti leading the offensive attack and hitting .256 with eight digs and two blocks. Bilger's dig total was tops in the match and she added two service aces while hitting .323.
Katie Post chipped in with eight kills on 16 swings and blocked three attempts while Lexie Hartnett knocked down four attacks at the net and added six kills on 13 swings. Bailey Karst finished with a match-high 36 digs and Mollie Geske added 13 digs for the Green & White.
Ohio jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set before Miami rallied for a 10-9 lead. With the score tied 13-13, Ohio went on a three-point run to reclaim the lead. Leading 17-16, the Bobcats ran off another three points, capped by a Lamberti ace, to force a Miami timeout.
Ohio scored the next two points after the break in action to set the scoreboard at 22-16. The Bobcats would win the set 25-20 and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Bilger and Lamberti notched four kills apiece as the team hit .306.
The second set was tied 3-3 before a four-point run for Ohio. Miami answered with a five point run of its own for a 9-7 lead. With the set tied, 9-9, three more points went Miami's way and forced a Bobcat timeout. Trailing 16-13, Ohio rallied and tied the set on a kill by Post.
Ohio finally reclaimed the lead at 21-20 and took a 24-22 lead on a Bilger kill and Miami attack error. The RedHawks tied the set and actually led 26-25, before a Lamberti kill was followed by a Karst ace and Faith Robins' kill for the win. Bilger amassed seven kills and Ohio finished with 19 in the set as it went ahead 2-0 in the match.
The third set turned out to be a formality as Ohio led 4-2 and then went on a five-point run. Leading 12-6, the Bobcats pushed the lead to nine, and at 15-8, a third run of three points or more extended the lead to double figures. A fourth Ohio run got the lead to 12 and Ohio won the set easily, 25-14. Lamberti finished with six kills, Post had five and the team recorded a match-best four blocks.
Ohio returns home for the final four matches of the regular season with contests against Kent State and Central Michigan next weekend at The Convo.
