Sep 7, 2013
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ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio University volleyball team (5-1) knocked off the University of Dayton (3-3) in straight sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-16) Saturday afternoon to secure a second-place finish in the Baymont Inn Invitational.
Ohio was stellar from the service line with a season-best nine aces and held a +5 edge in digs (57-52). The `Cats notched 42 kills to Dayton's 34 and hit progressively better throughout the match, with set percentages of .135, .312 and .355.
Junior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) led Ohio with 15 kills and added 11 digs to post her second-straight double-double, while redshirt junior Liis Kullerkann (Keila, Estonia) tallied a career-best nine kills and added three total blocks.
Baymont Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team selection Alexis Pinson (Phoenix, Ariz.) led Ohio with four total blocks (including one solo) and notched four kills. She notched an impressive 19 total blocks, six service aces and 2.3 kills/set while hitting at a .348 clip.
Sophomore setter Abby Gilleland (Bull Valley, Ill.) had another strong match for Ohio with a match-high 37 assists to go along with a career-best five service aces and eight digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Meredith Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) added a match-best 22 digs, while All-Tournament selection Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) posted three total blocks to go along with five kills for the `Cats.
Ohio trailed for much of the first set and were down as many as six (16-10) midway through the frame. From there, the Green & White went on a 4-1 run to cut the Flyers' edge to three (17-14) and moved within one (19-18) after a Dayton attack error. An ace from Pinson knotted the match at 20 and completed a 10-4 surge for the `Cats. Ohio took the lead at 22-21 on a kill from Kullerkann and notched the final two points of the set to take it, 25-22, in comeback fashion.
Set two was a different story, as Ohio raced out to an 8-5 lead and moved in front by four (15-11) on a kill from Lamberti. After Dayton cut the lead to three (19-16), Ohio rallied back with two-straight to build a five-point cushion (21-16) and the Flyers could not get closer than four for the remainder of the set. Ohio won the frame, 25-19.
In the third and final set, the `Cats posted nine of the first 11 points and held a six-point edge (14-8) after a kill from Bull. Ohio went up by eight (19-11) after a kill from Lamberti and Dayton could not move closer than seven for the remainder of the frame. Ohio won the third frame, 25-16.
Ohio is now 18-2 in its 20 sets played this season.
The Bobcats return to action Sept. 13-14 with three matches in the WKU Invitational. The Bobcats square off with UNLV Friday at 5:30 p.m., then play No. 16 Western Kentucky (noon) and Virginia (6 p.m.) on Saturday.
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