Oct. 10, 2014
QUOTABLE
"Having Abby as an attacker, that's a piece that a lot of teams just don't have. You're going to have other hitters to balance it out, but Abby truly is another attacker for us. I knew she had a chance to go for a lot of kills tonight, and she picked her spots pretty well and was a big part of our success, not just as a setter, but as an attacker." - First-year head coach Deane Webb on junior setter Abby Gilleland's second career triple-double
Scores: Ohio 3, Miami 2 (25-18, 21-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-8)
Location: Oxford, Ohio (Millett Hall)
Records: Ohio 12-4 (5-0 MAC), Miami 9-8 (2-3 MAC)
THE BASICS
• The Ohio volleyball team (12-4, 5-0 MAC) stormed back from a 2-1 match deficit to down Mid-American Conference archrival Miami (9-8, 2-3 MAC) in a 'Battle of the Bricks' match on Friday (Oct. 10) at Millett Hall.
• The Bobcats rattled off their sixth straight victory and have won 11 of their last 12 matches.
• Ohio is 5-0 in MAC play for the first time since 2011.
• Freshman outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led the charge for the Bobcats, totaling a career-high 22 kills to lead the match. She also added seven digs, three assisted blocks and a service ace.
• Senior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) tallied her seventh double-double of the season and 56th of her career with 18 kills and a career-high 26 digs. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division pick also recorded two service aces, two assisted blocks and seven assists.
• Junior setter Abby Gilleland (Bull Valley, Ill.) achieved her second career triple-double with a match-high 44 assists to go along with 11 kills and 15 digs. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division selection attacked at a team-best .435 clip and tied Lamberti for the match lead with two service aces to go along with four assisted blocks. She has tallied at least 40 assists seven times this season. Her 11 kills matched her career high.
• Junior middle blocker Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) threw down a season-high eight total blocks (one solo, seven assisted) to go along with six kills. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division pick has recorded at least five total blocks seven times this season.
• Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Hannah Burkle (Crystal Lake, Ill.) contributed eight kills and three total blocks (one solo, two assisted) while junior middle blocker/outside hitter Shelby Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) chipped in four assisted blocks.
• Junior libero Meredth Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) set the tone on the defensive end by matching her career high with 31 digs to lead the match. She has posted at least 25 digs on seven occasions and has totaled double-digit digs in 15 of 16 matches in 2014. Sophomore setter/defensive specialist Brooke Coleman (Plano, Texas) added 12 digs, marking the seventh time this season she has achieved double-digit digs.
• Two RedHawks posted double-doubles to lead Miami, with freshman outside hitter Olivia Rusek totaling a team-high 15 kills to go along with 10 digs while senior setter/right side hitter Meg Riley passed out 19 assists and compiled 14 digs. Rusek also led the RedHawks with two service aces. Senior right side hitter Sarah Chaney led Miami with four total blocks (one solo, three assisted). Freshman defensive specialist Maeve McDonald piled up a team-high 26 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Kosiorek set the tone in Ohio's victory in the opening set, piling up nine kills. The 'Cats raced out to an 11-2 lead, taking advantage of four kills by Kosiorek, two by Lamberti and a service ace by Gilleland. The RedHawks responded by putting together a 9-2 run, forcing Ohio to burn a timeout. Miami tied the set up at 16-all, but that's as close as the Bobcats let the RedHawks get. Ohio finished off the first set on a 9-2 tear, using four more kills by Kosiorek and back-to-back double blocks by Gilleland and Walker and Kosiorek and Walker to grab the 1-0 match lead.
• Miami evened the score with a four-point win in the second set. The RedHawks broke a seven-all tie with a 10-3 run to take a 17-10 lead. Ohio forced Miami to burn a timeout with a 4-1 run to cut the RedHawk advantage to 18-14. Miami tallied the next three points to build its edge to 21-17, but a 3-2 stretch by Ohio forced the RedHawks to call timeout again at 23-20. The RedHawks drew even in the match by scoring two of the next three points.
• Miami used a 12-2 run to begin the third set to take control of the match, 2-1. The RedHawks hit .222 and .295, respectively, in the second and third sets, while holding Ohio to .116 and .156 attack percentages.
• Ohio refused to quit, though, and rolled to a nine-point triumph to force a decisive fifth set. The Bobcats broke a five-all tie by going on an 8-2 run and grabbing a 13-7 lead, with three kills by Kosiorek and a double block by Gilleland and Bull highlighting the stretch. The RedHawks trimmed Ohio's lead down to three at 14-11, but the Bobcats closed the set out on an 11-5 run that featured two kills apiece from Gilleland and Lamberti, a service ace by Gilleland and double blocks by Gilleland and Bull and Bull and Lamberti.
• The 'Cats took a quick 4-1 lead in the fifth set courtesy of kills by Walker, Lamberti and Burkle and a double block by Walker and Kosiorek. Miami drew even at five-all with a 4-1 run and tied things up again at seven-all, but it was all Ohio the rest of the way, as the Bobcats closed out the comeback with an 8-1 run. Kosiorek and Gilleland each posted two kills while Lamberti tallied two service aces during the final push to victory.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Ohio earned its first five-set win of the year and is now a perfect 12-0 in 2014 when winning the opening set.
QUOTABLE
"Having Abby as an attacker, that's a piece that a lot of teams just don't have. You're going to have other hitters to balance it out, but Abby truly is another attacker for us. I knew she had a chance to go for a lot of kills tonight, and she picked her spots pretty well and was a big part of our success, not just as a setter, but as an attacker." - First-year head coach Deane Webb on junior setter Abby Gilleland's second career triple-double
WHAT'S NEXT
Ohio visits another MAC East Division foe as it closes out the third weekend of MAC play on Saturday (Oct. 11), taking on Bowling Green (4-13, 1-4 MAC) at 5 p.m. ET at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons put a stop to a four-match slide on Friday, earning their first MAC win of the 2014 season with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-16) sweep of Kent State. Sophomore outside hitter Jelena Sunjic totaled a match-high 15 kills and attacked at a .464 clip while tallying two service aces, four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) and four digs. Senior middle blocker Kelsey Bates recorded 12 kills, hit at a match-best .476 clip, tallied three assisted blocks and added two digs. Sophomore middle blocker Alyssa Maloney led the way above the net with a match-high five assisted blocks. Senior setter Erica Fullenkamp dished out a match-high 37 assists. Sophomore defensive specialist Madeline Garda came up with a team-high 15 digs.
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