Scores: Ohio 3, Ball State 1 (25-8, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18)

Location: Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)

Records: Ohio 14-4 (7-0 MAC), Ball State 11-9 (5-2 MAC)

 

THE BASICS

• The Ohio volleyball team (14-4, 7-0 MAC) is off to a 7-0 start to Mid-American Conference play for the first time in five years after knocking off West Division foe Ball State (11-9, 5-2 MAC), 3-1 (25-8, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18), on Friday (Oct. 17) at Worthen Arena. 

• The Bobcats rattled off their eighth straight victory and have won 13 of their last 14 matches. 

• Senior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) guided Ohio with her third straight double-double, ninth of the season and 58th of her career, posting a match-high 15 kills to go along with 10 digs. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division selection and reigning MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week also tallied a season-high four service aces to lead the match and equal her career high. Lamberti also recorded an assisted block.

• Junior middle blocker Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) etched a spot in the Ohio record book by recording the third-best attack percentage in program history, hitting at an .812 clip and recording a season-high 13 kills with no errors in 16 attempts. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division pick also contributed four assisted blocks. 

• Junior setter Abby Gilleland (Bull Valley, Ill.) passed out a match-high 38 assists while tallying eight kills and a service ace and tying for the match lead with five assisted blocks. She also piled up eight digs.

• Junior middle blocker/outside hitter Shelby Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) matched Gilleland for the match lead with five total blocks (one solo, four assisted) and chipped in five kills. She has recorded five or more total blocks in each of the last two matches and on four occasions this season.

• Junior libero Meredith Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) led the match on the defensive end with 23 digs, marking the eighth time in 2014 she has compiled 20 or more digs. Sophomore setter/defensive specialist Brooke Coleman (Plano, Texas) added 10 digs.

• Junior outside hitter Alex Fuelling led Ball State with 12 kills and tied junior defensive specialist Kati Vasalakis for the team lead with 13 digs. Redshirt junior middle blocker/opposite hitter Hayley Benson -- the reigning MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week -- contributed 10 kills and three total blocks (one solo, two assisted) to go along with four digs. Redshirt junior middle blocker/opposite hitter Kelly Hopkins recorded a team-high four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) to go along with six kills. Junior setter Jenna Spadafora handed out a team-high 35 assists for the Cardinals. She also chipped in three kills and nine digs.   

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bobcats put together their most dominant set victory of the season to date in the opening stanza, rolling to a 25-8 triumph. Bull led the way with four kills while Walker added three and Gilleland and Lamberti each posted two apiece. Ohio limited the Cardinals to just four kills in the first set. The 'Cats raced out to an 8-1 lead, taking advantage of two kills by Bull, a kill by Lamberti and a double block by Gilleland and Bull. Ball State scored two of the next three points, but Ohio responded with a 10-0 run highlighted by three kills by Walker, a service ace by Gilleland and a solo block by freshman outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) that helped give the Bobcats a 19-3 lead. The Cardinals tallied three of the next four points to cut Ohio's advantage to 20-6, but the Bobcats closed the set win out on a 5-2 run courtesy of two kills by Gilleland and kills by Lamberti and Bull. 

• The Cardinals answered back in the second set by jumping out to a 12-3 lead. Ball State built its lead up to 10 at 20-10, but Ohio retaliated with a 5-2 run thanks to kills by Bull and Lamberti and back-to-back service aces by Lamberti, forcing the Cardinals to burn a timeout while holding a 22-15 lead. The Bobcats made it a five-point affair and forced Ball State to call another timeout, trailing 24-19, courtesy of a kill by Gilleland and a solo block by Gilleland and a double block by Gilleland and Walker. An attack error by the Cardinals cut Ball State's lead to four at 24-20, but a kill by redshirt junior middle blocker Amanda Raker sealed a 25-20 win for the Birds and evened the match at one-all. 

• Ohio prevailed by five points in a tightly contested third set. The Bobcats broke a 15-all tie with a 3-1 run thanks to a double block by redshirt junior outside hitter Chelsea Bilger (Fishers, Ind.) and Walker and a kill by Walker. The Cardinals scored the next two points to even the set at 18-all, but Ohio countered with a 4-1 run that was powered by three kills by Lamberti and forced Ball State to burn a timeout with the 'Cats holding a 22-19 edge. Ohio grabbed the 2-1 match lead thanks to back-to-back kills by sophomore outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis (Oak Lawn, Ill.) and another kill by Lamberti. 

• The 'Cats sealed the deal with a seven-point triumph in the fourth set. Ball State broke a 10-all deadlock with back-to-back points to take a 12-10 lead, but Ohio countered with a kill by Lamberti and a double block by Gilleland and Bull to even things up at 12-all. After trading points and the set tied at 13-all, Ohio put together a 4-1 spurt with a double block by Gilleland and Bull, a solo block by Walker, a service ace by Ashy and a kill by Bilger to take a 17-15 lead. A 2-1 push by the Cardinals shaved Ohio's lead to one at 18-17, but it was all Bobcats from there, as Ohio closed out the match on a 7-1 run. Bull and Gilleland each tallied two kills and Coleman recorded back-to-back service aces during the final march to victory.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Bull is just the third player in Ohio volleyball history to record an attack percentage of .800 or better (minimum 10 kills). 

QUOTABLE 

"Kelly had a rough start attacking, but played exceptionally well in sets three and four. Karin was just incredible attacking, and our passers got us in system enough that she could not only hit for a high average, but also generate a great deal of offense." - First-year head coach Deane Webb

WHAT'S NEXT

Ohio heads to the Glass City to battle MAC West Division foe Toledo (1-19, 0-7 MAC) on Saturday (Oct. 18) at Savage Arena. The match gets underway at 5 p.m. ET. 

The Rockets are still in search of their first conference win of the 2014 season and have dropped nine straight after being swept at home by Kent State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-21) on Friday. Freshman outside hitter Annie Beasley led Toledo with eight kills and added three digs. Senior middle blocker Brooke Frazer led the way above the net with a team-high four total blocks (three solo, one assisted) to go along with six kills. Junior setter Alex Hines passed out a team-high 23 assists and tied for the team lead with a service ace in addition to contributing four kills and nine digs. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Lauren Bakaitis led the way for the Rockets on the defensive end with 13 digs. 

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