Scores: Ohio 3, Toledo 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-17)

Location: Toledo, Ohio (Savage Arena)

Records: Ohio 15-4 (8-0 MAC), Toledo 1-20 (0-8 MAC)

 

THE BASICS

• The Ohio volleyball team (15-4, 8-0 MAC) kept its unbeaten start to Mid-American Conference play intact by soaring past West Division foe Toledo (1-20, 0-8 MAC), 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-17), on Saturday (Oct. 18) at Savage Arena. 

• The Bobcats picked up their ninth straight victory and have won 14 of their last 15 matches. Ohio is 8-0 in MAC play for the first time since 2009.

• Ohio attacked at a .252 clip while limiting Toledo to a .045 hitting percentage.

• Senior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) totaled double-digit kills for the 17th time in 19 matches in 2014, leading the match with 13 kills and hitting at a .303 clip. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division pick and reigning MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week contributed a service ace and seven digs.

• Freshman outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led the match with two service aces and added eight kills to Ohio's cause.

• Junior setter Abby Gilleland handed out a match-high 28 assists. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division selection also recorded three kills and six digs.

• Junior middle blocker Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) and junior middle blocker/outside hitter Shelby Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) tied for the team lead with three assisted blocks. The duo also chipped in three kills apiece. 

• Junior libero Meredith Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) led the match on the defensive end with 16 while sophomore setter/defensive specialist Brooke Coleman (Plano, Texas) chipped in 12 more. Ashy eclipsed the 1,400-career digs mark. She has now totaled 1,414, which ranks third in program history.

• Senior middle blocker Brooke Frazer led the Rockets with seven kills. She also recorded Toledo's lone service ace, two assisted blocks and two digs. Freshman right side hitter Saige Thomas led Toledo with three assisted blocks in addition to five kills and three digs. Junior setter Alex Hines achieved a double-double with a team-high 21 assists and 12 digs. She also posted two kills. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Lauren Bakaitis led Toledo's defensive effort with a team-high 13 digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ohio leapt out to a 10-6 lead in the opening set, using two kills by Lamberti and a double block by Gilleland and Walker to take the early advantage. The 'Cats followed that up with an 11-7 stretch to take a 21-14 lead, using double blocks by Lamberti and Walker and Bull and senior middle blocker/outside hitter Hannah Burkle (Crystal, Lake, Ill.) to pave the way. Toledo trimmed Ohio's lead to six points with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Ehrhardt, but the Bobcats responded by scoring the set's final four points thanks in large part to two kills by Lamberti and another by Bull. 

• The Bobcats raced ahead to a 15-7 lead in the second set courtesy of three kills by Lamberti, two more by Kosiorek, a service ace by Lamberti and another by redshirt sophomore setter/defensive specialist Aubree Hord (Loveland, Ohio). Toledo tallied the next three points, but Ohio countered with a 6-1 run to take a 10-point lead at 21-11. The spurt was highlighted by back-to-back service aces by Kosiorek. The 'Cats put themselves on the verge of another set win at 24-14 on a kill by sophomore outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis (Oak Lawn, Ill.), but Toledo staved off defeat by taking advantage of four straight errors by Ohio. Redshirt junior outside hitter Chelsea Bilger (Fishers, Ind.) put a halt to Toledo's rally, though, with a kill to seal a 2-0 match lead for the Bobcats.

• The Bobcats broke a five-all deadlock in the third set with a 7-1 run that featured two more kills by Lamberti and a double block by Burkle and Bull, giving Ohio a 12-6 lead. A 4-3 run by Toledo cut Ohio's lead back to five at 15-10, but a 4-2 stretch by the 'Cats gave the Green & White a 19-12 lead and forced the Rockets to burn a timeout. Toledo came out of the break on a 5-3 run that shaved Ohio's edge down to 22-17, but the 'Cats wrapped up the sweep with three straight points to end the set and the match.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Ohio has come away victorious in 14 straight meetings with Toledo. 

QUOTABLE 

"It is always good to get conference road wins, and we're glad to get the win. Our pin hitters were very effective today, and we defended well overall." -First-year head coach Deane Webb

WHAT'S NEXT

Ohio plays host to a pair of MAC West Division foes next weekend at the Convocation Center, welcoming Western Michigan on Friday (Oct. 24) and Northern Illinois on Saturday (Oct. 25). Friday's match begins at 7 p.m. ET while Saturday's gets underway at 5 p.m. ET.  

Friday's contest against the Broncos has been designated as a Bobcat Blackout. Fans are encouraged to attend wearing their finest black Ohio apparel. The official 2014 Bobcat Blackout long-sleeved t-shirt will be on sale for $15.

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