Scores: No. 26 Ohio 3, Bowling Green 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-14)

Location: Athens, Ohio (Convocation Center)

Records: No. 26 Ohio 22-4 (15-0 MAC), Bowling Green 7-20 (4-11 MAC)

 

THE BASICS

• The No. 26-ranked Ohio volleyball team (22-4, 15-0 MAC) locked down its second straight Mid-American Conference regular season championship and ninth in program history and clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-14) sweep of East Division rival Bowling Green (7-20, 4-11 MAC) on Friday (Nov. 14) at the Convocation Center.

• As they will do this Nov. 21-24 at the Convo, the Bobcats will host the 2015 MAC Championship by virtue of winning this year's regular season crown. Fans can purchase tickets to the 2014 MAC Championship by clicking here.

• Ohio has now won 16 straight matches and 21 of its last 22 since starting the 2014 campaign 1-3.

• The Bobcats have opened MAC play with a 15-0 mark for the first time since 2006 and will have an opportunity to record the program's first perfect league season in eight years.

• Ohio swept the 2014 regular season series from the Falcons and has won each of the last four meetings with Bowling Green. The 'Cats also swept Bowling Green, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-21), on Oct. 11 at the Stroh Center.

• The Bobcats outhit (.254-.067) and outdug (57-53) the Falcons. 

• Junior middle blocker Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) led the charge with a match-high 13 kills to equal her 2014 season high. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division pick committed no errors in 22 attack attempts, hitting at a .591 clip. She also added two assisted blocks. Bull has posted double-digit kills four times this season.

• Senior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) added 10 kills and a team-high two service aces to go along with a solo block and eight digs. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division selection has recorded double-digit kills in 24 of 26 matches in 2014 -- including  11 straight. 

• Junior outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis (Oak Lawn, Ill.) tallied a season-high nine kills and attacked at a .562 pace with no errors in 16 attack attempts. She also added 10 digs. Salis has achieved double-digit digs five times in 2014.

• Junior setter Abby Gilleland (Bull Valley, Ill.) distributed a match-high 40 assists and put down a match-high three assisted blocks to go along with a team-high 12 digs for her 11th double-double of the season and fourth in the last five matches. The 2014 Preseason All-MAC East Division honoree has handed out 40 or more assists on 11 occasions this season.

• Junior libero Meredith Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore setter/defensive specialist Brooke Coleman (Plano, Texas) each totaled 11 digs on the defensive end.

• Sophomore outside hitter Jelena Sunjic led Bowling Green with eight kills and added three assisted blocks. Senior middle Kelsey Bates led the match with four assisted blocks. Senior setter Erica Fullenkamp notched a team-high 20 assists and led the match with three service aces. Sophomore defensive specialist/libero Madeline Garda led the Falcons defensively with a match-high 25 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ohio built up a 15-13 edge in the first set thanks to two kills apiece by Bull and freshman outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and a double block by Gilleland and Bull. The Bobcats outscored the Falcons by a 10-7 count down the stretch, utilizing three kills by Lamberti and a service ace and a kill by Kosiorek to take a 1-0 match lead with a five-point triumph in the opening stanza.

• Bowling Green appeared poised to the match at a set apiece when the Falcons jumped out to a 16-11 lead in the second set. Five kills by Salis, two more by Bull and a double block by Bull and Gilleland helped turn the tide, though, as Ohio put together a 9-1 rally to take a 20-17 lead. Bowling Green got a point back on a kill by Sunjic, but the Bobcats took a 2-0 match lead by virtue of a 5-2 spurt that was highlighted by two kills by Bull, another by Kosiorek and a service ace by Lamberti.

• Ohio wrapped up its MAC regular season title and 10th sweep of the 2014 season by gaining a 20-13 advantage thanks to three kills and a solo block by Lamberti and three kills by Bull. The Bobcats sealed the deal by scoring the match's final five points courtesy of a Bowling Green service error, a service ace by Coleman, a kill by Bull, a solo block by redshirt freshman middle blocker Ali Lake (Liberty Township, Ohio) and a double block by Lake and Gilleland.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Head coach Deane Webb joins Geoff Carlston as the only first-year head coaches to win a MAC regular season crown in the history of the program.

QUOTABLE

• "I'm a pretty vocal player. That's just the person I am. I get fired up about someone else's kills. I get fired up about the little things, too. A tip might not seem like anything, but, in my book, that's huge. You gotta be loud and earn your right to celebrate." - Sophomore outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis on the energy she brings to the team.

WHAT'S NEXT

Ohio sets its sights on completing its quest for a perfect 16-0 MAC season with a 'Battle of the Bricks' showdown against archrival Miami (19-8, 12-3 MAC) on Saturday (Nov. 15) at 7 p.m. ET to close the league's regular season slate.

The RedHawks rattled off their 10th-straight win by outlasting East Division rival Kent State, 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-27, 15-11), at the M.A.C. Center. Junior outside hitter Annie Reiswig led the way with a team-high 16 kills to go along with two service aces and eight digs. Senior setter/right side hitter Meg Riley recorded a triple-double with 13 kills, 22 assists and 11 digs. She tied freshman outside hitter Olivia Rusek for the match lead with three service aces. Rusek also posted seven kills and seven digs. Sophomore middle hitter Paige Hill chipped in 11 kills and two service aces and led the match with 7.0 total blocks (four solo, three assisted). Sophomore setter Krista Brakauskas handed out a team-high 34 assists and achieved a double-double with 10 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Maeve McDonald totaled a team-high 20 digs while sophomore outside hitter Maris Below contributed 13 more.

Saturday's match will also serve as a Senior Night celebration, with the careers of Lamberti, middle blocker/outside hitter Hannah Burkle (Crystal Lake, Ill.) and outside hitter Chelsea Bilger (Fishers, Ind.) being recognized prior to the start of the contest.

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