Scores: Ohio 3, Kent State 1 (25-11, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22)

Location: Athens, Ohio (Convocation Center)

Records: Ohio 8-4 (1-0 MAC), Kent State 8-6 (0-1 MAC)

 

THE BASICS

• The Ohio University volleyball team opened 2014 Mid-American Conference play with a 3-1 (25-11, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22) triumph over East Division rival Kent State University on Thursday (Sept. 25) at the Convocation Center.

• Junior setter Abby Gilleland (Bull Valley, Ill.) led the way with her first career triple-double, tallying a career-high 11 kills to go along with a team-high 40 assists as well as 15 digs. She committed just two attack errors to hit at a match-best .474 clip and added one assisted block. Gilleland has tallied at least 40 assists on five occasions in 2014.

• Senior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) matched freshman outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) for the team lead with 13 kills and recorded her sixth double-double of the season and 55th of her career with 15 digs. She also contributed a service ace, two assisted blocks and a career-high six assists. 

• Kosiorek posted double-digit kills for the sixth time in her young career and recorded a career-high four assisted blocks to go along with two digs.

• Ohio's blockers once again got the job done for the Bobcats, outblocking the Golden Flashes, 10-4. The `Cats have posted double-digit blocks as a team on three occasions in 2014 and have outblocked the opposition in all but three matches this season.

• Junior middle blocker Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) set the tone above the net with six assisted blocks, matching her season high for the third time and second match in a row. Junior middle blocker/outside hitter Shelby Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) added four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) to Ohio's cause.

• Junior libero Meredith Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) recorded a match-high 25 digs, marking the fifth time in 2014 she has tallied 20 or more digs. Sophomore outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis (Oak Lawn, Ill.) chipped in 12 digs, posting double-digit digs for the fourth time in the last five matches.

• Kent State senior outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola led the match with 17 kills. Senior middle blocker Liz Reikow added 12 kills and a match-high four solo blocks. Freshman setter Brittney Jackscht dished out a match-high 41 assists. Four Golden Flashes posted double-digit digs, including freshman defensive specialist/libero Challen Geraghty (25), freshman outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger (12), junior defensive specialist/libero Sarah Mills (11) and senior defensive specialist/libero Kaylee Koller. 

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bobcats rolled to their most lopsided set victory of the season in the first set, prevailing by 14 points. Lamberti, Kosiorek and senior middle blocker/outside hitter Hannah Burkle (Crystal Lake, Ill.) each pitched in three kills to set the tone as Ohio closed the set on a 12-4 run. Ohio is now 8-0 in 2014 when winning the opening set.

• Kent State answered back in the second set to tie the match, jumping out to an 11-2 lead and never looking back. 

• The Flashes built up a 15-12 lead in the third set, but Ohio responded by tying the match at 15-all on a double block by Lamberti and Bull. Kent State went back ahead, 18-17, but that's the last time the Golden Flashes found themselves in the driver's seat in the set. With the set knotted at 20-all, kills by Kosiorek, Walker, Gilleland and Lamberti sparked a 5-1 run to close out the third-set triumph for the Bobcats.

• The Golden Flashes built up a six-point lead at 9-3 to start off the fourth set, but Ohio used a double block by Bull and redshirt junior outside hitter Chelsea Bilger (Fishers, Ind.), a service ace by sophomore setter/defensive specialist Brooke Coleman (Plano, Texas), a kill by Salis and a service ace by Lamberti to make things even at 10-all. Kent State used a 5-3 run to grab a 15-13 lead, but a kill by Bilger and a service ace by redshirt sophomore Aubree Hord (Loveland, Ohio) tied the match up again at 15-all. After the two squads traded several points, an 8-5 run to the finish sealed Ohio's first conference victory of the 2014 season. The stretch was highlighted by two kills by Salis, kills by Bilger, Kosiorek and Gilleland and a double block by Bull and Gilleland. 

 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Ohio has prevailed in 25 of the last 26 meetings with Kent State.

 

QUOTABLE 

• "We learned that we can win when we're not playing well, if we work hard. The end of the last two sets was not good volleyball, but there are no style points here. Let's just outwork them, and if it's not our best night technically and things are a little sloppy, let's at least outwork them. At the end of the last two sets, we outworked them, and that's how we earned the win." - First-year head coach Deane Webb.

 

WHAT'S NEXT

Ohio hits the road for the first time in league play in 2014, visiting Mount Pleasant, Mich., and MAC West Division foe Central Michigan University (6-7, 1-0 MAC) on Saturday (Sept. 27). The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas opened MAC play by knocking off visiting Eastern Michigan University, 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 21-25, 25-20) on Thursday.

 

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