Sept. 1, 2015
Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)
Scores: Ohio 3, Kentucky 1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 30-28)
Location: Lexington, Ky. (Memorial Coliseum)
Records: Ohio 3-1, Kentucky 3-1
THE BASICS
• The Green & White proved to be too much for the Big Blue to handle. The Ohio volleyball team (3-1) walked into Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday (Sept. 1) and walked out with an epic 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 30-28) triumph over No. 10 Kentucky (3-1).
• The Bobcats shut down the nationally ranked Wildcats, limiting the Kentucky attack to just a .110 hitting percentage.
• Sophomore outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) produced a season-high 18 kills to lead the match and go along with a season-high 14 digs for her first double-double of the 2015 campaign. She also posted a service ace.
• Redshirt freshman middle blocker Katie Nelson (Regina, Saskatchewan) totaled nine kills, a season-high seven total blocks (one solo, six assisted) and a dig.
• Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Ali Lake (Liberty Township, Ohio) put together a breakout performance, tallying a career-high seven kills and eight total blocks (one solo, seven assisted) as well as a dig.
• Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Shelby Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) added eight kills, three total blocks (one solo, two assisted) and two digs.
• Senior middle blocker Karin Bull (Bloomington, Minn.) chipped in six kills, four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) and a dig.
• Senior setter Abby Gilleland (Bull Valley, Ill.) tallied her second double-double of the season with a season-high 44 assists to go along with 11 digs. She also notched a season-high four service aces in addition to three kills. Gilleland led the match in assists and aces.
• Senior libero Meredith Ashy (Louisville, Ky.) piled up a season-high 29 digs to lead the match.
• Sophomore outside hitter Darian Mack led Kentucky with 15 kills to go along with 15 digs, a team-high three service aces and three total blocks (two solo blocks, one assisted).
• Sophomore middle blocker Kaz Brown tallied nine kills and two assisted blocks for the Wildcats.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Dusek recorded a team-high 28 digs for Kentucky in addition to three assists.
• Junior outside hitter Anni Thomasson posted 16 digs and two kills for the Wildcats.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• It was all Kentucky early in the first set, with the Wildcats racing out to a 20-11 advantage thanks in large part to three straight service aces by Brown. The Bobcats refused to go down without a fight, though, clawing their way back to within five courtesy of kills by Lake and Kosiorek. Kentucky responded by tallying four of the next six points to bring things to set point at 24-17. Ohio made things interesting, though, pulling to within 24-23 by way of three service aces by Gilleland and two kills by Walker. Freshman middle blocker Brooke Morgan won the opening set for Kentucky with a kill, but Ohio had served notice to the Wildcats that they were not intimidated by Kentucky's No. 10 ranking.
• The Bobcats flipped the script in the second set, jumping ahead to a 14-7 advantage. The early surge was powered by kills by Lake and Kosiorek and double blocks by Bull and Lake and Lake and Nelson. Kentucky responded with a 4-1 run that cut Ohio's lead down to four at 15-11. The Bobcats attacked back with a 10-8 stretch featuring four kills by Walker, three by Kosiorek, kills by Bull and Nelson and a double block by Bull and Lake that evened the match at one-all.
• The third set was a classic back-and-forth slugfest, with the two squads deadlocked at 22-all until two kills by Kosiorek and a double block by Nelson and Lake pushed the Bobcats to a two-point set victory and a 2-1 match lead.
• The fourth set proved to be even more thrilling than the third. Kentucky snatched a 16-10 lead thanks to three kills by Mack and several Ohio miscues. The Bobcats used an 11-6 run fueled by two kills apiece by Kosiorek and Nelson, another by Walker and a solo block by Lake to shave Kentucky's lead down to one at 22-21. The Wildcats reached set point at 24-21, but four straight points by the Bobcats put Ohio at match point at 24-21, thanks to kills by Kosiorek and Nelson and a service ace by junior setter/defensive specialist Brooke Coleman (Plano, Texas). Two straight Kentucky points gave the Wildcats set point again at 26-25, but Ohio turned the tables once again with a kill by Nelson and a double block by Walker and Nelson, giving the Bobcats a 27-26 lead. The two squads traded the next three points to bring things to 28-all, but Ohio put together one last surge, as a kill by Bull and an attack error by Brown provided the Bobcats with the upset road win.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Ohio beat a ranked team for the first time since topping then-No. 21 Western Kentucky, 3-0, on Sept. 14, 2013, at the WKU Invitational in Bowling Green, Ky.
• Ohio toppled Kentucky for the first time since Sept. 20, 2003 -- a 3-0 sweep at the Lobo Volleyball Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.
• The Bobcats posted their first triumph over a current Southeastern Conference opponent since Sept. 4, 2010, at the JQH Invitational in Springfield, Mo. -- a 3-1 triumph over Texas A&M.
QUOTABLE
"It wasn't the prettiest at every moment, but we outworked them. To me, there's not many things more honorable than that -- to work your butt off and to know you outworked somebody. I'm proud of that, and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed seeing them do this."- Second-year head coach Deane Webb
"So proud of our team. Their work ethic tonight was exceptional. I have a great deal of respect for (11th-year Kentucky head coach) Craig Skinner and the Kentucky program. It is a well-coached team with multiple All-Americans. There were times that our execution wasn't great, but our work ethic was outstanding from start to finish. We served and blocked at a high level, and our serve receive was nothing short of spectacular. On to LSU." - Webb
WHAT'S NEXT
Ohio plays host to the Bobcat Invitational this weekend (Sept. 4-5) at the Convocation Center.
Ohio battles LSU on Friday (Sept. 4) at 12:30 p.m. ET, then Xavier 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bobcats will close out the second week of the season on Saturday (Sept. 5) against Michigan at 1 p.m. ET. Other Bobcat Invitational matches include Xavier against Michigan at 10 a.m. ET and Michigan against LSU at 5 p.m ET on Friday and LSU against Xavier at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
#BleedGreen