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Score: Western Kentucky 3, Ohio 1 (25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 27-25)
Location: Athens, Ohio (Convocation Center)
Record: Ohio 0-1, Western Kentucky 1-0
Short Story: Despite falling behind in the first two sets, a youthful Ohio volleyball team (0-1) put up an impressive fight in a 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 27-25) loss to No. 22-ranked Western Kentucky (1-0) on Friday (Aug. 26) the 2016 season opener for both squads in the Bobcat Invitational presented by OMG! Rotisserie.

THE BASICS
• The Bobcats hit .220 (57 kills- 22 errors- 159 total attacks) while the Lady Toppers hit at a .323 clip (66 kills-15 errors-155 total attacks).
• Freshman outside hitter Lizzie Stephens (Frisco, Texas) and junior outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led the Ohio attack, combining for 30 of the team's 57 kills. Stephens finished with 16 kills and 11 digs to complete her first career double-double in her collegiate debut. She also had an assist and an assisted block. Kosiorek hit .286 (14 kills-4 errors-35 total attacks) and also chipped in an assisted block and four digs.
• Redshirt junior middle blocker Ali Lake (Liberty Township, Ohio) added 12 kills, an assisted block and two digs to the Bobcats' cause.
• Redshirt freshman outside hitter Carley Remmers (Filley, Neb.) led the match with four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) in her collegiate debut and also contributed seven kills, a service ace and a dig.
• Freshman setter Katelyn Burke (Oswego, Ill.) dished out 48 of Ohio's 51 assists in her collegiate debut and also recorded two kills, a solo block and seven digs.
• Senior libero Brooke Coleman (Plano) led the Bobcats with 18 digs while freshman libero Meredith Howe (Grand Rapids, Mich.) tallied 13 digs in her collegiate debut.
• The Lady Toppers were led by junior outside hitter Alyssa Cavanaugh and sophomore middle hitter Rachel Anderson, who who combined for 35 of Western Kentucky's 66 kills. Cavanaugh led the match with 20 and also posted a solo block and five digs. Anderson compiled 15 kills, two assisted blocks, a service ace and a dig.
• Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Dellinger totaled 11 kills, a solo block and a dig for Western Kentucky.
• Junior setter Jessica Lucas led the match with 52 assists and 19 digs in addition to recording seven kills and an assisted block for the Lady Toppers.
• Senior defensive specialist Georgia O'Connell and freshman defensive specialist Emma Kowalkowski each finished with double-digit digs for Western Kentucky. O'Connell had 15 as well as a match-high two service aces to go along with two assists. Kowalkowski posted 10 digs and two assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Western Kentucky jumped ahead, 9-6, at the start of the first set behind Anderson's seven kills. The Bobcats then jumped back to even the set at 10-all off of a Kosiorek kill. The Lady Toppers came back to tie it at 15-all, though, before running away with the first set, 25-21.
• Western Kentucky went on to win set No. 2, 25-17, thanks to 10 assists by Lucas and Cavanuagh's two kills and two digs.
• Ohio didn't let Western Kentucky get away with a sweep, storming back in the third set to take a 25-23 win. After jumping ahead, 6-3, the Bobcats went on to take a 12-9 lead. Stephens led Ohio with her six kills while Remmers pitched in four. Coleman contributed five digs while sophomore libero Erica Walker (Wheaton, Ill.) recorded five of her nine digs for the match in the third set.
• In set four, Western Kentucky jumped to a 13-9 lead, but Ohio caught up, eventually tying it up at 23-all. From there, the Bobcats and Lady Toppers battled to another tie at 25-all before Western Kentucky won the set, 27-25, and came away with a season-opening victory.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Ohio started four true freshmen (Stephens, Burke, Howe and middle blocker/outside hitter Sara Januszewski (Oak Creek, Wis.). Remmers also got her first collegiate start since redshirting the 2015 season with an injury.
• Kosiorek finished with double-digit kills for the 34th time in her career while Lake notched double-digit kills for the fourth time.
• Coleman totaled double-digit digs for the 30th time in her career.

QUOTABLE
Third-year head coach Deane Webb on his team's performance
"We had five kids who were playing in their first college match, and they did that against a team that's ranked in the top-25 in the country. I think the big message tonight for our team is that they should believe more. They've earned the right to believe more in themselves individually and believe more in themselves collectively tomorrow than they did today. They should sleep well tonight because of that. When you have different kids that are out and different things going on, it wasn't exactly how we hoped it would be, so you lose a little belief sometimes, a little confidence. So, I think tonight was good to get some of that back against a very well-coached team with a couple of really dynamic hitters on the other side. I'm really proud of the way our team fought back."

Freshman outside hitter Lizzie Stephens on her first collegiate match
"It was fun. I thought I'd be more nervous playing in front of a bunch of fans that I'd never played in front of before. But, I wasn't nervous when I got out there. I was more excited than anything. I just thought, 'Be aggressive. What's the worst that can happen?' It worked pretty."

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Carley Remmers on her first collegiate match
"I told the girls I kind of had a little moment during the national anthem because there was a little bump in the road when I was out with my back injury where I might have never been able to play volleyball again. Being able to show everybody else that I can actually play and that I deserve to be on this team was a really good feeling."

UP NEXT
Ohio will play Florida Gulf Coast (0-1) at 10 a.m. ET on followed by a 7 p.m. ET match against Villanova (1-0) on Saturday (Aug. 27) in the Convocation Center on the final day of the Bobcat Invitational presented by OMG! Rotisserie.

In earlier action on Friday in the Bobcat Invitational, Villanova swept Florida Gulf Coast (25-18, 25-22, 25-21).

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