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Score: Ohio 3, Wofford 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19)
Location: Boone, N.C. (George M. Holmes Convocation Center)
Record: Ohio 1-4, Wofford 1-3
Short Story: The Ohio volleyball team (1-4) picked up its first victory of the 2016 season on Friday (Sept. 2), sweeping Wofford (1-3), 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19), in the opening match of the Black and Gold Invitational at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.
THE BASICS
• The Bobcats recorded a .208 attack percentage (32 kills-16 errors-77 total attacks) while limiting the Terriers to just an .053 (28 kills-23 errors-94 total attacks) clip. Ohio also held the statistical edge in service aces (6-0), total team blocks (6.0-3.0) and digs (37-29).
• Senior outside hitter/libero Mallory Salis (Oak Lawn, Ill.) piled up a match-high 11 kills and two service aces for Ohio. She also contributed a solo block, eight digs and two assists.
• Junior outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) finished with seven kills and a dig for the Bobcats. She finished with a .625 attack percentage (7 kills-0 errors-11 total attacks).
• Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Katie Nelson (Regina, Saskatchewan) tallied six kills and a match-high three total blocks (two solo, one assisted).
• Redshirt junior middle blocker Ali Lake (Liberty Township, Ohio) compiled six kills, two assisted blocks and a dig. She attacked at a .625 (6 kills-1 error-8 total attacks) pace.
• Freshman setter Katelyn Burke (Oswego, Ill.) recorded a match-high 28 assists and a team-high nine digs.
• Freshman right side Kelly Bossert led Wofford with six kills and also had an assisted block and a dig.
• Freshman middle blocker Kara Shacklette led the Terriers with two assisted blocks and had four kills.
• Freshman setter M.E. Eberhardt distributed a team-high 11 assists for Wofford.
• Freshman libero/defensive specialist Madeline Savage posted a match-high 10 digs for the Terriers. She also had three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Bobcats captured their first opening set triumph of the season, a decisive 11-point win that represented their largest margin of victory in a set to date this year. Ohio capitalized on nine attack errors, three service errors and three ball handling errors by the Terriers. Salis logged both of her service aces in the first set.
• Wofford took a 12-11 lead in second set by way of an Ohio miscue, but a service error and back-to-back attack errors by Terriers allowed the Bobcats to snatch a 14-12 lead. The Terriers outscored the Bobcats, 7-5, over the next 12 points to even the set score at 19-all, but Ohio closed the set win out with a 6-2 run. Ohio's final push was highlighted by two kills apiece from Kosiorek and Salis. Salis finished the set with six kills.
• The Bobcats raced out to a 14-2 lead in the third set, using three kills by Nelson, two by Salis, solo blocks by Salis and freshman middle blocker Sara Januszewski (Oak Creek, Wis.), a double block by Lake and Nelson and a service ace by freshman libero Meredith Howe (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Wofford did not go down quietly, however, as the Terriers strung together a 17-8 run to make it a three-point set at 22-19. The Terriers' comeback was fueled by two kills by sophomore middle blocker Colleen Reilly and seven attack errors by the Bobcats. Fortunately for Ohio, an 11th kill by Salis, a service ace by Howe and a bad set by Wofford sophomore outside hitter/defensive specialist Bijonae Jones allowed the Bobcats to push past the Terriers for a sweep.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Ohio came away victorious in the first-ever meeting with Wofford.
• Salis posted double-digit kills for the second match in a row and 17th time in her career.
QUOTABLE
Third-year head coach Deane Webb on the victory
"It was an interesting match in that there were moments where we absolutely dominated and moments where we lost focus. The last set was a great example. We were up 13-2, and, before you know it, it became a match again. But, overall, it's a starting point, and that's kind of how we looked at this weekend. Today's match was the first match where we had all of our starters in to play, so we kind of looked at this weekend as a place to start our season."
Webb on redshirt junior middle blocker Ali Lake
"She's a great player. She has a chance to be an absolutely dominant player in our conference this year. It's a matter of the setters getting used to the tempo that she needs to be effective. I'm excited to see what this year holds for her."
Lake on the win
"I think I was starting to connect with Katelyn. Coaches really helped. Teammates really helped. It was good, but we have a lot of work to do. We had a lot of leads, but, at some point, we lost a little bit of focus. If we want to win against teams in the future, we have to keep our focus at its peak."
UP NEXT
The Bobcats take on UNC-Wilmington at 10 a.m. ET and host Appalachian State at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday (Sept. 3) to wrap up action at the Black & Gold Invitational.
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