ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (6-15, 6-4 MAC) came out on top of a five-set thriller against Akron (9-13, 3-7 MAC) on Friday (Oct. 22) during the annual Dig Pink match. The Bobcats defeat the Zips, 3-2 (25-16, 24-26, 25-20, 24-26, 15-13), in the Convocation Center.

Ohio controlled the first set, never allowing Akron the lead. Set two was a different story with 11 ties and four lead changes. Despite the Bobcats' perseverance, they fell 26-24. Ohio took the third but faced another challenging set in the fourth. Even with eight ties, the Bobcats were never able to regain their lead and also dropped set four, 26-24. After an extremely intense fifth set, Ohio was able to secure the match and pick up their fifth straight win.

Freshman outside hitter Caroline Clippard (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the match with 19 kills. Junior outside hitter Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) and junior middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) also had strong performances, recording 15 and 13 kills. Sophomore setter Tria McLean (Battle Creek, Neb.) dominated the match with a total of 52 assists.

Sophomore defensive specialist Maci Watrous (Coppell, Texas) led the pack with 20 digs and was followed by sophomore libero Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.), who tallied 19. Junior defensive specialists Ciara Livingway (Lake Orion, Mich.) and Ashton Webb (Gallipolis, Ohio) also reached the double digits, registering 14 and 13 digs. Watrous and Livingway both picked up a pair of aces to help Ohio put the match away.

Up next, the Bobcats will conclude their series at home, tomorrow (Oct. 23) at 6 P.M. EST, with another match against Akron.

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