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OXFORD, Ohio -- The Ohio volleyball team (6-6, 6-6 MAC) suffered a 3-2 (20-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-11) setback to archrival Miami (8-7, 8-7 MAC) on Saturday (March 13) at Millett Hall.

"We let a great opportunity slip away this evening," said head coach Deane Webb. "We went from being a very aggressive attacking team to a careful one when we transitioned from set 2 to set 3. When we play out of character, we play well below our potential."

The Bobcats attacked at a .469 rate in the first set and followed it up with a .452 percentage in the second but were hampered by 20 attack errors over the final three sets as the RedHawks rallied for the win.

"Miami did a great job continuing to create pressure despite our dominance in the first two sets, and I respect their mental toughness in making that happen," said Webb. "This is the second weekend we won 5 out of 8 sets yet come away with a split. That's the frustrating nature of playing a sport where the score resets every set, and we need to do a better job responding to the adversity that will come in most matches."

Junior outside hitter/right side hitter Lauren Park (Millersburg, Ohio) hit .268 with a match-high 17 kills to lead Ohio. Senior middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) chipped in 14 kills and four total blocks (one block solo, three block assists). Senior opposite Maggie Nedoma (Brook Park, Ohio) registered nine kills and four block assists. Junior outside hitter Mariana Rodrigues (Santana De Parnaiba, Brazil) finished with nine kills and three block assists and just missed out on a double-double with 12 digs. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) compiled eight kills and eight block assists. 

Senior setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) dished out 45 assists and added three block assists. Three Bobcats posted double-digit digs, with freshman defensive specialist/libero Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.) collecting a team-high 23 and freshman libero/defensive specialist Maci Watrous (Coppell, Texas) tallying 10 to join Rodrigues in double figures.

Up next, Ohio will play four matches in five days, starting with a visit to Kent State for a 6 p.m. ET match on Tuesday (March 16).

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