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KENT, Ohio -- The Ohio volleyball team (7-6, 7-6 MAC) overcame a 2-0 deficit and battled back to defeat host Kent State (11-5, 11-5 MAC), 3-2 (18-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 15-11), on Tuesday (March 16) at the M.A.C. Center.

"Our team showed great resilience, teamwork and mental toughness to come back and earn this win over a very good Kent State team," said head coach Deane Webb.

The Bobcats attacked at a .281 clip for the match while limiting the Golden Flashes to a .199 hitting percentage. Ohio won the battle at the net, out blocking Kent State, 12-8.

Junior outside hitter/right side hitter Lauren Park (Millersburg, Ohio) led the way for the Bobcats, totaling a team-high 17 kills while hitting .297.

"Lauren had another dominant match attacking. Hard to believe that an outside hitter that hit .125 last year has become this dominant in such a short period of time," said Webb. "That said, she has put a tremendous amount of work in, so I'm proud of the work and happy for her development."

Junior outside hitter Mariana Rodrigues (Santana De Parnaiba, Brazil) hit .265 with 12 kills, recorded three total blocks (two block solos, one block assist), tied for the team lead with two service aces and achieved a double-double with 13 digs. Senior middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) also registered double-digit kills, finishing with 10 kills while attacking at a .286 rate. She also led the match with five total blocks (two block solos, three block assists). Redshirt freshman middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) tallied nine kills and four block assists while senior opposite Maggie Nedoma (Brook Park, Ohio) notched eight kills and three block assists.

Senior setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) provided a match-high 58 assists and just missed out on a double-double with nine digs. She also compiled four kills and three block assists. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.) piled up a match-high 34 digs. She and Rodrigues were joined in achieving double-digit digs by senior libero/defensive specialist Macy Reihing (Lexington, Ky.), who totaled 11.

Kent State posted a wire-to-wire win in the first set, hitting .325 as a team on its way to a seven-point victory and a 1-0 match lead. The Golden Flashes then edged the Bobcats by three points in the second set to take a commanding two-set advantage.

Ohio responded to the adversity by hitting a blistering .586 in the third set to record a 10-point win as Park paced the Bobcats with six kills while hitting .600. The Golden Flashes managed just a .103 attack percentage as Ohio clawed its way back into the match.

In the fourth set, Ohio burned its second timeout trailing 19-18 but proceeded to even the match at two-all by ending the set on a 7-1 run that was highlighted by two kills by Jimerson, a kill and a service ace by Rodrigues, a double block Giacomazzi and O'Farrell and a kill by sophomore opposite Emily Margolies (Galena, Ohio). The scoring was spread out across Ohio's lineup in the fourth set, with Park posting four kills, Jimerson and O'Farrell each adding three and Nedoma and Margolies each recording two.

Kent State opened the decisive fifth set up by building an early 6-4 lead that forced Ohio to call timeout. The Bobcats flipped the script with a 9-3 run to take a 13-9 lead and force the Golden Flashes to use up both of their timeouts. Ohio used its second timeout after back-to-back attack errors allowed Kent State to pull to within two, but a kill by Giacomazzi and a double block by O'Farrell and Rodrigues put the exclamation point on the comeback for the Bobcats.

"We had some impressive moments on offense including an almost unbelievable 3rd set when we hit nearly .600, but I was most impressed with the defense we played in the 3rd and 4th sets to even the match," said Webb.

Ohio will look to build off the comeback win as it faces a quick turnaround, as the Bobcats are set to play host to Toledo on Wednesday (March 17). The match is slated to get underway at 5 p.m. ET at the Convocation Center in Athens.

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