ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (11-8, 5-3 MAC) took down Buffalo (11-10, 3-6 MAC) in a five-set thriller (22-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-19, 21-19) on Saturday (Oct. 15) to split this weekend's series.

Despite being outhit .249 to .227, Ohio outperformed Buffalo in nearly every other category, collecting 79 kills, seven aces, 72 assists, and 96 digs.

A competitive tone was established right from the start of set one. The set brought 11 ties, but only two lead changes. The Bobcats found themselves on the wrong side of the final tiebreaker, falling 22-25 after a 3-0 run by the Bulls.

Set two was another back-and-forth battle with 13 ties and four lead changes. Ohio and Buffalo remained neck-and-neck until the Bobcats put together their own 3-0 run to secure the set, 25-24.

The third set was a different story, with the Bulls jumping out to an early lead. While Ohio was able to get within two of Buffalo, the Bobcats were never able to seize the lead and dropped set three, 19-25.

Ohio came back fighting in set four, looking to extend the match. The Bobcats got in front first and never looked back, capturing the fourth set 25-19.

Set five was nothing short of exciting as both teams contended for the win. Ohio was first on the board, but a 4-0 run by the Bulls put them right back in the set. The teams traded points until the Bobcats scored five-straight to put them within one of the victory. Just when Ohio thought they had put the match away, a successful challenge from Buffalo's bench, changed the game. The Bulls went on to tie the set and stayed on the Bobcats until Ohio went on a 3-0 run to finish the set, 21-19.

Senior middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) led the match in kills with 20, while outside hitters Caroline Clippard (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) followed with 17 apiece. Freshman opposite hitter Anna Kharchynska (Kyiv, Ukraine) also had an impressive night with 13 kills and no errors for a .419 hitting percentage.

Senior setter Parker Kwiatkowski (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and junior libero/defensive specialist Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.) were also match leaders with Kwiatkowski recording 65 assists and Steele tallying 25 digs.

Junior libero/defensive specialist Maci Watrous (Coppell, Texas) also aided Ohio's defense, collecting 20 digs of her own. Meanwhile, Margolies and Kwiatkowski achieved double-doubles with 17 and 11 digs.

Up next, the Bobcats will travel to Kent State to take on the Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. ET on Oct. 18.

#OUohyeah