ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (15-8, 9-3 MAC) continued its five-match win streak against Western Michigan (13-11, 5-7 MAC) in four sets (25-23, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22) on Friday (Oct. 28) in the first match of this weekend's series.  

Ohio outhit Western Michigan .264 to .242 and led in almost every other category, collecting 62 kills, 57 assists, 71 digs, and seven blocks. 

Set one started out with the Bobcats down early, but they were able to go on a 7-2 run to tie the set. The rest of the set was back-and-forth battle with seven ties and neither team taking a significant lead. Ohio was able to string together an 8-2 run to close the set, ultimately winning 25-23.  

The second set was another close one, with neither team taking a notable lead. The Broncos were able to hold a slim margin of three points for much of the set, until Ohio was able to tie it up at 18. Despite their best efforts, the Bobcats could not rally for a lead and lost set two, 20-25.  

Ohio started the third set with a competitive spirit, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. The Bobcats maintained a slight lead prior to Western Michigan tying the set at 16. The last ten points were nothing short of exciting, with eight ties and a tiebreaker. The Bobcats were ready to finish the Broncos and took the set 26-24.  

The Bobcats took a quick 7-3 lead looking to end the match in the fourth set. Western Michigan was not done yet, tying the set at 13 and then taking a 15-14 lead, forcing Ohio to call a timeout. With Western Michigan barely in front, the Bobcats were able to recover and go on a 6-1 run to take the set 25-22.  

The Bobcats were led by senior middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell's (Suwanee, Ga.) .389 hitting percentage and 19 kills. Outside hitters Caroline Clippard (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Kristy Frank (Kyiv, Ukraine) followed with 13 and 10.  

Junior defensive specialist Maci Watrous (Coppell, Texas) led Ohio with 17 digs, while libero Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.) and outside hitter Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) recorded 15.  

Senior setter Parker Kwiatkowski (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and junior setter Tria McLean (Battle Creek, Neb.) combined for 51 of the team's 57 assists. Kwiatkowski led the Bobcats with 27 assists and achieved a double-double with 11 digs, while McLean registered three aces.  

Up next, Ohio will face Northern Illinois at 4 p.m. ET on Oct. 29, looking for a series sweep.  

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