Ohio Volleyball Sweeps Bucknell & Niagara on Day 1 of the Marshall Invitational

Friday, August 28

Huntington, W. Va.

11 a.m. ET

1-0,0-0MAC

Bucknell

0-1,0-0Patriot

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Ohio	25	25	25	3
Bucknell	16	21	19	0

Ohio Volleyball Sweeps Bucknell & Niagara on Day 1 of the Marshall Invitational

8/28/2026 7:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – The Ohio volleyball team (2-0, 0-0 MAC) kicked off the 2026 season with two dominant victories over Bucknell (0-1, 0-0 Patriot) and Niagara (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) at the Marshall Invitational on Friday, Aug. 28. Ohio swept both Bucknell (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) and Niagara (25-10, 25-11, 25-10).

GAME 1: Ohio 3, Bucknell 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19)
Ohio finished with 49 kills, three aces, five blocks, 45 assists and 44 digs. Bucknell finished with 29 kills, 1 ace, five blocks, 27 assists and 35 digs. The Bobcats' offense played a huge part in their win with the team recording a .327 hitting percentage.

Sophomore Bailey Blair (Louisville, Ky.) recorded a team-best .522 attack percentage with 15 kills and three errors on 23 total attacks. Blair also tallied a team-high 16 points. Freshman Rowan Kelly (Akron, Ohio) led the team with 38 assists in addition to three kills, two aces and six points. Freshman Rose Mahin (Franklin, Ind.) and senior Torre Kildow (Bethesda, Ohio) were also top contributors to Ohio's offense. Mahin recorded nine kills and 9.5 points while Kildow added eight kills and 8.5 points.

Defensively, Kelly led the team with 12 digs. Mahin and sophomore Lacy Marx (Evansville, Ind.) combined for 19 digs total. Seniors Olivia Gardner (Macomb, Mich.), Emily Waddell (Carmel, Ind.), Blair and Kelly all recorded two block assists each.

Ohio gained an early 1-0 lead with a 25-16 win in the first set. Early on, the Bobcats led the Bison 8-6 before pulling away with a 6-1 scoring run. Ohio maintained a comfortable lead throughout the rest of the set. A kill by Blair, assisted by Kelly, secured the first set and early lead for Ohio.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the beginning of the second set. Halfway through the set, Ohio held a 15-10 lead over Bucknell. The Bison found momentum, closing in on Ohio's lead before eventually tying the set at 19-19. Bucknell took its first lead of the set at 21-20, but the Bobcats responded with a 5-0 scoring run. Bucknell's rally fell short as Ohio went on to win the set, 25-21, and took a 2-0 lead over the Bison.

Bucknell challenged Ohio with a strong start in the third set. The two teams were tied at 13-13 before the Bobcats pulled away from the Bison with a four-point scoring run. Ohio's momentum continued as it eventually extended its lead to 21-15. After back-to-back points by Bucknell, the Bobcats remained at match point. A kill by Gardner, assisted by Kelly, gave Ohio the 25-19 set win and secured the 3-0 sweep over Bucknell.

GAME 2: Ohio 3, Niagara 0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-10)
Ohio finished with 49 kills, five aces, eight blocks, 44 assists and 36 digs. Niagara finished with 20 kills, three blocks, 19 assists and 25 digs. The Bobcats recorded an impressive .506 team hitting percentage while holding the Purple Eagles to a .013 percentage.

Kildow led Ohio's offense with a team-high 13 points. She recorded a .474 attack percentage with 11 kills and only two errors on 19 total attacks. Kelly was once again an impactful player for Ohio, distributing 30 assists. Gardner and Blair were also top performers against Niagara. Both players finished the game with nine kills and 11 points each.

Gardner and Waddell held it down at the net for the Bobcats. The pair led the team in blocks with four block assists a piece. Also, Kildow, Kelly and Mahin tallied a team-high seven digs each.

Ohio made a statement in the first set, earning a 25-10 win over Niagara. The set was close early on, but a surge of offensive pressure by the Bobcats helped them pull away from the Purple Eagles. Halfway through the set, Ohio led Niagara 15-7. The momentum was on Ohio's side as the Bobcats went on 6-0 scoring run, eventually winning the set.

The Bobcats got off to a quick start in the second set, taking a 9-4 lead over the Purple Eagles. Back-to-back kills by Gardner and Kildow extended Ohio's lead to 17-8. After three-straight points by Niagara, Ohio responded with a scoring run of its own. The Bobcats' six-point surge led them to a 25-11 win over the Purple Eagles, extending their overall lead to 2-0.

Ohio kicked off the third set with a 5-0 scoring run, establishing an early lead over Niagara. Niagara struggled to handle the Bobcats' offense, trailing 15-3 halfway through the set. The Purple Eagles fought back late in the set but were unable to catch up to the Bobcats. Ohio went on to win the set, 25-10, and secure the 3-0 sweep over Niagara.

The Bobcats will concluded competition at the Marshall Invitational against host, Marshall, on Saturday, Aug. 29. First serve is set for 5 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.

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