Ohio Volleyballs Wins the Bobcat Invite with 3-1 Victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday

Saturday, September 19

Athens, Ohio

2 p.m. ET

7-4,0-0MAC

Mercyhurst

4-8,0-0NEC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Mercyhurst	22	16	25	20	1
Ohio	25	25	16	25	3

Game Notes Digital Guide

Ohio Volleyballs Wins the Bobcat Invite with 3-1 Victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday

9/19/2026 7:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (7-4, 0-0 MAC) took down Mercyhurst (4-8, 0-0 NEC) 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 16-25, 25-20) on the final day of the Bobcat Invitational presented by AthensOhio.com on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Ohio finished with 54 kills, three aces, 12 blocks, 48 assists and 50 digs. Mercyhurst finished with 44 kills, four aces, six blocks, 41 assists and 48 digs. The Bobcats recorded a .221 team hitting percentage while holding the Lakers to a .181 percentage.

Senior Torre Kildow (Bethesda, Ohio) led Ohio with 14 kills and 15.5 points. Senior Emily Waddell (Carmel, Ind.) recorded a team-high .400 attack percentage with 11 kills and three errors on 20 total attacks. Waddell also finished with a team-high two aces.

Sophomore Bailey Blair (Louisville, Ky.) and freshman Rose Mahin (Franklin, Ind.) tallied nine and seven kills, respectively. Senior Olivia Gardner (Macomb, Mich.) and sophomore Cienna Lapsley (Columbia City, Ind.) combined for nine kills total.

Freshman Rowan Kelly (Akron, Ohio) distributed a team-high 23 assists. Sophomore Lillie Meinhart recorded the second most assists on the team with 18 total.

Defensively, junior Darbi Ricketts (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore Lacy Marx (Evansville, Ind.) finished with a team-high eight digs each. Meinhart and Mahin combined for 12 digs total. Gardner and Lapsley were solid at the net for Ohio, tallying four blocks each, while Blair added another three blocks.

It was a close first set between Ohio and Mercyhurst. Halfway through the set, the Bobcats held a 15-12 lead over the Lakers. Mercyhurst remained on Ohio's heels, eventually tying the set at 19-19. A kill by Kildow put the Bobcats up 23-21 but the Lakers responded with a point of their own. Back-to-back points gave Ohio a 25-22 set win and an early 1-0 lead over Mercyhurst.

The Bobcats dominated the second set, earning a 25-16 win. Ohio got off to a strong start, taking a 13-10 lead over Mercyhurst. A 6-2 scoring run by the Bobcats helped them pull away from the Lakers, 20-14. With a 21-16 advantage, Ohio scored four-straight points to win the set. The Bobcats held a 2-0 lead over the Lakers heading into the third set.

Mercyhurst responded with a strong set, catching Ohio on its heels. The Lakers cut the Bobcats' lead to 2-1 with a 25-16 win in the third.

The pressure was on for Ohio in the fourth set. Mercyhurst was in control of the momentum, but the Bobcats did not relent. After being down 7-0 early on in the set, Ohio regained control and eventually cut the Lakers' lead to 12-11. The Bobcats went on to take the lead, 15-14, off back-to-back aces by Waddell. From that moment on, it was Ohio's set to win. Mercyhurst was not far behind, only trailing Ohio 21-20. A 4-0 scoring run by the Bobcats secured the set and the match for Ohio. The Bobcats won the set, 25-20, and defeated Mercyhurst, 3-1.

The Bobcats will be back in action for their first week of Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition. Ohio will kick off league play at Eastern Michigan on Friday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. ET.

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