Recap courtesy of Ohio's Athletic Communications Department
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (12-10, 5-6 MAC) defeated Kent State (10-12, 4-7 MAC) 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24, 25-17) on Tuesday, Oct. 27 in the Convocation Center.
Ohio finished with 61 kills, seven aces, 5.5 blocks, 59 assists and 49 digs. Kent State finished with 49 kills, eight aces, seven blocks, 47 assists and 48 digs. The Bobcats recorded a .295 team hitting percentage while the Golden Flashes recorded a .187 percentage.
Ohio has several top performers in its win over Kent State, including seniors
Gentry Brown (Shadyside, Ohio),
Olivia Gardner (Macomb, Mich.), junior
Darbi Ricketts (Cincinnati, Ohio) and freshman
Rowan Kelly (Akron, Ohio).
Brown and Gardner were the two top contributors on offense. Brown recorded a double-double with 10 digs and a team-high 13 kills. Gardner was a threat in the middle; finishing with a .500 attack percentage with 10 kills and no errors on 20 total attacks.
In total, five Bobcats finished with double-digit kills. Senior
Emily Waddell (Carmel, Ind.) finished with 12 kills, the second most on the team. Freshman
Rose Mahin (Franklin, Ind.) recorded 11 kills while sophomore
Bailey Blair (Louisville, Ky.) added 10 kills.
As Ohio's libero, Ricketts led the team in digs with 20 digs total. The junior also finished with a team-high four aces. Kelly led the team in assists with 41 in addition to recording three aces.
At the net, Waddell recorded a team-high four blocks and while Blair added three blocks.
The Bobcats secured the early 1-0 lead with a 25-22 win in the first set. The Golden Flashes bounced back in the second set, catching Ohio on its heels. Kent State won the second, 25-19, tying the match at 1-1.
It was an extremely close third set between Ohio and Kent State. The Bobcats were at set point when the Golden Flashes tied it up at 24-24. With an important lead on the line, Ohio held on and took the set in a 26-24 decision. The Bobcats entered the fourth set with a 2-1 lead over the Golden Flashes.
Ohio's momentum from the end of the third set provided its offense with more confidence at the start of the fourth. After trading the first handful of points, the Bobcats went on a scoring run and earned a substantial lead over the Golden Flashes. Ohio went on to take the fourth set, 25-17, to defeat Kent State 3-1.
The Bobcats will be back in action when they host Western Michigan on Friday, Oct. 30 in the Convocation Center. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET.
