Sports
Bobcats Down Virginia Tech In Four
< < Back toThe Ohio Volleyball team (3-3) finished strong in its final match of the weekend, defeating Virginia Tech (2-6) in four sets (25-23, 25-22, 28-30, 25-14) and earning second place in the Baymont Inn & Suites Invitational at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats and Hokies battled back and forth all night compiling 15 lead changes in total, but it was ultimately the Green and White who came out with the victory.
“ I was really proud of the girls for the win tonight,” coach Deane Webb. said “The second set we were down about 19-12 and came back and won. That’s a team defining moment there.”
The run that brought the ‘Cats back from the seven-point deficit was fueled by the power offense of Kelly Lamberti made possible by the defense of Meredith Ashy. Lamberti recorded seven kills in the set while Ashy had five digs. Ashy’s saves kept many volleys alive and were converted to points.
“When I’m in that phase I’m just like ‘keep em’ coming,’ ” the junior libero said. “Especially when it’s hardcore. It’s fun to dig.”
Ashy totaled 20 digs on the night and also served two aces.
“Obviously she’s a great player,” Webb said. “We expect her to make some good plays, but she made some plays today that were against a single block and when it’s a single block against a good hitter they have the advantage.”
The third set seemed the most challenging for the Bobcats, as they were unable to put away the Hokies in a sweep. The two teams traded point for point the entire set until Virginia Tech was able to string together three consecutive kills to force a set four in the Convo.
The Hokie’s momentum came to a direct halt in the fourth and final set when Ohio gained a 6-5 lead and never looked back on their way to their second victory of the day. Leading the way for the Bobcats offensively was the dynamic duo of Kelly Lamberti and Abby Gilleland who both earned all-tournament honors.
Senior outside hitter Lamberti reached double-digit kills for the fifth straight match with 20. She also recorded 13 digs and four blocks. Junior setter Gilleland had seven kills, 45 assists and 16 digs.
Webb said he was very pleased with the improvements his team made over the weekend, specifically in serving from the 15 errors in their previous match.
“It’s just a lot of focus,” said Ashy, who had a solid performance at the service line. “We came out into this match making sure we didn’t do that (have 15 errors) again.”