Sports
Bobcat Volleyball Falls to Kent State in Four Sets
By: Max McDulin
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Ohio Bobcat volleyball fell to Kent State 3-1 (25-13, 24-26, 13-25, 20-25) on Thursday at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The loss puts the Bobcats at 10-3 in conference and at 20-6 overall, and moves Kent State to 10-3 in the Mid-American Conference and 16-9 overall.
The fourth set cemented a huge win for Kent State as it won 25-20. The Golden Eagles opened up the fourth set with the lead and never relinquished it. At 22-17 Ohio made a run to try and get back in it after back-to-back errors by Kent State and then a kill by Kosiorek. But Kent State went on to take the final three points to come out with the win.
There is no other way to describe the first set other than, domination by Ohio. The ‘Cats came out and won the first set 25-13. After trading the first two points, Ohio went on a 10-2 run to lead 11-3.
After two points going the Flashes way a long point ended in a ferocious Mallory Salis kill, the ‘Cats got back on their horse and went on to win the set. That opener seemed like it was setting a tone for a take-care-of-business kind of night for the ‘Cats, but it turned out to be an outlier.
The second set was a different story as both teams volleyed back and forth. At 9-11 Ohio snagged a big point on a Karin Bull block, one of her two on the evening. She then followed that up with a kill to make it 11-11.
But that little run would not light the fire the Bobcats were hoping for. In fact, what it seemed to do was light a fire underneath the ‘Cats opponent, as the Flashes went on to take the second set in a tight finish 26-24.
Heading into the break, though, it still felt in the crowd and on the court that the momentum was on Ohio’s side. That feeling was misguided as Kent State took the energy they had at the end of the second and used it well in the third.
The Golden Flashes beat Ohio in every facet of the set, 25-13. Kent hit .333 with 15 kills and only two errors in the set, in comparison to Ohio’s .042 hitting percentage, 11 kills and nine errors.
“You got to give Kent credit,” Ohio head coach Deane Webb said. “They executed in every way we thought they would.” Ohio defeated Kent State earlier in the year and on the road, 3-0.
Next up for the Bobcats is a matchup on Saturday night against Central Michigan at 7 p.m. It will be back in the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. With three remaining contests this season, Ohio will be working its best to end on a high note.