Sports

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB)- The Ohio Volleyball (4-2, 4-2 MAC) team kept building momentum as they swept the Buffalo Bulls (0- 8, 0-8 MAC) in three sets across games on Saturday, Feb. 12 after doing the same on Friday.

The Bobcat offense really had a chance to showcase their skills but they were missing a key component to their offense for the second straight game- Tia Jimerson.

Jimerson was once again sporting a boot from the sidelines as she watches her teammates work to pick up the slack. This isn’t the first time Jimmerson has found herself in this position as she suffered another injury back in 2018.

From the get-go the Bobcats jumped out to a lead quickly, going up 8-1 land forcing the Bulls to take a time out. The Bulls were able to fight back but ultimately it wasn’t enough as they fell 25- 14 in the first set.

Vera Giacomazzi scored the set winning point with a tip to the opposite back corner where no one was covering.

The second set was more of the same between the two teams. The Cats got an early lead and forced yet another time out, this time at 15-6. They kept their offense rolling thanks to big plays from hitters Maggie Nedoma and Lauren Park. They took the second set easily, 25-13.

The third set looked like a different game. The Bulls came out with some fire in them and put up a fight until the end. They forced Ohio to call some time outs of their own, but ultimately fell 25-20.

One of the biggest setbacks the Bulls faced was serving. They set themselves back often with errors after getting the ball back in their possession.

Coach Deane Webb was happy his squad was able to pull it together.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to put a couple good sets together,” said Webb. “The first two sets we looked good and we kind of struggled in the last set but overall, we played good.”

Looking ahead, the Bobcats are taking on the MAC leaders Bowling Green away from Athens. They take them on Thursday, Feb. 18 and Friday, Feb 19. The team is also faced with the challenge of making up several games canceled due to Covid earlier in the season.