Sports
Ohio Volleyball gets pivotal sweep over Buffalo
By: Andrew Bowlby
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – On the final Saturday afternoon in the Convo for Ohio Volleyball this season, Makenna Schafer and Elizabeth Hoerlein were honored as a part of senior day. The Bobcats (14-13, 10-6 MAC) capped the pair’s Convo careers with a five-set victory over Buffalo (14-15, 10-6 MAC).
Ohio carried over momentum from Friday night’s game where the Bobcats took the Bulls down in four sets.
“Really proud and happy for how our team played tonight,” head coach Geoff Carlston said postgame Saturday.
In the first set, the two teams took turns finding runs. The Bobcats jumped out to a 12-8 lead thanks to two kills in three points from Kam Hunt. Buffalo quickly responded equally the score at 12 and forcing Carlston to call his first timeout.
Carlston also received a yellow card in the first set during a heated conversation with an official over a lost challenge.
Back-and-forth play continued until Ohio got two late kills from Anna Kharchynska to seal the set in favor of the Bobcats 25-23.
The second set began very similar to the first one. However, Ohio was able to build a four-point lead and maintain it throughout the set. Although Buffalo was winning points in the second, they could never fully pull back even with the Bobcats.
For the second consecutive time, Kharchynska hit home the set-ending kill.
Through the first two sets, Kharchynska led the match in attacks, kills and points. And on her senior day, Hoerlein led the match with 4.0 blocks.
Buffalo’s first two sets were plagued by mistakes. With 12 attack errors and six service errors, the Bulls did themselves no favors while trailing in the match.
To begin the third set, Ohio came out aggressive quickly building a 7-2 lead. Even trailing big, Buffalo got back in the match quickly getting back in the match 11-10 down in the middle of the set.
The Bobcats didn’t let up even though the score was close. On the final point of the match, Schafer served and ended with the game-winning block to finish her career playing in Athens.
“(To) get the block to end the match, was very poetic,” Carlston said.
Ohio not only sent its two seniors out with a win, but also with the weekend sweep over Buffalo the Bobcats put themselves in a position to make the MAC Tournament.
“We had to do it, we had to win both of these games. And so now we still control our own destiny,” Carlston said.
The Bobcats’ regular season will end next week with two games against one of the top teams in the MAC: Bowling Green.