Sports
Ohio Handles Western Carolina To Earn First Win
By: Nathan Takitch
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After beginning the 2012 season with four straight losses against ranked teams, Ohio Volleyball won its first match of the season; defeating the Western Carolina Catamounts in straight sets; 25-23, 25-15, 25-12.
WCU made the contest interesting early, building a sizeable lead that put pressure on the Bobcats late in the first set. Ohio responded, storming back to tie the game at 23. The ‘Cats won the next two points; clinching the first set in dramatic fashion.
The Catamounts put up another strong fight early in the second frame, but Ohio took over the match after tying the set at 14. The Bobcats closed the second set on an 11-1 run and carried the momentum over to the third and final game, winning the match with little resistance from Western Carolina.
“It’s a monkey off of our backs,” said a calm head coach Ryan Theis, “We knew that Western Carolina wasn’t going to make it easy. It kind of took us a while to get into the flow of the game, but once we did we were able to take advantage.”
It was a solid team win for the Bobcats, who had a wide range of contributors. Five players on Ohio’s squad had at least seven kills in the match, while the team only accumulated 14 total offensive errors.
In terms of individual efforts, outside hitter Kelly Lamberti performed terrifically on the court. The sophomore tallied seven kills, seven digs, and a match-leading two service aces.
“It feels good to get a win,” said Lamberti, “I think it will help us get over the hump with all of our losses from last week.”
Unfortunately, the Lady Bobcats do not have too much time to celebrate this victory. They will do battle against a tough, 17th-ranked Oregon Ducks squad tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the Convocation Center. However, coach Theis is confident in his team’s ability to compete.
“ We’re going to have to play our best tomorrow,” said Theis, “We have an opportunity to win against a very good team. We just have to try to limit the unforced errors and play at our tempo.”