Nov. 20, 2009

Final Stats

TOLEDO, Ohio - In a match that saw 33 ties and 12 lead changes, the Bobcats came out on top, 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-19 and 25-18). Katie Post racked up ten kills and hit an impressive .368, while Michelle Jantsch accumulated 42 assists to propel her team to victory. Friday's match marked the second consecutive time that the Bobcats and the Cardinals had met in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals, as Ohio swept Ball State 3-0 in last year's tournament.

The match got off to an intense start, as Ball State's blockers started strong out of the gate and propelled the Cardinals to an early 4-2 lead. The `Cats answered back with some strong defensive play of their own, as Sue Jacobi (Lousiville, Ky.) was all over the court, connecting on some important kills and one huge solo block to energize the Green and White. With the Cardinals pressuring the `Cats early and holding an 11-9 lead, Jantsch (Mission Hills, Kans.) and Meghan Simons (Lancaster, Oh.) put up a defensive wall to block a Cardinal attack and give the serve to Ohio.

The Cardinals kept pressing and at one point generated a 16-12 first-set lead. The No. 1 seed Bobcats refused to let this stand for long, as they tied up the score at 20-20 on a kill by Ellen Herman (Toledo, Oh.). Jantsch followed up the kill by serving an ace to give the `Cats a 21-20 lead. The Cardinals finally proved to be too much in the first set, taking it by a score of 25-22 on the strength of a solo block by Kelsey Brandi. The Cardinals connected for 13 kills for a hitting percentage of .258 in the first set and the Bobcats also accumulated 13 kills but hit for .167.

"Ball State is a really good team defensively," said head coach Ryan Theis. "Although the numbers may not completely show it I think they may be the best defensive team in the league."

The second set began just as competitively as the first, with the `Cats jumping out to an early 3-2 lead. The Cardinals battled back to take an advantage, but Jantsch slyly tip-killed a ball at the knot the scores at 4-4. Ohio stepped it up both offensively and defensively early in the second set, forcing the No. 8 seed Cardinals to take a timeout facing an 11-8 deficit. The `Cats kept adding to the lead, and when Faith Robbins (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Katie Post (Streamwood, Ill.) combined for a huge block to make it 14-8, Ball State spent another timeout in an attempt to regain their focus.

The second timeout did prove useful, as Ball State proceeded to rattle off three straight points before Post smashed home her third kill of the night to end stop the rally in its tracks. The Cardinals were able to pick it up again, however, forcing the Bobcats to take a timeout with a 16-14 lead.

Nicole Staverman's consistent serving settled the `Cats into a groove, as they rattled off four straight points to take a commanding 21-14 lead. Staverman (Edgewood, Ky.) added one service ace to the important mid-set run. Alisha Green of the Cardinals came up with a few huge plays of her own, as she registered one kill and 1.5 blocks in three points, leading to another Bobcat timeout at 22-19. A few points later a Ball State service error led to the `Cats taking the second set by a score of 25-23.

Both teams fought tooth and nail in the third set, as neither side conceded an inch. At 8-8, senior Sarah Petrulis (Westlake, Oh.) helped put together a nice run for the Bobcats, as they rattled off an important two points. However, the resilient Cardinals refused to go down without a fight, tying the score back up at 10 apiece. Sophomore Mandy Nichols (Greenwood, Ind.) gave the `Cats a big boost when she slammed home a kill to put the Green and White ahead by one, 15-14, going into the first timeout of the third set. Ball State's Alisha Green then came right back with her 13th kill of the night to re-tie the score at 15.

Post really put her stamp on the third game, accumulating four kills, all of which came at critical junctures. Not only did she play solid at the net, she also put together a crucial two-point point service run to give the Ohio a 23-19 lead. 2009 MAC Player of the Year Ellen Herman then added a kill, putting the `Cats at set point. Ohio made quick work of it, as an extended rally with some great digs by Petrulis and Meryl Bender (Yorktown, Ind.) set up a beautiful kill by Simons, her ninth of the evening.

With a two set to one lead, the Ohio Alumni Varsity Band and the large contingent of Ohio fans in the SeaGate Centre erupted in cheers, realizing that their Bobcats could advance to the semifinals with just one more set victory. The `Cats hit an impressive .355 in the third set, surpassing their first and second set percentages by a large margin.

Ohio jumped out to a 12-7 third-set lead on the strength of solid team defense and a serving run by Staverman, forcing the Cardinals to use their first timeout. It then pushed the lead to 20-14, really putting the pressure on the Cardinals, forcing them to use their second and final timeout of the set. A beautiful tip-kill by Jantsch put the `Cats up 24-18 and they didn't concede another point, clinching the fourth set 25-18.

"It took everybody making some sort of big play for us to win tonight, and we were able to do that," said Theis.

The Bobcats (24-5) will play the No. 5 seed, Central Michigan, at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Log onto OhioBobcats.com for a link to live tournament stats.