Volleyball splits matches in home stand

The differences between the two games of the UB volleyball team this weekend contrast as starkly as night and day.

After a brutal 3-0 defeat at the hands of the nationally ranked Ohio Bobcats on Friday night, UB responded the following evening with a 3-1 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes to secure its first MAC victory on the season.

Ohio's shutout started with a 30-20 win in game one which actually saw UB hold the lead 12-8 at one point. The 23rd-ranked Bobcats then fought back and forth with the Bulls with the game being tied at both 14 and 19 before Ohio (18-2 overall, 8-0 Mid-American Conference) ran away with the win.

Head coach Jim Lodes said he was somewhat disappointed in the team's play against Ohio.

"They're ranked 23rd in the country and are two-time MAC Champs. They are a very good team," Lodes said. "At the same point, I'm a little disappointed. We had unforced errors, played sloppy and didn't come out and play hard."

Contrarily, Lodes felt that the Bobcats had done a fine job against them.

"They played very well," Lodes said. "I'm just disappointed that we couldn't do more against them."

UB (9-13 overall, 1-7 MAC) kept it close in the beginning of the second game, starting out with a 3-3 tie, but eventually the Bobcats took a 19-5 lead after 7-0 and 9-0 runs en route to winning game two.

The third game saw the Bulls start out strong again, at one point tied 8-8, but let the game slip away by allowing Ohio to go on 4-0 and 7-0 runs to end up winning the match.

One high note in the loss was that senior Amy Brown surpassed the 900 mark for career digs with the six she recorded that game and pitched in with 25 assists as well. Junior Nikki Morzenti led the Bulls with nine kills against Ohio and junior Brandie Clark led the team in digs with 15.

Saturday's game had quite the opposite fortune for the Bulls. The opening game against Kent State went in favor of the Bulls, 30-21. The game was tied at one point 10-10 but the Bulls busted it open with a 8-2 run.

The Golden Flashes (6-13 overall, 2-6 MAC) responded in the second game, coming out with a 5-1 lead to begin it. Kent State had a six-point lead until UB chopped it down to 21-20. The one-point margin was the closest the Bulls came to the lead as KSU kept UB at bay to win the game 30-27.

The Bulls bounced back in the third game, taking an early 8-4 lead and eventually winning the game 30-19 in impressive fashion. The momentum carried over into what proved to be the clinching game for UB as the Bulls won the match 30-20, at one point leading by 13.

Lodes felt that the Bulls had adjusted well against Kent State after they took the second game.

"When they made adjustments, we followed our new game plan," Lodes said. "We finally made that move. Kent State did a great job after game one. They gave us a lot to focus on in game three. They did what they had to do to beat us. We counterbalanced."

A trio of Bulls achieved double-doubles against KSU. Brown had 46 assists and 10 digs. Senior Katie Weekley led the team in kills with 14 and blocks with 11. Clark pitched in 12 kills with 14 digs. Sophomore Lizaiha Garcia led the team in digs with 20. Morzenti and junior Lauren Burd also achieved double-digits in kills with Morzenti getting 10 and Burd recording 13.

Both games against Ohio and Kent State were the second time UB had played these teams this season. The Bulls lost both road games, with a score of 3-1 to KSU and 3-0 at Ohio.

Lodes felt that having already faced these teams this year makes for a better-informed match.

"We have tapes on each other," Lodes said. "We kind of know what they like to do. It's who knows it better. It's a little bit of a chess match."

The Bulls play again on Friday at 7 p.m. in Bowling Green and then travel to Miami (Ohio) for a match at 7 p.m. on Saturday.