ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — In a desperate push for a coveted spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Ohio (13-13, 9-6 MAC) was able to push aside Buffalo (14-14, 10-5 MAC) for one of the most important wins of the season to this point. 

Ohio got off to a very fast start in the match. An ace by Bryn Janke served as a precursor for the high-powered offense that Ohio would put on display in the opening set. Ohio took an early 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye with kills by Anna Kharchynska and Kam Hunt highlighting the run. Unlike some other runs for Ohio, it was able to keep up the pressure on Buffalo, extending the lead to 10-1 and, eventually, 21-6 before winning the first set, 25-10. 

The dominance from the Bobcats in the opening set was something to behold as the team outhit the Bulls by an astounding 0.364 to -0.045. The massive difference in energy was something that was welcome for Ohio head coach Geoff Carlston who admits that his team are usually “terrible starters.” Despite that characterization from her coach, Janke attributes the hot start to something else. 

“I think just staying with what we know, focusing on those skills and running the offense cleanly,” Janke said. “(We were) just making sure that we’re taking control of the game and not letting them take everything.”

The second set was a lot closer than the first. Buffalo was able to take an early, albeit one that was wrestled away by Ohio. The teams traded the lead back and forth until, when the score was tied at six apiece, Ohio went on an 8-2 run to make it 14-8. The rally was not over for Ohio as it continued to mount a lead, getting up by as many as six points and eventually getting to a set point with a 24-20 lead. Buffalo would not blink, going on an improbable 5-0 run to take the second set and any hopes of a dominant, quick victory for Ohio. 

The deflating ending to the second set for Ohio would be enough to sap some teams of any semblance of synergy and composure. For a moment, it appeared as if that might be the case. Buffalo continued to force Ohio into making errors early in the third set. However, that all changed when Ohio got a break in the form of a kill from Kharchynska. That catapulted Ohio back into the set. The teams would continue to trade points. Down 21-19, Ohio flipped the script from the previous set, blowing past Buffalo to take the third set. 

The third set, as pivotal as any, was a huge moment for the Bobcats. They very easily could have folded under the deteriorating confidence stemming from a deflating loss in the second set. Instead, they found a way to rise above the adversity and respond by dishing out some adversity to their opponent. 

“Third sets are always the big ones,” Carlston said. “We played a really good third set. It was not a pretty third set but it was a grinder and we were able to pull that one off. That was huge… we showed some guts.” 

The fourth set was more like the previous two sets, not the first one. The teams, again, traded points with the Bobcats taking the lead only for the Bulls to tie the score. After a short run for the Bobcats, the score stood at 8-4 before the advantage got to 12-5 in favor of the home team. Like the Bobcats could have after the second set, it would have been easy for the Bulls to throw in the towel; it was a good comeback in the second set, but ultimately not their night. That was not the case as they stormed back to make it a one-point set with the score at 19-18, Bobcats. 

Seemingly, Buffalo used up all of its gas to get even with Ohio. After the score tightened, Ohio was able to pull away for good, winning the fourth and final set, 25-21 on a kill by Olivia Gardener. 

The match was truly a showcase of the talent on the roster for Ohio. Kharchynska and Hunt, the leaders of the offensive attack, ended the match with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Janke had 37 assists while Kendall Hickey had 26 digs. Each of the starters for Ohio hit over 0.200 over the course of the match. That being said, these numbers mean nothing without the team continuing to play at this level with this sense of urgency. 

“We’re treating it like the MAC Tournament,” Carlston said. “This is a dry run for two weeks from now when you have to win to move on.” 

With the MAC Tournament nearing and the pendulum swinging with every point, set and match across the conference, teams like Ohio that find itself in the cluster of teams hovering in contention for the final couple of spots are looking for one thing: a chance. 

“We have a good group and we’re playing really well right now,” Carlston said. “I want this group to have the opportunity to get in the tournament because we’re going to be a gnarly team to play if we can do it. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but tonight was a good start.”