Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
Ohio State
Golden Eagles Lose Heartbreaker to Ohio State 3-2
9/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 13, 2009
MILWAUKEE- The Marquette women's volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking match to Ohio State Sunday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center, 3-2 (22-25, 25-16, 19-25, 25-21, 12-15).
"That was a really hard fought match for us," head coach Bond Shymansky said. "I feel like we played a lot of great volleyball about 85 percent of the time and, like any coach, we want it 100 percent of the time. When we do, we look pretty good. I like the fight, just the intensity and the tenacity our team is showing. But we still got a ways to go."After losing the third set to trail the match 2-1, the Golden Eagles (9-2) responded to take the fourth, 25-21, and force a fifth frame. In the fifth, the Buckeyes (9-1) were too much to handle for MU, hitting a blistering .409 (11-2-22) in the stanza to capture the match.
Nikki Klingsporn provided excellent leadership once again for Marquette, recording a double-double with 46 assists and 13 digs. Junior Leslie Bielski recorded a career-high 18 kills along with six digs.
The Golden Eagles gave up six points on service errors in the first set and struggled defending a quick Ohio State squad at the net. After allowing the Buckeyes to take the lead late in the frame, the Golden Eagles responded with a four-point run, cutting the deficit to one and forcing an Ohio State timeout.
A Buckeye kill and block quickly put them within two of a first-set victory and eventually closed the set 25-22. Klingsporn led the way with 11 assists and six digs, while Bielski hammered home five kills.
The Golden Eagles went on several runs in the second to surpass the Buckeyes, including four-straight points with the score tied at 10-10. Marquette registered a .476 attack percentage (13-3-2) helping MU to a 25-16 victory.
Ohio State responded aggressively in the third set, holding a consistent lead on the Golden Eagles and posting a seven-point run early in the frame. Freshman Kelsey Mattai stopped the Buckeyes' run with a kill, which put the score at 14-10. From there, a kill from sophomore Holly Mertens and a pair of blocks by Rabbecka Gonyo forced an Ohio State timeout. MU took their first timeout of the set after the Buckeyes pulled ahead by four, 21-17. The Golden Eagles could not respond quickly enough and fell 25-19.
Three consecutive service aces by Ashley Beyer put MU ahead early in the fourth set 5-0. The Buckeyes fought back into play and tied the match at 10-10 to force an MU timeout. With the score tied at 21-21, the Golden Eagles took the lead on an OSU attack error and a kill from Ciara Jones. Marquette finished off the fourth set, 25-21, on another kill by Jones.
The Golden Eagles could not hold a lead in the final frame of the match, as Ohio State's Katie Dull registered three kills early. A net error on the Buckeyes and a service ace by Bielski tied the score at 6-6, but Ohio State responded quickly. Two Ohio State kills and an attack error from Marquette gave the Golden Eagles their first defeat of the year at the Al McGuire Center, falling in the final frame 15-12.
The Golden Eagles conclude the weekend 9-2 after a perfect 3-0 record at the Panther Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Klingsporn was named the tournament's most valuable player, while Bielski was also named to the all-tournament team.
The Golden Eagles return to action Friday at the Michigan/adidas Invitational against No. 7 Michigan at noon. MU will also play Oregon State Friday before taking on Dayton Saturday afternoon.
