Ohio University kept its flawless conference record intact Wednesday at Victor E. Court by sweeping NIU in three games: 30-25, 30-24, 30-16.

With three attackers in double digits, the team played on offense for Ohio (21-2 overall, 13-0 MAC), proving too much for NIU’s one-pronged attack of Tera Lobdell.

“They’re a championship team,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “We can only hope to aspire to be like them and how they work hard for each other as a team.”

In Games 1 and 2, NIU (9-18, 4-9) kept up with the Bobcats with 12 lead changes and 21 ties between the two games.

But in the end, Ohio made small plays to take a point here and there to win, Gooden said.

In Game 3, Ohio asserted itself on both sides of the ball, holding NIU to just a .026 hitting percentage while posting a .552 percentage themselves.

“In games 1 and 2 we played OK until late,” Gooden said. “But in that third game, we just forgot everything. That really put a sour note on the night.”

Lobdell leads the team with 22 kills and needs 59 more to become the all-time leader in the MAC.