Men’s Volleyball: Buckeyes survive in five sets

Sara Sharp
Sat, 06 Apr 2024 18:24:20 +0000
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The No. 10 Ohio State men’s volleyball team (18-8, 11-5) rallied to beat No. 18 McKendree (14-10, 8-7) in a five-set reverse sweep on Thursday at the Covelli Center. Courtesy: Ohio State Athletics

After dropping the first two sets, No. 10 Ohio State rallied to beat No. 18 McKendree in a five-set reverse sweep.?

The Buckeyes (18-8, 11-5) bested the Bearcats (14-10, 8-7)? Thursday at the Covelli Center, finishing 2-0 against the fellow conference opponent this season.?

Redshirt-senior middle blocker Justin Howard said despite losing the first two sets, the team remained confident in their ability to win it all.?

“We believe that we’re one of the best teams in the country, and regardless of winning a set or losing a set we didn’t really flinch,” Howard said. “We just knew that it was going to be a longer game than we wanted, and the focus was just winning one point at a time.”

Senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur led the Ohio State offense with 15 kills. Sophomore opposite hitter Shane Wetzel followed with 11.?

Senior libero Thomas Poole led defensively with 14 digs and Pasteur followed with nine.?

The Buckeyes were strong at the net, collecting 24 total blocks in the victory, led by Howard with six.?

Set one began in favor of the Bearcats as they jumped to an 8-3 lead off a collection of kills by junior outside hitter Kevin Schuele. Multiple errors by the McKendree offense brought the score back within two.?

A Schuele kill and Ohio State attack error stretched the gap to an 18-12 score. The Bearcats remained comfortably ahead to finish out the set and a slam by sophomore opposite hitter Bryce Wetjen capped the score at 25-18.?

McKendree carried its momentum into the second set, grabbing an early 4-1 lead. Kills by Pasteur and Wetzel brought the score back within one.?

The Bearcats held a consistent lead until an ace from redshirt-senior setter Michael Wright tied the set at 18 apiece.?

McKendree recollected its lead, and two Ohio State errors placed the team at set point. A final error by the Buckeyes gave the Bearcats a 25-20 second set victory.?

?After going down two sets to start the game, Ohio State head coach Kevin Burch said he told his players to focus on what they could control.?

“They have control of the situation, no one else is going to be able to do anything for them,” Burch said. “At some point, you have to buckle down and hash that out when things get hard, and they did that in just enough time.”?

?Heading into a critical third set, the two teams battled for a lead with a Wetzel kill putting Ohio State on top 6-5. Multiple Buckeye errors followed, handing McKendree a 12-7 lead.?

The Bearcats remained ahead until late into the set when their errors tied the score at 21-21.?

?The lead bounced between the two teams as the set pushed past regulation. A McKendree attack error and Pasteur termination ended the set with Ohio State on top 28-26.?

?With the third set victory came a momentum shift for the Buckeyes, and they grabbed a 7-6 lead to start the fourth. The set remained close, and a Wetjen slam tied the score at 14-14.?

Sparked by a kill from redshirt-freshman hitter Daniel Hurley, Ohio State went on a 6-0 scoring run. The Buckeyes extended their lead to seven and snagged the fourth set 25-18.?

?Ohio State carried the energy from their fourth set victory into the fifth, grabbing a 4-0 lead off triple terminations by Howard. Back-to-back service aces from Pasteur extended the lead to six.?

After trailing by at least five through most of the set, the Bearcats brought the score back to 14-11 off an ace by redshirt-freshman outside hitter Aric Olsen. McKendree’s late run was not enough for victory, and the Buckeyes completed their reverse sweep with a 15-11 fifth set score.?

?On Friday the Buckeyes swept Maryville during senior night in Columbus, Ohio.?

Ohio State will kickoff the quarterfinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament on Saturday.?