Buckeyes Battle on Sold-Out Senior Night

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-9, 15-5 B1G) fell to No. 3 Wisconsin (25-3, 19-1 B1G) in four sets (22-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-27) front of a sold-out Covelli crowd in the regular-season finale on senior night.

There were 12 ties and five lead changes in the first set, but Wisconsin earned the 25-22 set win. The Badgers started strong in the second set and didn’t look back, winning the set by a 25-17 margin. Ohio State took the third set by a 25-19 mark following 5-0 runs early and late in the set. The Buckeyes used a 5-0 run to take the late lead but three-straight Badger points ended the match with a 27-25 win in set four.

How it Happened

Wisconsin’s service error put Ohio State on the board first with the teams trading points until three-unanswered from the Badgers gave them a 6-4 advantage. The Buckeyes answered with a 6-2 run to lead 10-8, but Wisconsin responded to take a 12-11 lead. Ohio State scored the three points going into the media timeout with a 15-14 lead. A 4-0 Badgers run forced a Buckeye timeout trailing 19-16. Ohio State scored back-to-back points out of the timeout to trim the deficit to one, doing so on three occasions before Wisconsin earned the 25-22 set win.

The Badgers opened scoring in set two with the first five points to force a Buckeye timeout. Wisconsin pushed the lead to as many as seven at 10-3 before Ohio State had back-to-back points. The Buckeyes could not get closer than five as a pair of Badger points pushed their lead to 19-12, forcing an OSU timeout. Ohio State scored three-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 20-15, but Wisconsin earned the 25-17 set win.

In the third set, Wisconsin scored the first two points but Ohio State tied the set at three and strung together a 5-0 run to take an 8-4 lead and force a Badgers’ timeout. Wisconsin got within one out of the timeout on three occasions before Ohio State scored four-straight to prompt another Badger timeout with OSU up 17-12. A 5-0 Buckeye run stretched the Ohio State lead to 22-14 before three-unanswered Wisconsin points forced an OSU timeout leading 22-17. The Buckeyes capped a 25-19 set win on a kill from Emily Londot.

The Badgers used an early six-point run to take a 9-3 lead amidst a Buckeye timeout. Ohio State used a 5-1 run to get within two at 11-9. Rader’s third service ace of the set cut the Buckeyes’ deficit to one at 16-15, but a 3-0 Wisconsin run pushed the margin to 20-16, forcing an OSU timeout. The Badgers continued their run out of the timeout before the Buckeyes scored back-to-back points to cut the deficit to 22-19 and force Wisconsin to take a timeout. The Badgers went up 24-20 following an unsuccessful OSU challenge, but the Buckeyes responded with the next five points to take a 25-24 lead. Wisconsin scored the next three points to seal the match with a 27-25 set win.

Highlights

S1: Rylee Rader kill

S1: Sarah Sue Morbitzer digs

S1: Mac Podraza/Adria Powell block

S1: Jenaisya Moore kill

S2: Emily Londot kill

S2: Mac Podraza dump kill

S3: Rylee Rader kill

S3: Emily Londot ace

S3: Rylee Rader/Jenaisya Moore block

S3: Kylie Murr dig/Gabby Gonzales kill

S3: Set point

S4: Adria Powell/Emily Londot block

S4: Emily Londot kill

Match Notes

• Emily Londot recorded her 1,100^th career kill.
• Kylie Murr had nine digs in the first set on her way to double figures for the 25^th time this season. She surpassed 20 digs for the 10^th time this season as she totaled 29 digs.
• Rylee Rader was the first in the match to reach 10 kills, doing so for the seventh time this season and finishing with 15 kills.
• Londot recorded at least 10 kills for the 25^th time and at least 20 kills for the second time this season, finishing with 20 kills. She added 17 digs for her 13^th double-double of the season.
• Sarah Sue Morbitzer totaled at least 10 digs for the eighth time this season, finishing with 12 digs.
• Mac Podraza earned her 11^th double-double of the season with 46 assists and 10 digs.
• Gabby Gonzales recorded at least 10 digs for the 13^th time this season, totaling 13 digs.
• Londot had a season-high four aces, while Rader tied her season-high three aces.

What They Said

• Head Coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg: “It’s tough to say goodbye to seniors. I think this group especially, the three years of work they’ve put in and the buy-in they’ve had since the moment I got hired – I can’t appreciate that more. They’re really competitive. They’re a really great group of people and I think that’s what’s always difficult, is saying goodbye to kids that work hard and bring it everyday and have really made a mark on this program.”
• Senior outside Gabby Gonzales: “I think that was a hard, tough-fought game. We played our hearts out, but it’s easy to celebrate when you’re surrounded by so many good people. It’s not about the win or the loss, it’s about all the work that’s gone into it. It’s about the people – it’s about the relationships and the bonds we’ve created with everyone.”
• Senior setter Mac Podraza: “I think it had a lot to do with the team focusing on each other and being there for each other and playing as one. I think when we play separately we don’t do as good of a job. Once we figure out how to play together, and that’s a switch that has to come from within the team, we have to notice what’s going on and make that change together and start moving forward.”
• Senior libero Kylie Murr: “I just want my teammates to know they can count on me so I go out there every night and do everything I can for my team, regardless of what’s going on around me. I can control what I can control and I’m just going to go out there and do my very best every single time. I’m fortunate enough for it to go my way many times but I think that speaks to a lot of the hard work I put in. That doesn’t just come in the games – that comes in practices and there’s never a time that I’m not giving it my all.”

Up Next

The NCAA selection show will take place on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

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