Buckeyes Drop 3-1 Match to Penn State in NCAA Tournament

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State (23-10) had its 12-match win streak stopped by Penn State (27-3) in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, Tuesday. The Nittany Lions advanced to the semifinals vs. Hawai’i Thursday with a 3-1 win over the Buckeyes.

Shane Wetzel led Ohio State with 20 kills while Jacob Pasteur added 16. Setter Michael Wright led Ohio State with 40 assists while Thomas Poole led the way with 11 digs.

How it Happened

Set 1

Kills by Jack Stevens and Shane Wetzel put Ohio State up 3-2 early. The squads exchanged points until consecutive scores put Penn State up 9-7. A Nittany Lions ace increased the advantage to 11-8. Stevens and Cole Young went back-to-back with kills and Stevens added an ace to make it 14-13 PSU. The Buckeyes tied it after a 4-0 run on a Penn State error at 14-all. The Nittany Lions went into the media timeout leading 15-14 on an Ohio State service error. Ohio State called timeout after the Nittany Lions went back up by two (18-16). The Buckeyes called timeout down 24-22 before dropping the set 25-22 on a Penn State ace. Ohio State hit .391 in the opener while PSU hit .450. Wetzel led the Buckeyes with four kills.

A look at Stevens' kill👀🔥 https://t.co/6O20GFIdCQ pic.twitter.com/Gh9RM6pJVn

— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) May 3, 2023

Set 2

A Wetzel kill followed by his ace put Ohio State up 6-4. The Buckeyes went up 8-5 on a PSU service error. An ace by Young made it 10-6 Buckeyes. A 5-1 PSU run tied it at 12-all. The set went back-and-forth with PSU leading 15-14 at the media timeout. After the Nittany Lions took a 16-14 lead, kills by Wright and Wetzel tied it at 16. Another Wright kill before a Samuel Clark ace gave the Buckeyes an 18-17 lead. The Buckeyes called timeout after PSU regained the lead at 19-18. After a long rally, Pasteur tied it with a kill at 19-all. Another Pasteur kill led to a Penn State timeout with the Buckeyes leading 20-19. Ohio State went up 21-19 on a PSU error and went up 24-22 on a Wetzel kill. The Nittany Lions called timeout and tied the set at 24-all. The Buckeyes then called timeout and won the set (26-24) on a service error and Pasteur kill. Wetzel led both teams with 11 kills with Pasteur up to nine. The Buckeyes outhit the Nittany Lions in the set .382-.320.

Set 3

Ohio State started 2-0 with kills by Wetzel and Pasteur. Penn State took a 5-4 lead on an OSU error. Pasteur ended a 5-1 PSU run with a kill to make it 8-6 Nittany Lions. Ohio State called timeout following a PSU block that gave the Nittany Lions a 10-6 lead. Penn State built the lead to 13-8 on an Ohio State service error. Penn State stayed hot with an 8-1 run to build a 22-12 lead. The Nittany Lions then finished off the set to win, 25-13.

Set 4

Ohio State took a 7-4 lead on a Wright solo block. A Justin Howard kill made it 11-8 Buckeyes. Penn State then took a 14-13 lead after a 5-1 run. The Nittany Lions led 15-14 at the media timeout. A Wetzel kill tied it at 18-all and another put the Buckeyes up 19-18 after a 4-1 run. Penn State then scored the next two on a block and an ace to force an Ohio State timeout with the Buckeyes trailing 20-19. A Howard kill tied it at 20-all before PSU regained the lead with a kill. Wetzel countered with a blast but Penn State answered to make it 22-21 Nittany Lions. Another Wetzel kill evened the set again at 22. The teams traded points with Pasteur making it 23-all with a kill. Ohio State took the lead 24-23 on a Howard kill. Penn State called a timeout before an Ohio State service error tied it again at 24-all. Penn State then went ahead with an ace and won it 26-24 on a Ohio State error.

Ohio State advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 win over King University Sunday. The Buckeyes were led by junior Jacob Pasteur’s match-high 17 kills along with 10 each from freshman Shane Wetzel and Jack Stevens.
The AVCA named Pasteur to its 2023 First Team All-America squad Monday while also selecting sophomore Cole Young and freshman Wetzel to the 2023 Honorable Mention All-America team.
The Buckeyes are 49-83-1 all-time vs. Penn State. Ohio State defeated the No. 1 Nittany Lions in State College March 21, 3-2 (25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13).
The last time the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions squared off in the NCAA Tournament was in the 2011 semifinals when Ohio State advance to the national championship match with a 3-1 win (25-18, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23). The Buckeyes are 2-6 all-time vs Penn State in NCAA Tournament play.
The last time Ohio State and the Nittany Lions met on a neutral court was Jan. 11, 2014 at the Outrigger Hotels Invitational in Honolulu Hawai’i, a 3-1 win for Penn State.
The Buckeyes made their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Ohio State last appeared in the event in 2018 when the Buckeyes advanced to the finals before falling to Long Beach State, who advance to the 2023 semifinals with a win over Grand Canyon.
Overall, the Buckeyes are 17-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State won its 18th MIVA Tournament title with its 3-1 win at top-seeded Ball State in Muncie April 22. Redshirt junior Michael Wright was named the tournament MVP. He joined Pasteur and Wetzel on the all-tournament team.

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