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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University men’s volleyball team stormed back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to clinch a five-set triumph over No. 13 Purdue Fort Wayne. The Buckeyes scrapped their way through a 32-30 extended fourth set and carried the momentum into the 15-9 deciding fifth frame (18-25, 25-16, 21-25, 32-30, 15-9).
✅ Win over Top-15 team
✅ Career-high 30 kills for Jake Hanes
✅ Career-high 16 kills for Sean Ryan
✅ Career-high 14 digs for Reese Devilbiss
✅ Career-high 3 aces for Chase Moothart
✅ Final two points by Austin Gerwig (former Mastodon)
Ohio State (9-18, 4-9 MIVA) attacked .392 as a squad with 67 kills compared to 48 and a .223 hitting clip for the Mastodons (16-10, 8-5 MIVA). The Buckeyes held a significant blocked edge as well, out-stuffing Purdue Fort Wayne 13-8.
BUCKEYE BITS
🌰 Hanes’ 30 kills were more than the top-two Mastodons combined (Alex Dickmann 16 kills, Pelegrin Vargas 13 kills)
🌰 Blake Leeson got up for seven blocks, nearly matching Purdue Fort Wayne’s team total of eight
🌰 There were just two tied scores and zero lead changes in the first three sets before a marathon Set 4 included 22 stalemates and three lead changes
🌰 Gerwig terminated all three of his offensive swings and paired with Ryan for the match-clinching block following his third kill which set Ohio State up with match point
🌰 Most blocks for Ohio State (13) since posting 16 vs. Saint Francis on Feb. 1
While Devilbiss’ 14 digs, six kills and four blocks show up on the box score, his most pivotal contribution does not … superb passing in the serve-receive game. Hanes (30-9-52; .404), Leeson (11-1-18; .556) and Ryan (16-4-27; .444) all attacked over .400 in an offensive performance sparked by excellent passing and smooth setting from Sanil Thomas (59 assists).
SET 1: Purdue Fort Wayne bounced 12 kills on 17 error-free attempts, attacking .706 in the opening frame. The Buckeyes simply couldn’t keep up and dropped it 25-18.
SET 2: Ohio State flipped the script, taking its turn with 12 kills at a high rate (.500). Hanes and Ryan combined to go 9-0-12 and the Buckeyes stuffed Purdue Fort Wayne six times. All that resulted in a 25-16 equalizer.
SET 3: Similar to the first two sets, the third consisted of an early lead that would not be relinquished throughout. The Mastodons regained control via a 25-21 winner.
SET 4: This is when things went a bit nutty. Ohio State followed up eight service errors in the third with nine more in the fourth. However, the Hanes-Leeson-Ryan trio off-set the serving damage by pounding home 21 kills. From 7-5 through set’s end at 32-30, neither side could muster a lead of more than two points. Thirteen consecutive sideouts were strung together from 17-16 to 23-22 before back-to-back Buckeye tallies broke the streak at 24-22. Purdue Fort Wayne responded with two in a row of their own when a second string of 13 straight sideouts came about from 24-24 to 31-30. Kills by Hanes on subsequent points finally sealed the deal, 32-30.
Tonight's 32-30 fourth set included two separate streaks of 13 consecutive sideouts as the two teams exchanged haymakers.
Wildly entertaining at St. John Arena.
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) April 5, 2019
SET 5: Ohio State carried its momentum into the fifth, matching Purdue Fort Wayne’s three kills with three rejections to keep the Mastodons at an even .000 team hitting percentage (3-3-18). Meanwhile, the Buckeyes rolled along at a .421 (9-1-19) clip and capped off the night on an 8-2 run.
The 2019 regular season comes to an end Saturday (Apr. 6) when Ohio State hosts Ball State at 7 p.m. ET. So, too, does St. John Arena as the main competition venue for men’s volleyball. The Covelli Center is set to open soon and will serve as the new home of Buckeye Men’s Volleyball.
