Ohio State
5-2
Syracuse
5-4
Five-Set Thriller Goes to the Buckeyes, Downing Syracuse – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 12, 2014
RELATED INFO
CINCINNATI, Ohio – A busy weekend for Ohio State Women’s Volleyball (5-2) got started with extended work early Friday evening, going the distance and snagging a five-set victory (25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 23-25, 15-8) over Syracuse (5-2) in the opening match of the Millennium Hotel Invitational hosted by Xavier University.
Taylor Sandbothe, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, excelled on both sides of the net. Offensively, the sophomore middle blocker bounced 20 kills at a .415 attacking clip (20-3-41) while also putting up five blocks on the defensive side of the net. In the defensive backcourt, a trio of Buckeyes posted career-high dig totals. Valeria León paced the squad by sweeping up 23 digs with Taylor Sherwin and Luisa Schirmer notching 18 and 17 digs, respectively.
The Buckeyes were effective from the service line as well, pounding seven aces. Erin Sekinger scored thrice from the stripe while Maggie Heim and Elizabeth Campbell each tallied a pair of aces.
Despite a close final tally, Ohio State’s only deficit of the first set was at 12-11. The Buckeyes then put together a five-point streak to lead for good and ultimately locking the frame at 25-22. Ohio State out-swung Syracuse by nearly 100 percentage points and dug 14 balls in the period.
The second stanza was more highly contested with three lead changes and no lead of more than the final five-point spread as Syracuse took it 25-20.
Set number three started out tight as well, before OSU went to a new gear after the 8-8 mark. Ohio State won 17 of the next 22 points, rolling to a 25-13 triumph. Sandbothe matched her first set offensive stat line of six kills on nine attacks with just one error. León racked up an impressive eight digs in the third set alone.
Despite a 25-dig effort from the Buckeyes in the fourth set, a .143 team attack efficiency proved to be too much to overcome. While the score was tied as late as 22-all, Syracuse escaped with the winner, 25-23, to force a fifth and final set.
Ohio State took advantage of two Orange attack errors to jump out to a 4-1 edge in the fifth. The Buckeyes kept on the accelerator en route to a 15-8 clincher. Sandbothe terminated four of nine errorless swings, supported by a three-kill performance from Schrimer.
The Scarlet & Gray get back at it Saturday morning, facing head coach Geoff Carlston’s previous employer, Ohio University, at 10 a.m. It’ll be a double dip though, also playing against the host Musketeers of Xavier at 7 p.m.,
