Ohio State
3-0
Texas A&M
1-1
Buckeyes Top #16 Texas A&M in Top-20 Showdown
8/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2016
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DENTON, Texas —The No. 15 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team (3-0) answered the bell time and time again in a five-set triumph over No. 16 Texas A&M (1-1) to emerge as champions of the North Texas Challenge. Ohio State withstood several Aggie advantages to pull off a 21-25, 32-30, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13 clincher. Taylor Sandbothe (voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player), Taylor Hughes and Valeria León were named to the all-tournament squad. It marks the ninth consecutive non-conference event in which Sandbothe picked up all-tourney accolades, a streak dating back to her freshman campaign.
Sandbothe exploded for a career-high 26 kills and 32 points in the Top-20 clash with Texas A&M. For the weekend, she attacked .507 while averaging over four kills per set. Hughes guided the Buckeye attack to a 13.91 kills/set clip while also pacing the bunch defensively with a total of 26 digs. The OSU setter racked up seven services aces as well. León came in right behind with 25 digs and served as a primary passer throughout the three victories.
Saturday’s pseudo-title match between Ohio State and the Aggies started off poorly for the Scarlet & Gray as Texas A&M led from start to finish in the opening 25-21 set, despite a six-kill showing from Sandbothe.
Set number two could have gone either way with 16 tied scores and four lead changes, but it was ultimately the Buckeyes arising victorious, 32-30. Texas A&M shielded off the Buckeyes first seven set-point opportunities before back-to-back terminations from senior middles Sandbothe and Kylie Randall sealed the deal at 32-30. Ohio State swung .318 for the frame and utilized a pair of aces to even the contest at one set apiece.
Set 3 wasn’t pretty as both sides attacked ‘in the red,’ posting attack efficiences in the negatives. The scoring edge bounced back and forth once again before a repeat 25-21 ledger went to the Aggies. Ohio State leaped ahead 2-1 in the fourth and never looked back en route to a 25-18 equalizer. The Buckeyes burned Texas A&M for three aces; the second of which from Luisa Schirmer handed OSU a seven-point cushion at 10-3. Hughes would later rip the third Buckeye ace to to close out the period 25-18.
The Aggies were forced to blow a timeout trailing 7-3 in the truncated fifth set, but responded nicely with back-to-back tallies to carry Ohio State into timeout territory. Sandbothe responded with three more kills, including her fifth of the set to hand OSU it’s first match-point opportunity at 14-12. Following a kill from Jazzmin Babers, Hughes and Randall teamed up for the victory-clinching stuff.
Ohio State plays host to the 12th annual Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic next weekend (Sept. 2-3). It will mark the event’s first appearance at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus, serving as a precursor to the 2016 NCAA Championships held in Ohio’s capital city (Dec. 15 & 17).
