No. 7 Ohio State Sweeps No. 9 Nebraska in Covelli
11/6/2021 10:15:38 PM | Women's Volleyball
Box Score | Season Stats | Photo Gallery
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team (19-5, 9-5 Big Ten) earned the sweep (27-25, 25-21, 25-23) against No. 9 Nebraska (17-6, 11-3 Big Ten) on Saturday night inside the Covelli Center.
How it Happened
Nebraska scored first to open the match, but Ohio State had two separate 3-0 runs early to take a 7-3 lead and force a Huskers timeout. The Buckeyes extended its lead to 9-3 before the Huskers scored four in a row to trim the margin to 9-7. The teams traded small runs as Nebraska trimmed the OSU lead to 12-11 to force a timeout. The Huskers tied the set at 14 and took the 15-14 lead, their first since leading 1-0. The score was tied at the next three points before a 4-0 Nebraska run forced an Ohio State timeout trailing 21-17. The Buckeyes tied the set at 22, including a string of four points from Rylee Rader, to force a Husker timeout. The set required extra as the Buckeyes tied the set at 24 and 25 with kills from Emily Londot. Back-to-back Buckeye points sealed the 27-25 set win on a block from Gabby Gonzales and Arica Davis.
Ohio State scored the first three points of the second set but Nebraska tied the set at five and grabbed its first lead of the set at 7-6. The Buckeyes immediately took the lead back and held the lead despite being tied at eight, nine and 13. Three-consecutive Ohio State points gave the Buckeyes a 16-13 lead and forced a Nebraska timeout. OSU extended its lead to 18-14 and went up 21-17 to force another Husker timeout. Ohio State was the next to call timeout as the lead was down to 22-20. Ohio State won the set, 25-21, on a Nebraska attack error.
The Buckeyes scored the first two points in the third set but the Huskers responded with the next three to take a 3-2 lead and also led 5-3. Ohio State owned the next six points to take a 9-5 lead. Nebraska would take a 12-11 lead, its first since leading 5-3. The Buckeyes responded to tie the match at 14 and 15 but a 4-1 Husker run forced an OSU timeout trailing 19-16. The Buckeyes cut their deficit to one on two occasions before tying the set at 21 with a block from Londot and Davis. The set was tied at 22 and 23 before Ohio State grabbed its first lead since leading 11-10. The Buckeyes won the match on a kill from Rader and a 25-23 set three win.
Highlights
S1: Mia Grunze kill
S1: Set point (Gabby Gonzales/Arica Davis block)
S2: Arica Davis kill
S2: Set point (Nebraska attack error)
S3: Defensive saves
S3: Match point (Rylee Rader kill)
Match Notes
- This is the second top-10 sweep during Jen Flynn Oldenburg’s tenure and the first this season as the Buckeyes swept a 10th-ranked Penn State team in March.
- Kylie Murr reached double-figure digs for the fifth-straight match and the 21st time this season, finishing with a match-high 16 digs. She’s now tied for eighth all-time in career digs (1,281).
- Arica Davis finished the match with six blocks, the sixth time this season she’s recorded at least six blocks in a match.
- Rylee Rader was the first Buckeye to 10 kills, doing so for the 10th time this season and finishing with 15 kills.
- Gabby Gonzales recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs while Mac Podraza recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs.
- Emily Londot’s six blocks tied for her second-highest total of the season.
- Set one: The largest run of the set by either team was a 5-0 run by the Buckeyes to take a 9-3 lead.
- Set two: The Huskers’ only lead of the set was at 7-6.
- Set three: The set featured 10 ties and four lead changes.
What They Said
Head Coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg on tonight’s outcome:
“I’m super proud of our team and staff. I think the preparation we had the last day and a half leading into this match was fantastic. There was a fire in our eyes that we had even after that Minnesota loss. It was how we were going to respond and they did a fantastic job with that and came to play tonight. That’s how we need to play from now on and I think now that they’re feeling it, that’s going to be the new standard.”
Sophomore middle blocker Rylee Rader on what worked for the Buckeyes”
“I think we were aggressive the whole entire game – we didn’t let them take over once. That starts with our serve and pass, we handled their aggressive serves really well and that led to us getting good sets and good swings. I think we set ourselves up for success the whole time.”
Junior outside hitter Gabby Gonzales on the strong starts in each set:
“We’ve been really focused on our energy and our communication with each other. When we’re there, it’s great and it’s really hard to stop us. Focusing on the non-tangible items that aren’t just our play but our voices and our energy and how much we give to each other.”
Up Next
Ohio State is on the road next weekend for two matches. The Buckeyes first travel to Northwestern for a 2 p.m. ET match on Saturday. On Sunday, OSU faces No. 25 Illinois at 1 p.m. ET. Both matches will be broadcast live on B1G+ (subscription required).
Single-match and season tickets for all home games are now on sale. Purchase today to see your Buckeyes inside Covelli this season.
The NCAA Final Four will be held in Columbus at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 16 and 18. Visit HERE for more information.
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