Ohio State
9-0,9-0Big Ten
Illinois
2-6,2-6Big Ten
Ohio State Now 9-0 After Five-Set Win at Illinois
2/20/2021 8:00:40 PM | Women's Volleyball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team found itself in a pickle of a situation for the fourth time this season on Saturday afternoon in Huff Hall: a set away from losing its first match of the year. Once again, this pickle ended up being sweet.
The Buckeyes preserved their unbeaten start to the Jen Flynn Oldenburg era by defeating Illinois (2-6) in five sets (25-22, 16-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-11) to improve to 9-0 on the season. This start is the best-ever for a first-year Ohio State women’s volleyball head coach – there have been five others since the program begin in 1971 – and it is the best start for the program in eight years, or since the 2013 team opened 13-0.
Ohio State fought back from its deficit – prior comebacks came against Maryland, at Michigan State and Penn State – behind a superior hitting percentage – .268-.169 – and a 13.0-8.0 advantage in total blocks. In fact, block assists by Emily Londot and Lauren Witte on the penultimate point of the match and by Witte and Gabby Gonzales on the final point are what clinched the victory.
This was a total team effort for the second consecutive match. Five players had at least nine kills, led by Londot’s 14, a career-high tying 12 by Rylee Rader and 11 from Gonzales.
Mac Podraza had 45 assists and nine digs while Kylie Murr led with 26 digs and Hannah Gruensfelder contributed 14 digs.
Set 1: Ohio State won the first set by a score of 25-22, scoring six of the last nine point after a 19-all tie. The set featured eight ties and Illinois leading virtually the entire way until Ohio State finally went back on top 19-18. A balanced attack featured kills by four different Buckeyes on the team’s last five points of the set.
Set 2: Illinois evened the match at a set apiece with a 25-16 win in the second set. The Illini broke an 8-all tie, never trailed the rest of the way and scored 11 of the set’s final 15 points.
Set 3: Illinois picked up the third set win, 25-21. Ohio State jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held the advantage until the Illini finally tied it at 11-all and ultimately took a 14-12 lead. Three consecutive Buckeye points seemed to calm the Illini run, but Illinois then scored five of the next seven points for a 19-17 lead. Ohio State never got within two from that point on.
Set 4: Ohio State evened the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 9-1 lead only to see the Illini fight back to tie it at 11-all. A 5-0 run followed for the Buckeyes and the fourth set was all but won.
Set 5: Like the fourth set, Ohio State barged in front 5-0 and then 8-2 only to have the Illini fight back to make it 12-11. The final three points were Ohio State’s, though, and so was the match.
Ohio State is back on the road next weekend with matches Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26-27, in Piscataway, N.J., against Rutgers.
#GoBuckeyes
