No. 22 Ohio State Falls to No. 1 Wisconsin in B1G Home Opener

Wednesday, September 27

Columbus, Ohio

8:00 PM

Ohio State

4-8,1-2Big Ten

No. 1 Wisconsin

12-0,3-0Big Ten

Wisconsin

Ohio St.

No. 22 Ohio State Falls to No. 1 Wisconsin in B1G Home Opener

9/27/2023 11:24:00 PM | General, Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Buckeyes welcomed nearly 4,000 fans to Covelli for the first Big Ten match at home this season.

Box Score | Season Stats | Photo Gallery

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-8, 1-2 B1G) lost in three sets (19-25, 20-25, 18-25) to No. 1 Wisconsin (12-0, 3-0 B1G) on Wednesday night inside the Covelli Center in the Big Ten home opener.

Wisconsin took the first set by a 25-19 margin after using a small run midway through the set to take a lead that would not be relinquished. Ohio State led for the first half of the second set but Wisconsin gained the 2-0 match advantage with a 25-20 set win. The Badgers finished the match with a 25-18 set win.

Emily Londot moved up to 11^th on the program's all-time career kills list with her 11^th match of the season with 10+ kills (13). Kaitlyn Hoffman and Lauren Murphy each had more than one service ace for the second time this season as Hoffman also reached 10+ digs for the fifth time this season.

How it Happened
Wisconsin opened scoring in the match before Ohio State tied the set at points two and six. The Badgers scored the next four points and extended their lead to a 14-9 margin before the Buckeyes called timeout. Wisconsin increased its lead to eight at 23-15, forcing a second OSU timeout. The Buckeyes scored four of the next five points out of the timeout but the Badgers earned the 25-19 set win.

Ohio State scored first in the second set and built an early 5-2 lead to force a Wisconsin timeout. The Buckeyes increased their lead to 13-8 before a 4-0 Badgers run trimmed the OSU lead to 13-12, forcing a timeout. Wisconsin scored back-to-back points out of the timeout to take a 14-13 lead. The Buckeyes tied the set at 14, 15 and 17 before a Badgers' 4-0 run prompted an OSU timeout. Ohio State got within three at 23-20 before Wisconsin closed a 25-20 set win.

Emily Londot started the third set with her 10^th kill of the match as the Buckeyes scored the first three before Wisconsin scored the next six. Ohio State trimmed its deficit to one at 9-8, but the Badgers used a 3-0 run to increase their lead to 13-9 and force an OSU timeout. Wisconsin stretched its lead to 18-11 and then used a 3-0 run to make it 22-14, prompting the Buckeyes to call timeout. The Badgers closed the match with a 25-18 set win.

Highlights

Match Notes

This was the Buckeyes' eighth match of the season against a ranked opponent and the fifth against a top-10 opponent.
Emily Londot moved up to 11^th on the program's all-time kills list as she now owns 1,380 kills in the Scarlet and Gray. She surpassed 10 kills for the 11^th time this season and finished with 13 kills.
Sarah Sue Morbitzer recorded her 300^th career dig.
Kaitlyn Hoffman reached double-figure digs for the fifth time this season.
This is Hoffman's seventh match of the season with an ace and second match with more than one. Lauren Murphy also had more than one ace for the second time this season.

What They Said

Head Coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg:
- "We knew [Wisconsin was] going to be big and tall but they're also good defensively so we tried to have the right shot selection. It didn't go in our favor all the time, we tried to mix up where we're hitting and attacking across the net just to see if we could get them out of sorts. I think it worked a little bit but not as much as we wanted. They have experience and they're used to those moments."
- "Our competitive nature is really strong when [Kamiah Gibson] is on the court. That's why she's here. I think that she came in and did a really good job, especially in a situation you never want to see somebody go down with an injury, but knowing that she's put the work in and the team trusts her – she did a great job coming in for us."
Sophomore setter Kamiah Gibson:
- "Covelli is a great atmosphere to play in. We love all of our fans and the energy definitely helps as loud as it is."
- "It's not the scenario I'd want to go [into the match]. I love Mia. We're a team and that was upsetting but I was ready to go in and ready to play for my teammates, be a good teammate. They make it easy."
Freshman defensive specialist Kaitlyn Hoffman:
- "I'm playing for my teammates. I'm not playing for myself. I'm thinking about others and trying to better the ball for other people."
- "It was super exciting to be at home because it's been tiring being on the road for so long. The fans definitely helped with our energy and helped us put together some runs."

Up Next
Ohio State hosts Maryland on Sunday at noon. Fans are encouraged to attend the block party before the match and stay afterwards for a meet and greet with the team. The Buckeyes will also be honoring alumnae in between the second and third sets.

Tickets for the Buckeyes' 2023 home season are now available. Single match tickets can be purchased HERE and mini plans can be purchased HERE. Applicable service fees will apply to all tickets. Fans with ticketing questions and group ticket requests (10+ tickets and in advance only) should call the Ohio State Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-BUCKS or email?athletic.tix@osu.edu.

#GoBucks