No. 1 Ohio State Drops 5-Set Bout to No. 9 Penn State

Sunday, January 28

University Park, PA

3 p.m.

Ohio State

6-2,0-0MIVA

Penn State University

6-2,0-0EIVA

Ohio St.

Penn St.

Photo by: Jay LaPrete

No. 1 Ohio State Drops 5-Set Bout to No. 9 Penn State

1/28/2024 5:29:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 1 Ohio State (6-2) went to five sets against No. 9 Penn State (6-2) Sunday but fell just short at Rec Hall in University Park, Pennsylvania.

The Buckeyes dropped the match by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 18-25, 15-17.

With 16 kills, Jacob Pasteur move to 1,227 for his career, good for a tie for the No 10 spot in Ohio State history.

Shane Wetzel added 13 kills with Michael Wright leading with 24 assists. Ben Putnam led Ohio State with 9 digs.

Four of the last five Ohio State matches have gone to the five sets. The Buckeyes are now 3-1 in those games.

Set 1
Ohio State took a 4-3 lead after the Buckeyes won back-to-back challenges. A pair of Penn State errors gave Ohio State an 8-6 lead. The Nittany Lions tied it at 8-all before taking a 10-9 lead after a 4-1 run. Jacob Pasteur, back in the lineup after missing the match between the two schools last Thursday, got the back-row kill to tie it at 10-all. Penn State called timeout after Ohio State put together a 3-1 run to take a 21-19 lead. Justin Howard and Shane Wetzel put back-to-back kills together to give the Buckeyes their first lead by more than a point since it was 8-6. Ohio State went up 22-19 but the Nittany Lions tied it after a 3-0 run. Ohio State called timeout before the squads traded service errors. Howard made it 24-23 with a kill before a Penn State hitting error gave the set to the Buckeyes, 25-23. Ohio State hit .562 in the opener with five Buckeyes each posting two kills.

S1| Monster Block!?? pic.twitter.com/uOx4v7zAe9
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 28, 2024

Set 2
As was the case for much of the first set, the teams were neck and neck until a 4-1 run put Penn State up 9-6. Ohio State responded with a 3-1 run to make it 10-9. The Nittany Lions went back up by three at 13-10 before a kill by Pasteur and consecutive Penn State errors tied it at 13-all. The Buckeyes took the lead at 15-14 on a Pasteur kill for the first time since it was 4-3. Kills by Cole Young and Daniel Hurley put Ohio State up 18-16 before a Penn State timeout. Another Hurley kill made it 20-18 Buckeyes. Kyle Teune entered the set and delivered an ace for a 21-18 Ohio State lead. Consecutive service errors led to set point before Wetzel and Young delivered the set-winning block for the 25-22 win. The Buckeyes again hit over .500 (.524) for the set. Both Wetzel and Pasteur shared the team lead with five kills in building the 2-0 lead.

S2| Nothing like a stuff block to finish off the set! Buckeyes go up, 2-0.?? pic.twitter.com/hrnxjUKaSi
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 28, 2024

Set 3
Pasteur started things off with two kills for a 2-1 Ohio State lead. The Nittany Lions went on a 4-1 run to claim a 6-4 advantage. A 3-1 run, started by a Pasteur kill, by the Buckeyes cut it to 9-8 Penn State. The Buckeyes kept chipping away before a 4-1 run tied it at 12-all. The Nittany Lion responded with the next four points for a 16-12 edge. Ohio State called timeout trailing 20-17. Penn State scored the next two points and went up 24-21 before calling timeout after a Wetzel kill and ace. The Nittany Lions then took the set 25-21 on an Ohio State hitting error. Pasteur reached 10 kills for the match ahead of seven totaled by Wetzel.

S3| Wetzel not afraid to swing on set point!?? pic.twitter.com/QjlKxdqVeU
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 28, 2024

Set 4
Neither team was able to gain separation until a 3-0 run put Penn State on top 9-7. The lead increased to 13-9. The Buckeyes cut the lead to two on several occasions and then to one, 16-15, on a Ben Putnam ace. Penn State scored the next two to build the advantage back to three at 18-15. The Buckeyes called timeout down 20-16. Penn State then closed out the set for a 25-18 win to tie the match at 2-all. Pasteur upped his match total to 15 kills with Wetzel also in double figures with 11.

S5| JHOW! pic.twitter.com/fsiS0TP9Jz
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 28, 2024

Set 5
In the race to 15 points, a Howard kill and Penn State error made it 2-1 Buckeyes. A Wetzel kill tied it at 3-all as the teams started to trade points. A Teune kill and ace put the Buckeyes up 6-5. A Platfoot and Young combo block put Ohio State up 7-5. After taking an 8-6 lead on a Penn State service error, the teams switched sides for the remainder of the set. A service error by the Nittany Lions made it 9-7 Buckeyes before Penn State tied it at 9-all. A triple block by Pasteur, Howard and Wetzel put Ohio State up 10-9. Howard made it 11-10 Buckeyes with a kill. Noah Platfoot set up Young for a kill in the middle for a 12-11 Ohio State lead. Penn State took a 13-12 lead on consecutive kills before an Ohio State timeout. Pasteur tied it at 13-all with a kill. An Ohio State error set up match point for the Nittany Lions at 14-13. Ohio State called its final timeout and tied it at 14-all on a Wetzel kill. A Penn State block made it 15-14 Nittany Lions. Howard then tied it with a kill. Penn State then won it with consecutive points to win the set 17-15 and the match 3-2.

S5| JHOW! pic.twitter.com/fsiS0TP9Jz
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 28, 2024

Up Next:
Ohio State opens Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) action at 1 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Covelli Center against Lindenwood. Catch the live stream on B1G+.

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