No. 5 Buckeyes Sweep Crusaders in Opener

Wednesday, January 3

Columbus, Ohio

7 p.m.

Ohio State

1-0,0-0MIVA

North Greenville University

0-1,0-0Conference Carolinas

North Greenville

Ohio St.

Photo by: Jay LaPrete

No. 5 Buckeyes Sweep Crusaders in Opener

1/3/2024 8:32:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 5 Ohio State (1-0) needed just three sets to earn the first victory of the year in the season opener Wednesday against visiting North Greenville University (0-1).

Ohio State won by scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-18.

Jacob Pasteur led the way for the Buckeyes with 12 kills and four aces. Cole Young added 10 kills with Tommy Poole adding a match-high eight digs. Michael Wright (26) and Noah Platfoot (10) combined for 36 assists.

Set 1
Senior Jacob Pasteur recorded his 100^th career ace early in the first while the Buckeyes built a quick 5-2 lead. The Crusaders rallied to tie it at 6-all. Pasteur broke an 11-all tie with a kill that helped the Buckeyes build a 17-13 advantage. After the Crusaders cut the lead to 20-19, Michael Wright and Cole Young put Ohio State back up by two with a big block on the right side. A Shane Wetzel kill made it 23-20 Ohio State. Justin Howard set up match point with a kill in the middle before Pasteur added his third ace of the set to earn the first set win, 25-22. Young led the Buckeyes with four kills in the set with Pasteur and Howard each adding three. The Buckeyes hit .250 while the Crusaders connected at a .363 clip.

S1| An ace from Pasteur to end set one for the Buckeyes! ?? pic.twitter.com/UAknGSApwf
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 4, 2024

With his first ace of the season, Jacob Pasteur reached 100 for his career. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/rgHJKku70D
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 4, 2024

Set 2
Wright opened the set with an ace followed by a Wetzel kill for a 2-0 lead. NGU tied it at 4-all with a 3-1 run. Another Pasteur ace put Ohio State up 12-8. A Crusader ace made it 13-11 Buckeyes. A Dan Hurley kill put Ohio State in the lead 16-12 before NGU scored back-to-back points to trail 16-14. A Crusader kill cut the lead to 17-16. Ohio State maintained its slight advantage until an Ohio State hitting error tied it at 19-all. A Pasteur back-row kill and a Young kill put the Buckeyes back on top before the Crusaders tied it again at 21-all. Young and Pasteur posted back-to-back kills before an NGU hitting error set up set point at 24-21. Young then finished off the set with a kill for the 25-21 win. The Buckeyes hit .571 in the set with North Greenville hitting .412. Young led after two sets with nine kills ahead of Pasteur with eight.

S2| Cole Young puts away set 2, Buckeyes on the bubble of a sweep! pic.twitter.com/Dj6rerW2Fv
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) January 4, 2024

Set 3
The teams traded points early in the third before the Buckeyes built an 11-8 lead on a Wetzel kill. A Hurley kill kept the lead at three, before Pasteur gave Ohio State its largest lead of the set at 15-11. Wright added a kill for a 16-11 advantage and a 4-1 Buckeyes run. A Young ace put Ohio State up 20-12 and led to the first timeout of the match by the Crusaders. Pasteur set up match point with a kill after a long rally to make it 24-15. After a 3-0 NGU run, the Buckeyes won the set and match on a Crusader service error, 25-18.