No. 7 Ohio State Drops Battle With Ramblers, 3-2

Saturday, March 2

Columbus, Ohio

4 p.m.

Ohio State

14-4,8-2MIVA

Loyola University Chicago

11-8,6-3MIVA

Loyola Chicago

Ohio St.

No. 7 Ohio State Drops Battle With Ramblers, 3-2

3/2/2024 6:50:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 7 Ohio State (14-4, 8-2) fell to visiting Loyola Chicago (11-8, 6-3) in a five setter (3-2) Saturday at the Covelli Center.

Ohio State fell by scores of 22-25, 25-20, 28-30, 25-15, 12-15.

Jacob Pasteur (19) and Shane Wetzel (24) combined for 43 kills to lead Ohio State. Setter Michael Wright was credited with 56 assists with Thomas Poole (9) and Wetzel (9) pacing the defense in digs.

How it Happened

Set 1
Shane Wetzel got the first kill before a 4-0 Loyola Chicago run. A Jacob Pasteur ace made it 7-6 Ramblers. A Pasteur rocket from the back row and a Loyola Chicago error tied it at 10-all. The Buckeyes took their first lead since scoring the first point of the set on a Pasteur kill that made it 12-11. Ohio State remained on top until a 3-1 Ramblers run tied it at 14-all. A Loyola Chicago service error and Wetzel kill put the Buckeyes up 17-15. The Ramblers scored the next three to retake the lead at 18-17. Cole Young struck from the middle for the tie. Loyola Chicago scored the next two before an Ohio State timeout with the Buckeyes down 20-18. The Ramblers took a 23-20 lead before a Pasteur kill and Ramblers error led to a Loyola Chicago timeout with a one-point lead. Ohio State called its final timeout at set point (24-22) after a Ramblers kill. Loyola Chicago then won the set on an ace, 25-22. Pasteur led the Buckeyes with five kills in the opener.

Set 2
Wetzel finished a 3-0 run with a kill to put Ohio State up 10-7. The Buckeyes maintained their lead and went up 14-10 on a Wetzel kill before a Ramblers timeout. Another Wetzel kill and a Pasteur ace put the Buckeyes up 16-11. Loyola Chicago then called its final timeout. Pasteur added back-to-back kills before a Howard blast from the middle gave Ohio State a 22-16 lead after a 4-1 run. Loyola Chicago then used a 3-1 run to make it 23-19. A Ramblers service error led to set point at 24-19. The Buckeyes won when Loyola Chicago was called for a net violation, giving Ohio State a 25-20 victory to even the match at 1-all. Wetzel and Pasteur led the match with nine kills each. The Buckeyes hit .500 in the set just ahead of the .435 posted by the Ramblers.

S2| Justin Howard puts it away!!!?? pic.twitter.com/FEFqHDZ0X6
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) March 2, 2024

S2| What a rally by the Buckeyes! pic.twitter.com/3SZyrs8E0f
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) March 2, 2024

Set 3
A Wetzel kill before a Young, Wright combo block put Ohio State up 2-0. Pasteur made it 3-0 with a back-row kill. Loyola Chicago then took a 6-5 lead after a 4-0 run. The teams began to trade points before a 3-1 Ramblers run made it 15-13 Loyola Chicago. The Buckeyes tied it at 17-all on a Ramblers error and Kyle Teune kill. The Ramblers called timeout after Teune added another kill to put Ohio State up 18-17. Loyola Chicago scored the next two before a Wetzel kill tied it at 19-all. The Buckeyes called timeout after a 3-0 run put the Ramblers up 22-20. Ohio State called its final timeout at set point down 24-22. Loyola Chicago then called its first timeout of the set after a Pasteur kill made it 24-23 Ramblers. Wetzel tied at 24-all out of the break with a cross-court kill from the right side. A Pasteur kill tied it at 25-all. The Ramblers went up 27-26 before Teune evened it at 27-all with a kill. Another Teune effort made it 28-27 Buckeyes. The Ramblers then went up 29-28 and won it on a block, 30-28, to take a 2-1 lead in the set.

Set 4
Young put the Buckeyes up 5-1 with a kill and block on consecutive plays. The Ramblers called timeout after Wright went back-to-back with a kill and ace of his own for an 8-3 Ohio State lead. The Buckeyes took a 10-4 lead on a Wetzel kill and Pasteur ace. The Ramblers remained in striking distance after a kill and Ohio State error made it 14-10 Buckeyes. Wetzel put Ohio State back up by six (17-11) with a cross-courter from the right side. Pasteur added a pair of aces for a 19-11 advantage. The Ramblers called its final timeout of the set before Teune and Wetzel kills made it 22-12 Buckeyes. A Wright quick-hitter in the middle led to set point at 24-14. A back row kill by Teune evened the match at 2-all with the 25-15 win for the Buckeyes. Wetzel tied his career high with 21 kills after the first four sets. Teune also tied his career high with 12. Ohio State hit .714 in the set.

S4| Teune puts it away as the Buckeyes dominate set four!??

Headed into the 5th here in Columbus! pic.twitter.com/uGj3k7sO6Q
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) March 2, 2024

S4| Pasteur with back to back aces! Here's the first ?? pic.twitter.com/Hbznrmt5D6
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) March 2, 2024

Set 5
In the race to 15, the Ramblers jumped to a 3-0 lead. Ohio State called timeout and scored on kills by Young and Wetzel to make it 4-2 Loyola Chicago. Howard kept Ohio State close with a kill in the middle but Loyola got the next point for an 8-5 lead. After the teams switched benches, the teams traded points before a Young kill made it 9-7 Loyola. A Teune ace cut it to 9-8 before an Ohio State block tied it at 9-all. The Ramblers scored the next three for a 12-9 lead. Ohio State took its final timeout and the squads traded points. Pasteur made it 13-12 Ramblers with a kill after a Loyola Chicago service error. The Ramblers called timeout before a Loyola Chicago kill set up match point at 14-12. The Ramblers then go the victory, 15-12 for the 3-2 win.

Up Next:
The Buckeyes will travel to California for the Big Ten/Challenge next weekend at No. 11 USC March 8 and then at No. 4 UCLA March 10. Ohio State defeated each squad earlier this season at the First Point Federation Cup in Austin, Texas.

#GoBucks