Ninth-Seeded Buckeyes Host NCAA First and Second Rounds

NCAA First and Second Rounds

Date: Friday, Dec. 3

Venue: The Covelli Center (Columbus, Ohio)

Matches:

Tennessee vs. UNC (Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. ET) | Live Stats | ESPN+
Howard (Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET) | Live Stats | ESPN+
Match one winner vs. match two winner (Dec. 4 at 6 p.m.) | ESPN+

Rosters: Ohio State | Howard | Tennessee | UNC

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team (25-5, 15-5 Big Ten) is set to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament inside the Covelli Center on Friday and Saturday. The Buckeyes face Howard on Friday at 7 p.m. following the neutral match between Tennessee and UNC at 5 p.m. The winner of each match will advance to the second round and play on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Ohio State earned the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the chance to host the first two rounds after tying for third in the Big Ten with a 15-5 conference record during the regular season. This is the first time since 2015 that OSU will host the first two rounds.
This is the Buckeyes’ 24^th NCAA Tournament appearance as OSU holds a 36-23 record.
This marks the 13^th time overall that the Buckeyes have hosted a first and/or second round match in Columbus.
OSU was ranked ninth in Monday’s AVCA poll to extend its top-10 streak to 14-consecutive weeks, which is a program record.
Five Buckeyes earned Big Ten end-of-season awards on Wednesday. Sophomore middle blocker Rylee Rader was a unanimous selection for All-Big Ten First Team, joined by junior setter Mac Podraza. Sophomore opposite hitter Emily Londot was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Freshman middle blocker Arica Davis was a unanimous selection for All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Senior defensive specialist Hannah Gruensfelder received the sportsmanship award. View full release HERE.
Podraza was also named Big Ten Setter of the Week on Monday.
Howard enters the tournament with an 18-12 overall record and a 12-2 record in conference matches. Howard has won 12 of its last 13 matches.
The Bison entered the MEAC Tournament as the top seed and defeated No. 8 South Carolina State (3-0), No. 4 North Carolina Central (3-1) and No. 2 Delaware State (3-1) to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
This is the first meeting in program history between Ohio State and Howard.
Tennessee enters the weekend with a 19-9 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the SEC.
The Volunteers have won two of their last three matches and went 3-4 in November to wrap up the regular season.
North Carolina holds a 21-8 overall record and a 10-8 conference record following the conclusion of the regular season, winning three of its last four matches.

Be sure to come support Ohio State women’s volleyball inside the Covelli Center for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Tickets for the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

The NCAA Final Four will be held in Columbus at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 16 and 18. Visit HERE for more information.

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