Head coach Geoff Carlston watches the Ohio State women’s volleyball team huddle up during a game against No. 9 Nebraska. Ohio State lost in four sets. Credit: Miranda Lipton | Lantern Reporter
Ohio State came away with one win after playing Pittsburgh, Duquesne and Green Bay on the road this weekend.
The Buckeyes (3-3) dropped their first game to Pittsburgh (6-0) in three straight sets on Friday. The Buckeyes were unable to hang on in each of the three sets, but kept it close with scores of 21-25, 19-25 and 19-25.
The Panthers bested the Buckeyes in most statistical categories with key performances from junior outside hitter Kayla Lund and redshirt senior outside hitter Stephanie Williams who had a combined 24 kills for the team.
Ohio State freshman outside hitter Jenaisya Moore tried to close the gap with 12 kills, but her efforts were not enough to edge out Pittsburgh.
Bouncing back, the Buckeyes grabbed the win over Duquesne (2-4) in three straight sets (25-9, 25-23, 25-19) during the first game on Saturday.
Ohio State freshman outside hitter Gabby Gonzales had a standout performance against the Dukes, racking up 20 of the team’s 45 kills. Her performance was backed by a strong defensive showing from freshman libero Kylie Murr.
Duquesne dropped all three of their games this weekend, but the loss gave the Buckeyes a boost as they headed into their final game.
However, Ohio State was stifled yet again when it dropped its third and final game to Green Bay (6-1) Saturday night.
After winning the first set 25-13, the Buckeyes lost their momentum and dropped the next three sets to the Phoenix. Green Bay took the final three sets (21-25, 21-25, 20-25) with the help of junior outside hitter Taylor Wolf, who supplied 23 kills and 15 digs.
The Buckeyes struggled to pull out a single set despite beating the Phoenix 50 to 45 in kills. Ohio State’s offensive power was dispersed between several of the outside and middle hitters, as both senior middle blocker Elle Sandbothe and sophomore outside hitter Mia Grunze posted high kill numbers.
After the 1-2 result in Pittsburgh, Ohio State will head back on the road next weekend when they travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take on Tulane, Western Kentucky and Bowling Green.
