The Ohio State men’s volleyball team huddles up during the Ohio State-Loyola game on Feb. 20. Ohio State won 3-2. Credit: Christian Harsa | Asst. Photo Editor
After sweeping No. 11 Loyola Chicago, the Buckeyes have a new challenge on their hands in the form of a difficult road match against Ball State.
Ohio State (4-6) takes on a red-hot Ball State (7-1) team Saturday that has only lost a total of three sets in its last seven matches. Coming off of a two-match winning streak after a rocky start to the season, Ohio State head coach Kevin Burch said that getting past the Cardinals will require his team to step up in difficult moments.
“We’ve been putting a lot of pressure on our guys and challenging them with tough drills, just trying to simulate as much pressure as we possibly can,” Burch said. “They’re aware that they’re going to see that pressure, and that’s ultimately what’s going to matter when it comes to winning it.”
The two teams are familiar with each other, as Ohio State is the Cardinal’s most common opponent in program history. Senior outside hitter Martin Lallemand said that he knows what to expect heading into the matchup.
“We know that Ball State is going to be a good team,” Lallemand said. “But we’re just going to work harder because we know and feel that we can do it.”
The Buckeyes showed that they are capable of handling powerful defenses in their matchups against Loyola Chicago. Despite this, Burch said that Ball State’s defensive presence is stronger than most teams they’ve faced.
The Cardinals average 9.7 digs per set and 2.7 blocks per set, topping the Buckeyes in both categories. Burch said finding a way to penetrate Ball State’s presence up front is top priority heading into the match in Muncie, Indiana.
“Ball state is traditionally a very defensive team, so they’re going to frustrate you, they’re going to make you feel demoralized and they’re going to play their best, especially against us,” Burch said. “They’re going to dig a lot of balls, they’re going to make a lot of plays, and we need to continue to fight despite their defensive abilities.”
The Cardinals swept the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association offensive and defensive players of the week this week heading into Saturday’s match.
Junior outside hitter Kaleb Jenness averaged 18.5 kills and a .397 hitting percentage over the two-match series against Lindenwood while senior setter Quinn Isaacson led the Cardinals with 19 digs over the same stretch, averaging 3.17 digs per set.
Last season, Ball State handed the Buckeyes a 3-1 loss just days before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lallemand said that being able to learn from their wins over Loyola Chicago will help them avenge the loss from last season.
“We know Ball State is a good team,” Lallemand said. “But we got to see where we were lacking and improve upon it heading into this weekend.”
The match is set to start Saturday at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
