The Ohio State volleyball team celebrates after the final play during the Ohio State-Michigan game on March 19. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Sophie Yates | Lantern Reporter
No. 8 Ohio State women’s volleyball team won 3-0 against Indiana Wednesday at the Covelli Center in a show of vengeance after taking two losses during the opening weekend of conference play.
The Buckeyes picked up their only two losses of the season against No. 4 Purdue Friday in West Lafayette, Indiana, and No. 14 Penn State Sunday in University Park, Pennsylvania, for an 0-2 start to Big-Ten play.
“I think we had a rough weekend last weekend, so I was really excited to see how we would respond,” junior defensive-specialist Kylie Murr said. “We did the things we worked on in practice and transferred them to the court, so I am really proud of my team.”
The Buckeyes took an early 8-3 lead in the first set with senior outside hitter Mia Grunze getting two early kills to force an Indiana timeout. A stuff-block by freshman middle hitter Arica Davis and sophomore opposite hitter Emily Londot gave Ohio State the biggest lead of the set to that point, 13-5.
After an unsuccessful challenge by the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes went on a 2-0 run to force another Indiana timeout, 18-8. Following the break, the Hoosiers’s offense struggled to get into rhythm, but the Buckeyes continued to have no trouble. Ohio State took the set in dominant-fashion, 25-10.
Indiana had something to prove in the second set after multiple players had a negative hitting percentage in the first. The Hoosiers got junior middle hitter Kaley Rammelsberg involved early with two kills to tie the match at five-all. However, the Buckeyes responded with strong serving to take a 12-8 lead.
Senior opposite hitter Kari Zumach had two kills and a block to get Indiana back within two points at the media timeout, 15-13. The Hoosiers then took their largest lead of the match to force an Ohio State timeout, 19-17.
The Buckeyes’ block re-emerged at the end of the second set to regain the lead and force an Indiana timeout, 22-20. Grunze also recorded four kills to help the Buckeyes close out the set in overtime, 27-25.
Indiana was the first team to take a lead in set three until a spectacular dig by Murr gave the Buckeyes the momentum and the lead, 8-5. Grunze and Londot were firing at both pins, both picking up double-digit kills. However, errors by the Buckeyes gave Indiana the one-point edge, 13-12.
The Buckeyes’ block picked up where it left off with three to get Ohio State back in front, 17-14. After tying the match at 18-all, Ohio State scored back-to-back points to force a Hoosiers timeout, 20-18. Ohio State continued to roll following the break and closed the match on a stuff-block, 25-20.
“It was important that we flipped a switch after this weekend,” Grunze said. “We knew Indiana was going to come in and challenge us, and they did exactly that.”
The Buckeyes are not spending time dwelling on the past, but are working to continue to get better moving forward in the Big Ten, Murr said.
“We are going to get back to work,” Murr said. “We learned what we did wrong today and we keep building on the things we did well.”
Ohio State will take on Maryland at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Covelli Center.
