The Ohio State men’s volleyball team huddles up before the Ohio State-Loyola Chicago game Feb. 17. Ohio State lost 3-2. Credit: Katie Good | For the Lantern
After earning their first Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association win of the season Sunday, the Buckeyes picked up their second in convincing fashion.
No. 15 Ohio State (6-6, 2-3) dominated Quincy (3-8, 0-5) for its second-straight conference win Thursday at the Covelli Center (25-20, 25-15, 25-18).
“It was good to see a match like tonight where you get to see their practice and hard work pay off,” head coach Kevin Burch said.
In set one, the Buckeyes started with a 6-0 lead after two aces from freshman middle blocker Cole Young and they continued the energy, building a 10-2 advantage.
The Buckeyes kept up the momentum, but the Hawks closed the gap 17-19 with kills from senior outside hitter Manuel Hernandez.
Ohio State had a hitting percentage of .414 against Quincy’s .222 in its first set victory 25-20.
The Hawks and Buckeyes started set two 10-all until a 4-0 run by the Buckeyes pulled them ahead 14-10.
After a huge block from sophomore setter Noah Platfoot against Hernandez, the Buckeyes increased their lead 18-13, prompting a Hawks timeout.
The Buckeyes then went on a 7-3 scoring run to take the second set, 25-15.
Starting the third set 7-4, the Buckeyes kept up the pressure with kills from freshman outside hitter Kyle Teune and Young.
The Buckeyes won set three with back-to-back service aces from sophomore outside hitter Jacob Pasteur and a game-winning kill from sophomore opposite Jimmy Webb.
Quincy was never able to secure a lead, getting no closer than three points behind the Buckeyes to end the series 25-18.
Pasteur led the Buckeyes in individual kills with 16, followed by junior middle blocker Samuel Clark with 10. Pasteur, Young and senior middle blocker Ethan Talley all hit above .500, contributing to the team’s 48 kills.
The Buckeyes will be back in action at home Friday to face Lindenwood at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus.
