The Ohio State men’s volleyball team takes on Charleston Saturday in Columbus. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
For the first time in three weeks, the Buckeyes will enjoy the comforts of the Covelli Center next time they take the court.
No. 11 Ohio State (11-5) will be up against Charleston (14-1) in an expected close match after two weeks on the road.
“They’re a pretty balanced team,” head coach Kevin Burch said. “They got good players at each spot that can do a lot of damage.”
The Golden Eagles head into this match after snapping their 14-win streak against George Mason Saturday in three sets.
With the Buckeyes coming back to the Covelli Center, energy levels are charging back up for the team, which expects “a lot,” just as much from the Golden Eagles.
“It feels great to be back at Covelli,” freshman outside hitter Jack O’Riordan said. “I can’t wait to play back home again.”
The Buckeyes come off of a five-set loss against Lindenwood Saturday.
Both O’Riordan and freshman opposite hitter Shane Wetzel provided the team with 13 kills in their match against the Lions. O’Riordan had a total of 32 reception attempts, and Wetzel had a total of 11 digs.
Burch said he reflected on last week’s matches and the performances from some of the team’s younger players — such as O’Riordan and Wetzel.
“We have a lot of depth, more depth than we’ve had in years past this year,” Burch said.
This match will be a challenge for the Buckeyes as the Golden Eagles are second in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings.
“I’m expecting a pretty high-energy match,” O’Riordan said. “There’s going to be a lot of chit-chat on both sides.”
Golden Eagles head coach Luke Reynolds most recently aided in the coaching of the Australian Men’s National Team in the 2021 Asian Men’s Volleyball Championships
“He’s certainly going to know our weaknesses and what he can hopefully exploit on his end,” Burch said. “He’s going to be good at making adjustments.”
Burch said the team is currently focusing on preparing both independently and together in practice for the match.
“In practice, we’re going to be working a lot on continuing building our defensive capabilities and make it more of a strength and continue to build on our offensive range and our toolbox from an individual standpoint,” Burch said.
Both teams present near-even matches, with the Buckeyes holding a 32.3 hitting percentage with the Golden Eagles at 37.5.
“I do think it comes down, far more to us, in our defensive system,” Burch said. “If we’re within our defensive system, regardless of who we played this year, we’ve been pretty dang good.”
Burch said this match will give the Buckeyes an opportunity to test their focus on their own side of the court and communicate with each other.
“I still think it comes down to our ability to execute,” Burch said. “I hate to sound arrogant but at the same time, we’ve executed and done what we need to do within our system, and we did good.”
The Buckeyes will host Charleston Saturday at the Covelli Center for the first time since 2019. This match will be available to stream beginning at 4 p.m. through BTN+.
