Sarah Sue Morbitzer; Women’s Volleyball vs Nebraska. Credit: Katie Good | Lantern File Photo
After a 3-0 start, the season for Ohio State has not continued as expected.
The No. 19 Buckeyes (3-5) dropped two games to No. 6 Texas Thursday (25-27, 25-13, 25-14, 25-23) and No. 18 Baylor Friday (25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 23-25, 15-8), extending their losing streak to six games, all against ranked opponents.
Despite the loss to Texas, freshman setter Mia Tuman and freshman libero Kaitlyn Hoffman posted impressive nights in Austin, Texas, Thursday. Tuman picked up her fourth double-double of the season, while Hoffman hustled for 15 digs of her own, her second time reaching double-figure digs this season.
Alongside Tuman and Hoffman, senior outside hitter Emily Londot and senior middle blocker Rylee Rader had good nights offensively. Londot had 19 kills and 10 digs for another double-double, and Rader accumulated an efficient nine kills on a .375 hitting percentage.
“I thought Rylee Rader and Emily Londot did a good job leading tonight with their play,” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said.
Oldenburg said sophomore middle blocker Zaria Ragler’s impact in the fourth helped bring motivation to the court.
“Moving Rader to the right in the fourth set and having Zaria Ragler come in provided a spark we needed to fight,” Oldenburg said.
Though the Buckeyes got good performances from key players, they couldn’t stop the Texan attack. The Longhorns dominated offensively with an overall team .321 hitting percentage.
“Texas is a physical team and even tougher at home,” Oldenburg said. “It was good for our squad to be in an environment like this one as we close out the nonconference.”
The first set saw the Buckeyes overcome adversity, conquering a 24-19 Longhorn lead to win the first set 27-25. In the second and third sets, Ohio State wasn’t as fortunate. Texas took the second-handedly. After a 5-4 Ohio State lead, the Longhorns dominated the rest of the way to take it 25-13.
The only Buckeye lead in the third was 1-0, and from that point on, it was the same story. The Longhorns won set three 25-14. Ohio State kept it tight in the fourth, as neither team led by more than three points.
The Longhorns ultimately sealed the deal after the close-set, winning it 25-23. After making the trip to Waco, Texas, the Buckeyes saw a closer match overall with Baylor.
“It was a good battle tonight against a Baylor team who competes hard,” Oldenburg said.
Ohio State did a better job of stifling the Bears’ attack after a tough night against Texas, holding Baylor to a .248 hitting percentage.Even with improved defense, the Buckeyes were held to a .176 hitting percentage, preventing them from coming back.
“We got exposed in some areas that we will need to shore up as we head into conference play,” Oldenburg said. “Our defense needs to continue to improve.”
Freshman outside hitter Lauren Murphy posted her first career double-double in the loss with career highs in kills and digs, collecting 11 of each. Londot added a double-double of her own, picking up 23 kills and 13 digs.
The first set of Friday’s action saw Baylor hold the lead for the majority. Ohio State held on most of the time, at one point getting within a single point when the Bears led 19-18.
Baylor took the first set 25-22.
The second was more of the same for the Bears, this time with a larger margin of victory. The Bears didn’t let the Buckeyes get close and took the set 25-19. The Buckeyes started turning the tide in the third, dominating in the end of the set, finishing the Bears off on a 6-1 scoring run to take the third set 25-18.
Ohio State took the fourth as well, holding a 15-8 lead before getting the 25-23 win. The deciding set was all Baylor, as they took it 15-8, winning the match 3-2.
“I liked the fight I saw in our eyes tonight,” Oldenburg said “Back to work on Monday to start strong in the Big Ten.”
Ohio State gets a week off before beginning Big Ten play against No. 4 Nebraska Friday, continuing their road trip.
