After dropping their home debut Friday, the No. 12 Buckeyes (3-2) sought redemption in their final match of the weekend series against No. 11 Georgia Tech (4-0) Saturday.
A number of service errors and a .127 hitting percentage once again came back to haunt Ohio State in four grueling sets as it fell in its second matchup 3-1 (22-25, 26-24, 18-25, 20-25) to close out the Sports Imports Classic.
Like Friday’s matchup, the teams traded points for most of the sets, with 36 ties and 14 lead changes at the Covelli Center. Despite the loss, junior libero Sydney Taylor and freshman setter Mia Tuman reached career highs in digs, with 19 and 15, respectively.
On top of that, Tuman’s 15 digs were one piece of another double-double for the previous Big Ten Setter of the Week, adding 37 assists. Along with the play of Taylor and Tuman, senior outside hitter Emily Londot turned in another standout performance.
The former All-American racked up her second 20-kill match of the season to go with 11 digs for her second double-double of 2023. Londot said she credits her performances to the coaching staff’s preparation ahead of game time.
“Our coaches do a really good job of scouting the week before, and it’s up to us to execute the game plan and work hard on the court,” Londot said.
However, those outstanding performances didn’t lead to a Buckeye win. They were hamstrung by a .127 hitting percentage and seven service errors after 10 in the previous match, leading the Yellow Jackets to seize control.
Georgia Tech’s senior setter Isabella D’Amico turned in a great performance, picking up 41 assists, eight digs and three blocks on the night. Alongside D’Amico, two Yellow Jackets reached double-digit kills after three did the same in the previous contest.
This time it was freshman outside hitter Larissa Mendes with 16 kills and junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino with 13 of her own.
The Buckeyes and the Yellow Jackets never strayed too far from one another in the first set, with five ties and two lead changes highlighting a back-and-forth set. The biggest lead belonged to Ohio State when it went up 14-9 after a double block set up by freshman middle blocker Eloise Brandewie and Londot.
However, the Buckeyes couldn’t hold the lead as Georgia Tech stormed back. After trailing 11-7, the second set looked out of reach for the Buckeyes until Londot and sophomore Chelsea Thorpe combined for five straight kills. A back-and-forth battle ensued, but the Yellow Jackets were up 24-22.
Ohio State promptly scored 4 straight to take the set, capped off by a perfectly placed service ace right on Georgia Tech’s back line courtesy of junior libero Sarah Sue Morbitzer.
The third set was tight for a long time, with 13 ties and six lead changes throughout, but Georgia Tech pulled away on a 9-3 run after the set was tied up at 15. The Yellow Jacket’s run propelled them to a 25-18 victory.
Even worse for the Buckeyes, freshman outside hitter Grace Egan went down near the end of the set and didn’t return to the match.
“You always have that moment of, ‘Oh my gosh what happened,’” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said. “They’re all really close to each other, so whenever somebody gets injured, you have that worry and that fear and the unknown.”
The match ended similarly to Friday’s contest, with the Yellow Jackets sweeping the rug out from the Buckeyes to take the deciding set 25-20. Like the third set, the score went back and forth for a while, with 13 ties and five lead changes.
They traded spots up to a 20-19 mark after an Emily Londot kill, cutting the Georgia Tech lead to one. The Yellow Jackets then went on a 5-1 run to take the set, match and weekend series.
Tuman said the loss will help the Buckeyes identify their problems so they can correct those mistakes moving forward.
“It helps us see what we need to work on and our weaknesses,” Tuman said. “Helps us have a good practice plan for the week.”
Ohio State has just under a week to rest before its next match on the West Coast as it faces No. 2 Stanford to kick off the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.
