Michigan beats the Buckeyes on Sunday, Oct. 29th.
Credit: Lance Haupricht | Lantern Photographer
Ohio State’s early lead wasn’t enough in a Big Ten battle against Illinois.
After leading 2-1 through three sets, the Buckeyes (10-16, 7-10 Big Ten) lost their next two to a red-hot Fighting Illini squad (15-12, 10-7 Big Ten), clinching its five-set win Wednesday.
“It was a battle tonight for our Buckeyes,” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said. “Illinois played great and served tough when it mattered.”
The Fighting Illini racked up 12 service aces in the match, three of those on the first 3 points of the fifth set, courtesy of redshirt-sophomore setter Brooke Mosher.
Along with its performance at the service line, offense was the key for Illinois, as it hit .291 on the night, fueled by a first-set win in which it hit .619.
Senior pin hitter Raina Terry wreaked havoc for the Illini, converting 27 kills in the win, leading the team.
Meanwhile, Ohio State senior outside hitter Emily Londot picked up a career-high 30 kills, but it wasn’t enough to pull out the win as the Buckeyes couldn’t cool the Illinois offense down.
Both teams hit efficiently in the first set, Ohio State converting 40 percent of its attacks and Illinois scoring on 61.9 percent of its own. The Illini offensive advantage gave them the edge in the set, as they took it 25-18 after a 10-3 run made the difference after a 15-15 tie.
The second was much different hitting-wise, as both teams hit at a clip over .200 lower than their first-set averages. The Buckeyes had the lower average at .184, but it didn’t matter as they kept it tight the whole set and won 26-24 off the swing of freshman outside hitter Lauren Murphy. Murphy had collected eight kills at this point in the match, only three shy of her career-high 11.
Ohio State found its way again in the third, taking an early 14-3 advantage. The Illini came back, cutting it to five at 20-15, but the Buckeyes kept them at bay and got the 25-20 win to go up 2-1 in the match, clinching the win off a Murphy kill for the second time.
The Fighting Illini wouldn’t go down easily, fighting off an Ohio State comeback late to win the fourth 25-19 after pulling away on a 3-0 run.
In the deciding fifth set, Illinois kept its foot on the gas, scoring the first 3 points and never looking back, holding the lead for the whole set, and resulting in a dominant 15-6 win.
This was the second time the teams met this season, and the Buckeyes took the first match in four sets at the Covelli Center.
Ohio State will travel up to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday at 8 p.m.
