Sophomore Shane Wetzel (6) celebrates a play with teammate Justin Howard (11) against Penn State.
Credit: Lily Hynes | Assistant Photo Editor
The No. 8 Buckeyes displayed their depth against Quincy this weekend.
Ohio State (10-3, 4-1 MIVA) bested Quincy (5-4, 1-4 MIVA) in back-to-back conference matches at the Covelli Center Friday and Saturday. The Buckeyes took both games in three straight sets.
In the debut match, redshirt-freshman hitter Daniel Hurley led the Buckeye offense with 12 kills. Senior setter Noah Platfoot added 28 assists.
Redshirt-sophomore libero Grant Strong saw his first minutes of action this season, stepping in for senior libero Thomas Poole and collecting five digs. Junior middle blocker Hudson Harris also made an appearance and assisted on four Buckeye blocks.
Junior outside hitter Kyle Teune said Friday’s performance demonstrated the team’s confidence in each other.
“We all feel completely comfortable putting in anybody with any lineup,” Teune said. “We trust one another, and that speaks volumes about our locker room and brotherhood.”
The beginning set of Friday’s matchup was competitive. A kill from junior opposite hitter Raje Alleyne handed the Hawks the first point of the match. The two teams traded points until a Quincy error and multiple kills from junior middle blocker Cole Young set the Buckeyes on top 17-12.
Two final Quincy errors gave Ohio State the first set 25-17.
The Buckeyes carried the first set’s momentum into the second, jumping to a 7-0 lead off three service aces from senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur. Ohio State remained dominant and at points led by as many as 10.
Double Hurley kills set the score at 20-7, and two slams from Hurley and Teune gave the Buckeyes the 25-13 second set victory.
The third and final set once again started in favor of Ohio State. The Buckeyes pulled away to an early 4-3 lead off a Pasteur kill and remained consistently ahead.
Attack errors burdened Quincy throughout the third, but the set stayed close. A Pasteur termination put Ohio State up 20-17, and an Alleyne kill placed the Hawks back within one at 22-21.
A kill from Teune sent the Buckeyes to match point, and a final Buckeye block gave Ohio State the 25-21 set win. The first game sealed in a 3-0 sweep.
Less than 24 hours later, the two teams met again in the Covelli Center.
Pasteur and Hurley led the Ohio State offense with nine kills each. Hurley started in the opposite hitting position for sophomore hitter Shane Wetzel.
Redshirt senior Michael Wright stepped back into the setting spot for the Buckeyes and also led defensively with nine digs. Strong remained in the libero position and collected five digs.
Strong said the double sweep was a crucial way for the team to bounce back after its loss to Loyola Chicago on Feb. 9.
“This whole week we’ve been preparing really well,” Strong said. “We just needed to go back out there and do our thing and stick to being us. I think we did that this weekend.”
Ohio State jumped to a 2-0 lead to start the first set. The Hawks responded quickly, and a service ace from sophomore opposite hitter Logan Gieseke tied the set back at 3-3.
Reminiscent of Friday’s first match, the set remained close until the Buckeyes pulled away. A kill by redshirt-freshman outside hitter Ben Putnam and a Quincy attack error set Ohio State on top 21-13.
A Teune kill gave the Buckeyes the 25-17 first-set win.
Ohio State grabbed a comfortable lead early in the second set. A Young kill set the score at 6-2, but an Alleyne kill and a service ace from sophomore setter Logan Brouwer put the Hawks back within two.
The Buckeyes remained in front and pushed to an 11-point lead off a Hurley kill. One final Quincy service error ended the second set with Ohio State on top 25-14.
The third set saw similar play to the first two, with the Buckeyes grabbing a 7-1 lead off a Pasteur kill. Ohio State remained comfortably in the lead for most of the set.
A kill by junior outside hitter AJ Goedheer kickstarted a late run for the Hawks and brought the score to 24-20. A Quincy service error followed and ended the set and game with a 25-20 score.
The Buckeyes are back in action Tuesday. They will play Purdue Fort Wayne at 7:00 p.m. in the Covelli Center. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
