Second-year outside/opposite hitter Daniel Hurley (9) sends down a spike during Ohio State’s 3-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne at the Covelli Center Feb. 20. Credit: Zach Ball | For The Lantern
Ohio State remains undefeated in the regular season against a ranked conference opponent.
The No. 7 Buckeyes (14-3, 8-1 MIVA) bested No. 14 Lewis (9-8, 3-4 MIVA) in three straight sets on Thursday in Columbus at the Covelli Center.
Sophomore opposite hitter Shane Wetzel led Ohio State’s offense with 18 kills while senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur followed with 11. Both players were also strong from the service line, with seven aces for Pasteur and four for Wetzel.
Wetzel said the team’s serving success was instrumental in the win.
“Whenever we have success from the service line it helps a lot,” Wetzel said. “It hypes us up and helps knock the opposing team off their game.”
A kill from junior outside hitter Kyle Teune put the Buckeyes in front to start the first set. After trading points, two Pasteur aces and a Lewis attack error pushed Ohio State to an 8-4 lead.
A kill by junior outside hitter Max Roquet tied the score at nine, and a Buckeye attack error gave the Flyers the lead. Ohio State responded with kills from Pasteur and junior middle blocker Cole Young to tie the score at 13 apiece.
A Roquet kill and service ace from sophomore outside hitter Daniel Haber gave Lewis an 18-15 lead, and an Ohio State error stretched the lead to four. Consecutive aces from Pasteur, his third and fourth of the night, brought the Buckeyes back within one.
Back-to-back terminations from Roquet tied the score at 22-22, and two final kills from Pasteur finished the set with Ohio State on top 25-23.
A Wetzel ace kickstarted the second set leading to an 8-0 Buckeye run. The Flyers collected their first point of the set off an Ohio State service error.
The Buckeyes remained strong in the first half, and a Wetzel kill stretched the score 13-3. A Roquet slam and Ohio State attack error brought Lewis back within six.
With his 12th kill of the night, Wetzel put the Buckeyes ahead 20-13. A tip over the net by Wetzel put Ohio State at set point, but a Roquet kill kept the Flyers alive.
Continuing his powerful performance, Wetzel grabbed a kill to finish the second with a 25-17 score and a 2-0 match lead for Ohio State.
Lewis opened the scoring in the third set, but the Buckeyes answered with a 4-0 run fueled by kills from Pasteur and Wetzel. Ohio State held a consistent lead, and a Teune slam put the score at 10-6.
Two more service aces from Pasteur pushed the lead to seven. A kill by sophomore opposite hitter Syver Drolsum brought the lead back within six, but multiple Flyers’ errors followed, propelling Ohio State to set point and a 24-16 score.
A Buckeye service error gave Lewis their final point of the match, and Ohio State finished off the game with a 25-17 third-set victory.
Pasteur said the victory was a huge confidence booster for the team.
“This win felt fantastic emotionally in terms of a leadership standpoint,” Pasteur said. “People took care of business and made great adjustments, so it was definitely a high-quality win on our half.”
Looking to continue their week of success, the Buckeyes will play their second matchup of the season against No. 13 Loyola Chicago on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Covelli Center. It will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
