The Ohio State men’s volleyball team poses with their trophy after winning the 2024 MIVA Tournament Championship. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
After a successful regular season, the Buckeyes won their second consecutive Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title.
The No. 3-seeded Buckeyes (22-8, 11-5 MIVA) defeated No. 4-seeded Lindenwood (16-12, 9-7 MIVA) on Saturday in a four-set battle at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana.
Senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur led the Ohio State offense with 18 kills, and opposite hitter Shane Wetzel followed with 13. Senior libero Thomas Poole led the Buckeyes defensively with 10 digs while redshirt senior Michael Wright facilitated with 45 assists.
The first set began with two quick errors by the Lions as Ohio State jumped to a 4-2 lead. Lindenwood responded with kills by redshirt-junior outside hitter Clay Wieter and junior middle blocker Kadin Warner to give the Lions a 13-11 edge.
Lindenwood held its lead, and a Wieter slam put the Lions at set point. One final kill by graduate outside hitter A.J. Lewis gave Lindenwood the first-set victory at a 25-20 score.
Leading into the second set, the Buckeyes grabbed an early 4-3 lead off a Pasteur kill. Ohio State extended its lead to two off a kill by Wetzel.
Double Pasteur slams pushed the Buckeyes’ lead to four, and a kill from Wright put Ohio State ahead by eight at a 23-15 score.
A kill by junior middle blocker Cole Young gave the Buckeyes the 25-17 second set win.
Ohio State carried its momentum into the third set, grabbing a 6-4 lead off a Pasteur kill. A termination by junior outside hitter Kyle Teune extended the lead to five.
The Buckeyes held a consistent lead and reached 20 off a kill by redshirt-senior middle blocker Justin Howard. Then, a final Wright slam ended the set with Ohio State on top 25-18.
The Buckeyes jumped out again in the fourth to a 4-3 lead. However, a kill by sophomore opposite hitter Ian Schuller shifted the tide, and Lindenwood grabbed an 8-7 advantage.
The set was tied back up at 11 apiece a few minutes later. Ohio State then went on a 4-0 run to take a 15-11 lead, and a Wetzel kill extended the lead to eight.
A Lions’ attack error put Ohio State at set point, and a finishing kill by Young gave the Buckeyes the 25-16 set and match victory.
After their conference championship win, Ohio State will begin NCAA tournament play on April 30 at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. The Buckeyes will receive their tournament draw on Sunday at 4 p.m., ET live on NCAA.com.
