The Ohio State men’s volleyball team, pictured above, fell to the No. 15 Lewis Flyers in three sets, 3-2, Saturday. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State bounced back from a first-set loss to take an early 2-1 advantage and it looked as if the Buckeyes were on their way to a decisive win.
But they couldn’t deliver the final blow and the Flyers stormed back as No. 18 Lewis University secured a 3-2 victory over No. 13 Ohio State Saturday night at Neil Carry Arena in Romeoville, Illinois.
Opposite hitter Oguzhan Oguz led the Flyers with a game-high 24 kills that propelled Lewis to victory.
Despite a strong performance from Ohio State setter Daniel Henwood Rodriguez, who recorded 46 assists, the Buckeyes couldn’t secure the win.
Lewis set the tone early in the first set, racing to a 3-0 lead. The Flyers then extended their advantage with a 5-1 run, spearheaded by Oguz’s powerful attacks.
The Buckeyes found momentum late as they closed the gap with a 4-2 run, which included two kills from opposite hitter Shane Wetzel.
However, the Flyers sealed the set, 25-22, courtesy of a final kill from middle blocker Deyan Todorov.
Both teams traded points early before a 4-4 tie in the second.
Four Buckeye attack errors across five points allowed the Flyers to pull ahead.
However, Ohio State responded in dominant fashion as it strung together an 8-1 run fueled by outside hitter Stanislaw Chacinski.
A late 5-1 surge from Lewis wasn’t enough, as Chacinski delivered the final kill to give the Buckeyes a 25-21 set win.
Ohio State struggled to carry its momentum into the third set as it fell behind 8-4.
Back-to-back service aces from middle blocker Aaron Grimm ignited a Buckeye comeback. Wetzel continued the surge with four unanswered points to give the Buckeyes full control.
Back-to-back errors from Lewis ultimately allowed Ohio State to close out a 25-20 victory and a 2-1 set lead.
Oguz took command in the fourth set and boosted the Flyers through a 9-4 run with three crucial kills.
Ohio State’s three straight points late wasn’t enough as a decisive 5-1 run from Lewis brought the set to a close at 25-18, drawing the contest level at two sets apiece.
The Buckeyes jumped out to an early 4-1 advantage in the final set, as Chacinski led the charge with two kills.
Lewis immediately answered, stringing together a 4-1 run to tie the game at five.
A decisive 6-2 surge, fueled by outside hitter Max Roquet, brought the set to a close at 15-13 to give the Flyers the 3-2 match victory over the Buckeyes.
The No. 13 Buckeyes (11-10, 6-5 MIVA) return home to take on No. 4 McKendree University (15-5, 10-1 MIVA) at 7 p.m. Thursday. The game will stream on Big Ten+.
