The No. 15 Ohio State men’s volleyball team defeated Quincy 3-1 Saturday at Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Illinois to earn the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
The Buckeyes were dominant in back-to-back MIVA matchups at Quincy.
No. 15 Ohio State took down the Hawks and swept Quincy Friday and Saturday night at Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Illinois.
The Buckeyes claimed the weekend sweep with a 3-0 victory on Friday and a 3-1 win on Saturday, improving to 16-10 overall and 11-5 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).
Game 1
Quincy opened the first set with energy, storming out to a 4-0 lead behind two service aces from outside hitter AJ Goedheer.
The Buckeyes quickly turned the tide as opposite hitter Shane Wetzel powered Ohio State to a 9-3 run with five kills.
Back-to-back kills from Wetzel and outside hitter Kyle Teune closed the set 25-21 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Ohio State carried its momentum into the second, jumping out to a 7-3 lead.
The Hawks fought back with a brief 4-2 run behind middle blocker Relja Milosavljevic, but the Buckeyes answered with an 8-4 burst to extend their advantage to 17-11.
Wetzel sealed the set with a final kill, earning Ohio State a 25-19 win.
The Buckeyes kept their foot on the gas in the third, opening with a 5-2 lead.
Middle blocker Cole Young led the charge on an 11-5 run as the Buckeyes kept pushing for a match win.
Quincy opposite Aleksandar Sosa gave the Hawks a late push with two kills, but Buckeyes’ middle blocker Thomas Leahey’s final swing closed the match at 25-18, completing the sweep.
Game 2
The first set was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams tied at 10-10 early on.
In a 10-10 first set, Quincy went on a 3-1 run, but the Buckeyes responded by scoring four of the set’s next five points.
The Hawks surged late to take a 22-19 lead, but outside hitter Stanislaw Chacinski came through in the clutch, leading a 4-2 Buckeye run and securing the set 28-26.
The second set mirrored the first with its back-and-forth play, leaving the teams knotted at seven.
Leahey helped break the tie with a 7-4 run, giving Ohio State a slight edge.
Wetzel extended the lead with three kills during an 8-6 push, before back-to-back kills ended the set 25-20 and gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead.
Refusing to be swept again, Quincy started the third set strong with a 6-1 run, led by Goedheer’s offense.
Ohio State tried to claw back with a 6-2 run led by Chacinski, but Quincy maintained control.
A closing 6-1 run, capped off by strong play from the Hawks’ front line, handed them the set 25-22.
The Hawks struck first again in the fourth, going up 3-1, but the Buckeyes responded with a commanding 13-8 run, led by Chacinski’s offense.
Sosa sparked a late Quincy push with two kills in a 5-2 run, but it wasn’t enough.
A final 9-4 Ohio State surge, led by Young, ended the set 25-20 and secured the 3-1 match win.
No. 15 Ohio State (16-10, 11-5 MIVA) now turns its attention to the MIVA Tournament, set to begin Saturday, which will be streamed on Big Ten+.
