Senior setter Mac Podraza jumps to hit the ball during the Ohio State-Nebraska match Sunday. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
The No. 6 Ohio State women’s volleyball team beat No. 4 Nebraska 3-1 in front of a sellout crowd at the Covelli Center Sunday and now controls its conference destiny.
The victory brings the Buckeyes’ (19-5, 15-1 Big Ten) record against ranked opponents this year to 8-5, with the lone conference loss coming in five sets at the Cornhuskers (22-3, 14-2 Big Ten) in September.
“Nebraska is a team that’s always going to have a good defense and a fighting mentality,” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said. “We want to go out and prove not only can we hang with them and defend our home court.”
The teams traded points with 16 ties and six lead changes in the set, and Ohio State held an early 9-5 lead. The Cornhuskers commanded a 29-28 lead, but two kills from junior outside hitter Emily Londot, who tallied 12 in the set, gave the lead back to the Buckeyes who held on to win 31-29.
“Kylie [Murr] is back there making big plays, and then I make one,” Londot said. “We just work off each other.”
Ohio State collected 20 kills and 28 digs while holding the Cornhuskers to a .170 hitting percentage in the first set. The Cornhuskers did collect 15 kills in the set and 21 digs.
The Buckeyes fell behind early 9-3 before an 8-2 run tied the second set at 11, and a block by Londot tied it again at 12. Ohio State took its first set lead 16-15 and held off tying runs at 17 and 18 points to win 25-21, outscoring the Cornhuskers 7-3 after it was 18 all.
“The adrenaline was definitely there tonight,” Londot said. “I was shaking the whole time, but it’s mind over matter, nothing hurts, nothings wrong, next point.”
Sophomore outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein gave the Cornhuskers their first three points of the second set, and she finished with 12 kills in the match. Nebraska sophomore outside hitter Ally Batenhorst led Nebraska with 15 kills, and as a team it found the floor 59 times in the match.
The Buckeyes found themselves up 15-10 as an “overrated” chant broke out of the student section, and the Cornhuskers quietly came within striking distance at 17-15 and re-took the lead 22-21. Ohio State tied the match at points 24-26, but a Nebraska challenge flipped the fourth-consecutive Buckeye tie to a 28-26 Cornhusker set victory.
“That’s a team that is going to respond to that,” Oldenburg said. “They do not want to hear that, and they want to prove it.”
Nebraska’s set hitting percentage was below .200 in the first two sets, but the Cornhuskers found a .204 percentage to push them past the Buckeyes’ match-low .191 percentage
Ohio State seniors Gabby Gonzales and Adria Powell each had four kills in the set and Lauenstein led her team with five kills.
Nebraska was down 12-5 by the time it took a second timeout in the fourth set. Ohio State led 19-9, and the Cornhuskers cut the Buckeye lead down to six points but came up short 25-16.
Londot said it’s great that the Buckeyes control their own Big Ten destiny after the statement victory.
“No words, going day-by-day not looking to far ahead,” Londot said. “You just have to find that happy medium of, ‘We want to win the Big Ten.’”
Record watch
Senior defensive specialist Kylie Murr collected 24 digs in the match, moving her 11 behind Valeria León’s 1,795 career digs for first all-time on Ohio State’s list.
Senior setter Mac Podraza has moved into fifth place with 3,653 career assists, passing Taylor Sherwin’s mark of 3,624.
Double-doubles
Londot collected a season-high 23 kills and a career-high 21 digs. Podraza had 55 assists and 11 digs, Gonzales had 18 kills and 20 digs.
“It reminds me of why I love the game, just having fun and seeing others succeeding, too, helps me succeed more,” Londot said.
Defense makes stops
As a team Ohio State recorded a season-high 101 digs, surpassing the previous high of 79 kills, which also came against Nebraska.
Ohio State held the Cornhuskers to a .170 hitting percentage, and it has a 15-1 record when holding its opponents under .200 percent. The lone loss came earlier this year against Nebraska.
Oldenburg said her team’s defense was “incredible.”
Up next
Ohio State travels to College Park, Maryland, Friday to face the Terrapins at 7 p.m.
