Fourth-year libero Thomas Poole (2) smiles during a 3-1 win for Ohio State men’s volleyball over St. Francis at the Covelli Center. Credit: Aiden Ridgeway | Lantern Photographer
Then-No. 4 Ohio State (6-0, 0-0 MIVA) knocked off two undefeated teams in then-No. 1 UCLA (5-1, 0-0 MPSF) and then-No. 13 USC (5-1, 0-0 MPSF) in its weekend matchup in Austin, Texas, for the First Point Collegiate Challenge.
The Buckeyes’ Friday night matchup against UCLA came down to the wire, as their five-set victory snapped a 16-game winning streak for the defending national champions.
Senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur led the Buckeyes with a season-high, tying 23 kills. Redshirt-senior setter Michael Wright facilitated the offense with 46 assists.
Ohio State opened the scoring in the first set with a service ace by sophomore opposite hitter Shane Wetzel, but UCLA quickly jumped to a 4-1 lead off an ace and kill by senior outside hitter Ethan Champlin. The Bruins’ lead remained consistent, and they finished with a 25-19 victory in set one.
UCLA held strong in the second set despite a solid effort by the Buckeyes. Ohio State jumped to a 4-0 lead off kills from Pasteur and junior middle blocker Cole Young. Double kills from Champlin put the Bruins on the board, but Ohio State held a consistent lead for most of the set.
After trailing by as many as seven, UCLA snagged the lead off an opponent service error, placing the score at 23-22. A kill by redshirt-sophomore outside hitter Cooper Robinson rounded out the second, giving the Bruins a 2-point lead and a 23-25 set victory.
The third set provided a significant momentum shift as an ace by Wright pushed Ohio State to a 7-10 lead. Pasteur heated up quickly in the third, adding a pair of kills to bump the Buckeye lead to four and an 18-14 score.
Points from Pasteur and Wetzel followed, landing Ohio State at set point. A UCLA service error gave the Buckeyes a 25-18 third-set win, setting the series at 2-1.
Back-and-forth scoring took place in the fourth set. A Young kill gave Ohio State the first point, and after multiple ties, the Buckeyes pushed to a two-point lead.
The score gap remained consistent throughout most of set four, and Ohio State was the first to break 20 on a kill by redshirt-freshman outside hitter Ben Putnam. Kills by Pasteur and Wetzel and a UCLA service error closed out the set with a 25-22 win by the Buckeyes. The series was tied at 2-2.
Ohio State continued their push in the fifth and final set as multiple slams from Pasteur and Wetzel propelled the team to a 4-0 lead. UCLA grabbed its first point off a kill, but the Buckeyes remained unfazed as they held a consistent lead. The Bruins made a run to put the score within one, but a redshirt-senior middle blocker Justin Howard kill placed Ohio State at set point. A final kill from Pasteur hit home and gave the Buckeyes the 3-2 overall victory.
After the Friday night victory, the Buckeyes faced No. 13 USC. The Trojans came into Saturday off a 3-1 win against No. 14 Ball State.
Set one began with the Buckeyes, as Young tagged the first kill. Ohio State jumped to a 3-point lead early, but the Trojans quickly caught up with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Dillon Klein to tie it at 6-6.
Multiple kills and service aces by Wetzel put the Buckeyes back on top 12-10. Ohio State remained steady in the first, taking it by a score of 25-20 off a USC service error.
USC scored first in the second on a kill by freshman middle blocker Wes Smith. The Trojans kept a small lead until a Pasteur service ace put the Buckeyes up 13-12. Points from Putnam, Pasteur and Wetzel kept Ohio State in front, and a Young slam gave the Buckeyes the second-set win 25-21.
In the third set, Wetzel was on fire for the Buckeyes as he grabbed two quick kills to put them up 1-2. Two more Wetzel kills gave the team a 3-point lead, but USC quickly responded with a line drive kill by redshirt-junior opposite hitter Jack Deuchar to steal a 5-point lead at 12-17.
The Trojans pushed the lead to as many as 8 points until a Pasteur kill stopped the USC run. Two Wright service aces put the Buckeyes within four at 22-18, but the Trojans bounced back and a Deuchar roll shot kill gave USC the third by a score of 25-20.
USC opened the fourth with 3 quick points. A Howard kill gave Ohio State its first point and a pair of Wetzel kills tied the game at 4-4. The Trojan block stuffed Ohio State’s offense as the score extended to 10-7. USC extended its lead to six as a Deuchar slam led the Trojans to 20, and they kept the momentum until a tip by Klein gave them the fourth-set win 25-18.
With four Trojans hitting above .400, USC started hot in the fifth set. The final match was full of errors that kept the score close. A heavy block pushed the Buckeyes to a 3-point lead late in the set as the score stretched to 12-9.
The teams traded service errors until a Deuchar kill brought USC within two. The Buckeyes remained unphased, and a Pasteur kill placed them at set point. One final slam by Putnam finished off the Trojans and Ohio State won the set 15-12.
Wetzel led the Buckeye offense in its five-set victory with 17 kills, and Pasteur followed with 13. Both players also recorded a team-high five digs each. Senior setter Noah Platfoot added 27 assists.
The Buckeyes moved to No.1 in the AVCA/NVA National Collegiate MVB Poll Monday. The Buckeyes will return to Columbus for a top-10 matchup against No.9 Penn State Thursday. The game is set for 6 p.m. at the Covelli Center and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
