Head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg at the Buckeyes’ Big Ten season opener Oct. 3 against Oregon on Mental Health Awareness Night. Oregon defeated the Buckeyes in all three sets: 23-25, 21-25, 14-25. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
The Buckeyes are in for the toughest weekend of their season.
Ohio State (8-8, 1-5 Big Ten) will host two top-three teams in No. 3 Penn State and No. 2 Nebraska this weekend at the Covelli Center.
The Buckeyes begin their grueling weekend with the Nittany Lions Friday at 8 p.m. The following day, Ohio State will face the Cornhuskers at 3:30 p.m.
Both Big Ten challengers post strong resumes.
Penn State (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) has only lost one match, when it was swept by No. 1 Pittsburgh Sept. 18. Similarly, Nebraska (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) hasn’t lost since being swept by No. 12 Southern Methodist University Sept. 3.
Graduate outside hitter Emily Londot said she feels her team can still exemplify excellence, despite its record, and is ready to help showcase that Buckeye mentality.
“I hope we learn how good we are because we are good,” Londot said. “It hasn’t necessarily shown in the win-loss column, but we’ve been putting in so much work this season, and we will get it done this weekend to prove that.”
Londot said consistency was a big part of the game plan to prepare for this weekend, especially with a young team.
“It’s taken a while for us just to get that feeling of confidence in ourselves, which we’re focusing on continuously,” Londot said. “Still, especially this week, we just have confidence in each other and trust each other out there on the court to be the aggressors on the court at every point.”
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Murphy said the team emphasizes the minor aspects during practices.
“We’ve also put a lot of emphasis on the little things and doing good at those little things in practice,” Murphy said. “So, whenever it comes to the game, it’s more natural and more routine because we’ve already been doing that a lot in practice.”
Londot said she is excited for the chance to play two of the best teams in the country to show fans what the Buckeyes are capable of.
“I’m just excited to get out there and prove to people what we’ve been working on,” Londot said. “This is an excellent opportunity to let loose, and go out there, and win the game and show people how much work this team has put in and how much we want it.”
Murphy said she has great admiration for Buckeye fans, recognizing that they always bring energy to support the team.
“Buckeye Nation usually shows up at Covelli and makes that place as loud. They’ll expect good games with Nebraska and Penn State, ranked two and three. And usually, when that happens, they show up and create a great, loud environment,” Murphy said. “I know that a couple of years ago, when we played Nebraska, we sold out, and there was no room left, so it created a lab environment that helped us.”
