AUSTIN, Texas — Ohio State couldn’t have had a greater First Level Collegiate Problem.
Friday within the Austin Conference Middle, the fourth-ranked Buckeyes of the MIVA shocked reigning national-champion UCLA of the MPSF by pulling off a reverse sweep.
Then Saturday, Ohio State (6-0) made it a California sweep by holding off beforehand unbeaten and No. 13 USC (5-1) in what was nearly a reverse sweep by the Trojans.
The Buckeyes took the primary two units earlier than the Trojans of the MPSF rallied to power the deciding fifth, as Ohio State held on for a 25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 18-25, 15-12 victory.
With many eyes maybe targeted on No. 1 UCLA, No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Stanford getting into this six-team elite early seeason males’s volleyball match, the Buckeyes may need felt somewhat neglected.
Most likely not a lot now.
“It’s Ohio in opposition to the world, boy!” mentioned sophomore reverse Shane Wetzel, who had a match-high 17 kills. Wetzel, named the participant of the match, hit simply .132 however had two aces, a block and 5 digs.
Ohio State pulled out the match regardless of being out-hit by the Trojans, .330-.228, and committing 22 service errors to USC’s 16. However they offset that with 15 service aces — probably the most by a USC opponent since, coincidentally, Ohio State in 2019 — together with 4 every by senior Jacob Pasteur, who additionally had 13 kills, two blocks and 5 digs, and senior Michael Wright, who had 18 assists and two digs.
Senior Justin Howard had two aces to go together with 5 kills, help and two blocks. Sophomore exterior Ben Putnam had 10 kills, hitting .381. Junior center Cole Younger had eight kills and just one error on 14 swings to hit .500 and had an ace, 4 blocks and a dig.
“I feel we nonetheless need to work on plenty of issues,” Wetzel mentioned as he and the remainder of the garnet-and-gray crew hustled to get to the airport. “However I feel total we simply discovered ourselves and remained calm, even in the course of the (third and fourth) units, despite the fact that we’d have misplaced, we nonetheless got here again and regrouped afterwards.”
USC ended its weekend 1-1 after a gritty, four-set win over Ball State on Friday. However coach Jeff Nygaard doesn’t think about the outcomes to be a blended bag.
“I preferred the character of our crew. I preferred the truth that we acquired stronger the extra we performed,” he mentioned. “I like realizing we are able to go to guys on the bench they usually can step up and carry out. … Wall-to-wall, I’m happy with it, give me like 98% of what we did tonight.
“And that’s like, what, No. 4 that simply beat No. 1? For us to push them like that and go there the place we’re as a crew proper now with the age vary that we’ve and the expertise stage, that showcases plenty of grit and plenty of potential we are able to capitalize on.”
Amongst that “age vary” of gamers is sophomore exterior hitter Dillon Klein. The uber-athletic Klein performs effectively past his years, contributing 12 kills (.259) an ace and a solo stuff of Pasteur.
Freshman center Wes Smith had 10 kills (.467), and freshman setter Caleb Blanchette had 39 assists, a kill, a block and two digs.
They mesh with veterans equivalent to junior reverse Jack Deuchar, who led the Trojans with 14 kills (.357) and added six blocks and 5 digs, and senior center Kyle Paulson, who had six kills on eight swings and was in on 10 blocks (one solo). He additionally had an ace.
“We haven’t gained a (match) in three because the first two matches this 12 months,”Deuchar mentioned. “So we all know we are able to hold preventing. Our entire mantra is to get higher all through the match. I feel we’ve proven that that’s true. We have been only a few factors away tonight, and that’s a credit score to them. They turned it round.”
Ohio State did flip it round. And the Buckeyes are assured this weekend in Austin will probably be a launching pad towards larger issues.
“Little doubt in my thoughts that this would be the crew this 12 months, I feel, we’ll have the deepest run out of my 4 years,” Pasteur mentioned.
Ohio State reached the NCAA quarterfinals final season earlier than dropping to Penn State in 4 units.
“We’re working so much more durable than we did final 12 months to simply exit and get it and win that (championship),” Wetzel mentioned