Stanford takes out Ohio State Buckeyes, 3-2 – Volleyball news
The No. 10 Ohio State played its second match against No. 4 Stanford at the Ken and Dave Dunlap Invitational on Saturday, January 28.
The St. John Arena in Columbus provided excellent environment for the match. The Buckeyes played under the tag of hosts but failed to profit the home advantage. The match spanned over five sets and finally Stanford emerged as victorious team. The visiting
Stanford Cardinal posted 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 24-26, 25-22, and 15-12) on board and settled for triumph.
The Buckeyes’ could not turn the final decision of the match in their effort but their effort was commendable. Shawn Sangrey, Chen Levitan, Grayson Overman, and Mik Berzins played amazingly well.
Senior captain Shawn Sangrey showcased colossal feat and clipped his career-best 30 kills. Additionally, he added seven digs and recorded four blocks. Levitan followed him up with 10 kills, while Grayson Overman and senior Mik Berzins had seven kills each.
The Stanford was hugely supported by the trio of Brian Cook, Steven Irwin and Brad Lawson. All three of them staged eye-catching action on the net and tied for team-high kill honours with 17 apiece.
Both teams remained incredibly close in the first set of the match. Using the home advantage and emotional support of fans, the Buckeyes tried to put pressure on the Cardinal squad but it did not work out.
The Stanford defended well and responded the Ohio State in the same tone. The exchange of long rallies and tricky bump passes created whole lot of entertainment for the spectators. The score soared up with close gaps, while final word was given in Stanford’s
favour, 25-22.
The loss of opening set simply aggravated the Buckeyes and they came up with heavy strike of volleys in the following set. However, the Cardinal was aware of the hostile reaction of home squad.
Therefore, they played confidently but could not hold up the Buckeyes for long. The Ohio State used its top hitters and mad the Cardinal to suffer the damage. The guest team from Stanford put up great resistance but could not avoid the loss of second set.
The St. John arena turned into the battlefield as the game entered the third set. The Buckeyes played to their full potential, while the audience also backed them up.
On the other hand, the visiting Stanford also displayed superb effort. However, the hosts captured third set (26-24) before Cardinal levelled the game score by winning fourth set.
Ohio State took a 2-0 advantage to open the final set and held the two-point lead until 9-7. Stanford bounced back and utilised a three-point rally to take a 10-9 lead. A kill by Sangrey brought the score to 13-12 in favour of Buckeyes, but the Cardinal
closed out to win 15-12.
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