The Ohio State women's volleyball team gave Washington, the AVCA's top-ranked team, all it could handle in a Sweet 16 clash in Lexington, Ky. last night, but ultimately fell in five sets, ending the Buckeyes' season.
The Huskies (31–2), dropped a wild first set to the Buckeyes, 23-25, but rebounded to win the second and third sets, 25-20 and 25-18, before dropping the fourth, 12-25 and then rallying to take the crucial fifth set, 15-8.
The fifth set also featured a tremendous kick dig from Washington, which earned the No. 3 slot in SportsCenter's “Top Plays.”
Senior Elizabeth Campbell racked up 24 kills, including five in the shortened fifth set alone, to go along with 12 digs for her 12th double-double of the season and 19th as a Buckeye. Freshman Taylor Hughes finished the evening with 44 assists, a career-high 22 digs, five blocks and five kills.
Ohio State concludes the season 25–10 overall, but the outlook for next year is bright with stars like Hughes and defensive specialist Valeria León, who averaged 4.31 digs per set – the highest season total in school history – returning.
