National Champs
The Ohio State men's volleyball team earned the 2016 NCAA title, Saturday night, sweeping heavily favored, No. 1 ranked and top seeded BYU in three sets. For the Buckeyes, it's the second national title in program history and first since 2011.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2 OHIO STATE | 32 | 25 | 25 |
| #1 BYU | 30 | 23 | 17 |
"I can't tell you how proud I am," said Ohio State head coach Pete Hanson after the game. "There's a few things I love in life – my family, that University, and I love that team. They are unbelievable."
In the first set, the Buckeyes battled back, fighting off six set points before eventually securing victory 32-30. After taking a back and forth second set 25-23 thanks to an 8-3 run, Ohio State dominated the third, thanks in no small part to the play of the national player of the year Nicholas Szerszen. The sophomore was on fire from the service line, serving for five straight points including two aces. The Buckeyes took the third set 25-17 to secure the title.
"If we play the way we play, which is serve it like that, nobody can touch us," said Hanson.
The championship win caps off a hot season. After losing two of its first three matches, Ohio State won 29 of its next 30 matches, closing the season with a 23 match winning streak – the team has not lost a match since February 6th.
In addition to the national title, the Buckeyes also collected a couple national awards. Head coach Pete Hanson was named the national coach of the year, the fourth time he's collected such honors, and sophomore outside hitter Nicholas Szerszen earned national player of the year honors.
You're coming home with us, buddy! pic.twitter.com/7HOYjahztV
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) May 8, 2016
Ohio State closes the season 31-3, and takes a 23-match win streak into next season, where they'll be a favorite to repeat.
"We'd love to do this in Columbus next year – we've got pretty much everybody coming back," said Hanson. "Everybody's going to be good next year, we're just going to have to work our ass off to defend it."
