Buckeye excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed of the amazing things happening with the other 34 varsity sports on campus.
Ranked Win
Two weeks after falling from the rankings with a loss to unranked Massachusetts, the Buckeyes took a turn in the right direction with an impressive win over No. 19 Marquette at the weekend's Midwest Lacrosse Classic.
Ohio State goalkeeper Tom Carey notched a career high 16 saves, seven of which came in the fourth quarter as the the Golden Eagles tried to force a late game rally. The senior was the difference for the Buckeyes, as the team was outshot 38-31 on the game but ended with a four goal win, downing No. 19 Marquette 12-8.
On the offensive end, Carter Brown was magnificent yet again. The team's points leader had four points on the day with a hat trick and an assist, extending his points streak to 14 game stretching back to last season. Goals were also scored by Eric Fannell (2), J.T. Blubaugh (2), Austin Shanks (2), and Jack Jasinski (1).
Watch highlights from Friday's win over Marquette in #TheShoe. https://t.co/nGrL9E0ACJ #GoBucks
— Ohio State Men's LAX (@OhioState_MLAX) March 5, 2016
| Rank | team | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | @ Hofstra | 3/12 |
| 6 | Towson | 3/15 |
| 2 | @ Denver | 3/19 |
| 1 | Notre Dame | 3/26 |
| –––– | Penn State | 4/3 |
| 14 | @ Johns Hopkins | 3/9 |
| –––– | Michigan | 4/16 |
| 11 | @ Maryland | 4/24 |
| 16 | Rutgers | 4/30 |
Ohio State then finished the weekend, Sunday with a 9-5 win over Bellarmine to improve to 5-1 on the season. The Buckeyes have climbed their way back into the polls where they sit at No. 19 in the latest rankings.
The challenge has just begun for this Ohio State team, however, as a grueling slate awaits the Buckeyes, starting with a road test against No. 13 Hofstra, Saturday.
Of the team's remaining nine games, seven of them are against ranked opponents, including match-ups with the nation's top two teams in No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Denver.
Earning an NCAA tournament bid with that schedule will be a tall task, but if the Buckeyes can survive the gauntlet, they will perhaps the most tested team in the field come tournament time.
Dominance
After a shaky start to the season where the team dropped two of its first three matches, the Ohio State men's volleyball team has righted the ship in a huge way, becoming one of the most dominant teams in the country.
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 5 in the nation and are riding a seven game winning streak. Since the early season struggles, the team is 14-1 with the lone loss coming in a five-set thriller to No. 8 Ball State. Of the team's 15 season wins, 12 of them were 3-0 sweeps – that's domination.
Ohio State sophomore Nicolas Szerszen (photo via OSU Athletics).
This weekend, the victims were defending NCAA champion No. 11 Loyola and defending conference champion No. 13 Lewis. The Buckeyes have now downed five top-15 opponents on the season, including Loyola twice.
The success is due in no small part to Ohio State's prolific offense. The Buckeyes have the most efficient offense in the country, executing at a .339 rate and are second in the nation in aces, averaging 1.98 per set.
The team is led by sophomore Nicolas Szerszen, who has made his name known, winning four of the first eight MIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Buckeye star is ranked in the top-5 nationally in nearly offensive category including kills, points, attacking efficiency, and aces per set.
Ohio State sits at first place in the conference with a 9-1 MIVA record, holding a half-game lead over Ball State.
The Buckeyes' hot-streak will certainly be put to the test as the team hits the road to face No. 14 UC Irvine, Friday and No. 1 Long Beach State, the first of seven matches outside of historic St. John Arena.
Other Scores and News
- No. 1 Women's Tennis: Earned ITA's No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history, and swept Baylor in 4 sets.
- No. 3 Men's Tennis: Defeated Notre Dame 5-2 and No. 13 Oklahoma, avenging last season's NCAA record-snapping loss.
- Baseball: Defeated Seton Hall 9-3 and lost games to Illinois State and Boston College 5-4 and 6-2 respectively.
- No. 7 Wrestling: Finished third in the Big Ten Wrestling Championships team standings as Nathan Tomasello and Kyle Snyder won individual Big Ten Championships.
- No. 9 Women's Basketball: Defeated No. 10 seed Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament 73-58 behind Kelsey Mitchell's record breaking performance, and lost to No. 4 seed Michigan State in the semifinals 82-63.
- No. 17 Women's Lacrosse: Defeated No. 20 Johns Hopkins 8-7.
- Men's Hockey: Swept a weekend series with rival No. 6 Michigan, downing them 7-4 in Ann Arbor and 6-5 in overtime in Columbus.
- Men's Golf: Finished 11th at Tiger Invitational in Auburn, Ala.
- Women's Golf: Finished third at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
- No. 3 Men's Gymnastics: Finished first in the Arnold Classic Challenge.
- Women's Gymnastics: Earned a 195.975 in Tri-Meet with No. 25 West Virginia and Bowling Green.
