The Ohio State men's volleyball team is one win away from back-to-back NCAA titles.
The top-seeded Buckeyes swept No. 4 seed Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament semifinals, punching their ticket to Saturday's championship game. They are set to face No. 3 BYU in the NCAA Tournament Championship Game — a rematch of the 2016 title game which Ohio State won in straight sets.
It was defense that carried Ohio State in the first set, particularly around the net. Ohio State had 5.5 blocks while Hawai'i had none. Still, it was close till the end. The Rainbow Warriors cut the set to just one point late in the set, but the Buckeyes held on for a 25-23 win.
"We talked about just setting up a good block and everyone around the block just being patient and doing their job and I think we did just that," senior libero Gabriel Domecus said. "We just really went with the game plan and executed."
Ohio State began to flex its muscles a bit in the second set.
The teams were knotted up at 8-8 midway through the set, then Nicholas Szerszen took over. The 2016 National Player of the Year and 2017 All-American recorded five-straight kills, including four service aces to give Buckeyes a 14-8 lead. The Rainbow Warriors never recovered, and Ohio State coasted to a 25-18 win.
"We talk to (Nick) Szerszen about hitting it 100 miles per hour and at somebody and trying to knock them over," head coach Pete Hanson joked. "It doesn't matter what number the guy's wearing or what position he plays."
The Buckeyes didn't slow down in the third, never trailing in the set. Hawai'i was within one when the score was 7-6, but that's as close as it got. The Buckeyes stretched their lead throughout the set, coasting to a 25-19 win to complete the sweep.
The NCAA title match tips off Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in St. John Arena as the Buckeyes will look to win their second-straight NCAA title — this time on their home court.
