Around the Oval: Men's Lacrosse Beats Michigan, Men's Volleyball Advances, Women's Rowing Cruises

By Harry Wexner on April 16, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Ohio State Lacrosse vs Michigan
Ohio State Dept. of Athletics
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Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed about the amazing achievements of the other 34 varsity teams on campus.

Men's Lacrosse Beats Blue

Ohio State and 20th-ranked Michigan squared off in Columbus on Friday night for a high-stakes showdown. Both teams were playing for their first conference win of the season, and Michigan was playing for the team's first ever lacrosse win versus Ohio State. 

Ohio State started the day strong with three unanswered scores from Jack Jasinski, Tre Leclaire and Colby Smith. 

Undeterred, Michigan battled back win three goals of their own. At half time, the teams were locked into a even stalemate. 

After the break, the Buckeyes returned to play with new energy. With a fresh offensive spark, the team generated a 4-1 run in the third quarter. Combined with an impressive defensive performance -- the Buckeyes allowed only 23 shots all day -- the run was enough to pave the way to victory. 

The Buckeyes claimed an 8-5 victory over the Wolverines. Leading the offensive effort with a hat trick, Sophomore Tre Leclaire was the man of the moment for Ohio State. 

After the game, coach Nick Meyers said: “To send a deserving senior class out with another win over our rivals is what I’m so proud of. This is a Big Ten win and those are hard to come by. I know this team has a lot of confidence and knows there’s a lot more out there for us." 

With the win, Ohio State improves to 6-6 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten. The team next confronts first-ranked Maryland in College Park. 

Men's Volleyball Advances Past Quincy in MIVA Tournament

Ohio State, the top seed in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) tournament, cruised past Quincy in straight sets on Saturday.

After a tight first set, the Buckeyes picked up steam as play went on. The final score was 25-22, 25-18, 25-12. 

The Buckeyes were led by senior Nicolas Szerszen, the three-time MIVA Player of the Year. Szerszen contributed14 kills, five aces and two block assists to the win on Saturday night. Szerszen is now fours kills short of the all-time Ohio State record. Szerszen's nine digs and two blocks demonstrated that, in addition to his talents as on offensive threat, he is a complete team player. 

The Buckeyes next face Lewis in the MIVA semifinals this Wednesday at St. John Arena in Columbus. 

Women's Rowing Continues to Dominate

The fourth-ranked women's rowing team won nine of ten races this weekend at the Clemson Invitational. Finishing with 130 points, the Buckeyes earned the Invitational Championship. The result follows on the heels of similarly dominant victories in recent weeks against teams such as Yale, Harvard and Virginia. 

The First Varsity Eight, First Varsity Four, Second Varsity Four and First Novice Eight each went undefeated this weekend. 

The premier First Varsity Eight -- rowed by  Anjali Fernandes, Ida Kruse, Alexandra Northdurft, Rachel Engel, Cassandra Johnson, Ida Petersen, Alessandra Montesano, Bridget Schodorf and Alice Riley -- beat Washington State by four seconds in its first race of the weekend. On Saturday, the 1V8 posted a time of 6:10.89 to beat USC's 6:12.65. 

Ohio State's 1V8 and 2V8 are now both 6-1 in races and 22-1 overall this season. The 1V4, 2V4 and 1N8 are all undefeated. 

The Buckeyes return to Griggs Reservoir next weekend to face Duke and Notre Dame. 

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