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.
Tennis Teams Go Undefeated
Both the men's and women's tennis teams went 2-0 this week in conference play. The women celebrated Senior Day yesterday and improved to 19-3 on the season. The men moved to 24-2 on the season.
The women defeated Purdue 4-2 on Friday in Columbus. They lost the doubles point for just the sixth time this season but singles performances from Shiori Fukuda, Kolie Allen, Luna Dormet, and Mary Beth Hurley put them over the top. No. 21 Ohio State played its last home match of the season yesterday, beating Indiana 6-1. The Bucks were largely unstoppable, dropping just a single point in the singles matches. The women will play Northwestern next Saturday.
The men started their weekend with a 6-1 victory over Northwestern. No. 2 Ohio State swept the doubles play and lost only one point in singles. The Bucks then turned their attention to No. 14 Illinois, a huge match for the Big Ten. Ohio State triumphed, handing Illinois its first conference loss of the season with a 4-2 victory. The Bucks won the doubles point again as John McNally and Hunter Tubert continued their undefeated doubles streak, improving to 18-0 on the season. The singles bouts were competitive, with No. 1 J.J. Wolf narrowly defeating No. 6 Aleks Kovacevic in one of the best matches this season. No. 28 John McNally kept it close as well, winning the decisive seventh game twice. The men will face Purdue next Friday night.
Men's Volleyball Ends Season
Ohio State's disappointing season came to an end in the MIVA Quarterfinals at the hands of No. 10 Loyola-Chicago. The Buckeyes, who ended the season with a 10-19 record and a seventh-place finish in their conference, were hampered with injuries for the vast majority of the season.
Ohio State stumbled out of the gates, hitting below .200 in the first set, ultimately losing 25-15. The Bucks found their offense in the second set, besting the second-seeded Ramblers 20-25. Hitting at just a 0.040 clip, Ohio State keep up in the third set, falling 25-14. The Buckeyes stayed close in the fourth and final set, tying their opponent 21 times. Their effort was not enough, however, resulting in a 25-22 loss for Ohio State.
Though disappointing, the men's season was not lost. Redshirt sophomore Jake Hanes led the team in points while sophomore Martin Lallemand was third in the same category. The future is bright for the Buckeyes as they move into the Schumaker Complex.
Men's Lacrosse Narrowly Defeats No. 15 Johns Hopkins
No. 8 Ohio State won its first conference game of the season, picking up a 14-13 victory over Johns Hopkins. The Buckeyes improved to 8-2 on the season.
Ohio State went down early, falling behind 5-1 by the 13:00-minute mark of the second period. The Blue Jays kept the advantage, extending it to 8-2 before the third period. Johns Hopkins' Alex Concannon scored three goals and added an assist in the first two periods. The Bucks fought back, however, going on an 8-2 scoring run to tie the match at 10. The two teams went back and forth the rest of the way, with Ohio State's Jackson Reid, who scored five times on the day, made the go-ahead goal with 49 seconds to play. Leading scorer Tre McLaire has multiple goals in all ten games this year.
The Buckeyes will host No. 3 Maryland in their final home game of the season next Saturday.
