Around the Oval: Men's Volleyball to Host Lindenwood in MIVA Tournament, Cole McWard Scores in His Second NHL Appearance and Women's Tennis Dominates on Senior Day

By Chase Brown on April 10, 2023 at 1:33 pm
Cole McWard
Twitter / @Canucks
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Another week. Another Around the Oval.

In this week's edition of ATO, Eleven Warriors' one-stop shop for coverage of the Buckeyes' Olympic sports programs, we provide updates for men's volleyball, men's hockey, women's tennis, men's lacrosse and several other Ohio State teams.

Let's dive in.

Men's Volleyball

Ohio State men's volleyball (19-9) earned a share of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) regular-season title over the weekend after the team swept Loyola Chicago 3-0 at the Covelli Center.

With an 11-3 record in MIVA play, Ohio State tied Ball State and Loyola Chicago for the best league record after 14 contests. MIVA teams will compete in the conference tournament this weekend, which meant tiebreakers were in order to determine the No. 1 seed. The Cardinals trumped the Ramblers and the Ramblers trumped the Buckeyes, leaving the Buckeyes with the No. 3 seed at the MIVA Tournament.

Ohio State will host No. 5 seed Lindenwood in Columbus in the first round on Saturday. The Buckeyes faced the Lions twice in 2023, losing the first match 3-2 on the road on Feb. 25 and winning the second match 3-1 at home on March 24. The teams will battle in the rubber match this weekend, with Ohio State benefiting from a home-court advantage at the Covelli Center. Tickets for the contest are on sale here.

The Buckeyes have 17 MIVA Tournament Championships in program history. The first was in 1969, and the most recent title came in 2018 as the third trophy in back-to-back-to-back championship wins for Ohio State. In the past four years, Ohio State did not reach the MIVA Tournament in any season, as they collected records of 10-19, 11-8, 9-10 and 13-14.

Men's Hockey

Ohio State sophomore defenseman Cole McWard signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks last week. On Thursday, he made his NHL debut. And on Sunday, he scored the first goal of his career.

McWard was the second Ohio State player to ink an NHL contract last week, as sophomore goaltender Jakub Dobeš signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Two other Buckeyes signed professional contracts, including defenseman Mason Lohrei, who agreed to an AHL tryout agreement with the Providence Bruins – an affiliate of the Boston Bruins – and Gustaf Westlund, who signed a two-year contract with IK Oskarshamn in his home county of Sweden.

A native of Fenton, Missouri, McWard played two seasons for the Buckeyes from 2021-23 in which he collected 37 points from 13 goals and 24 assists. He also was one of the team's best shot blockers, recording 57 blocks this past season and 97 for his career.

As the NHL season ends, McWard will have three more opportunities to play for the Canucks. Vancouver has played 79 games in the 82-game season and currently holds a 36-36 record in those contests. With the franchise mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in late March, McWard was one of several call-ups as the front office looks to assess its young talent for the future.

Women's Tennis

Ohio State women's tennis celebrated Senior Day at the Auer Tennis Complex on Sunday with a 4-0 defeat of Iowa. The dominant victory marked the Buckeyes' eighth consecutive win as the team improved to 15-5 overall with a 7-0 mark in Big Ten competition.

The Buckeyes secured the doubles point early in the contest, with the tandems of Isabelle Boulais and Shelly Bereznyak plus Danielle Willson and Kolie Allen making quick work of their Hawkeye counterparts. In the singles matches, Bereznyak, Irina Cantos Siemers and Willson claimed victories in their head-to-head duals to provide Ohio State with its 4-0 sweep of Iowa.

Since a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to UCLA in Los Angeles, Ohio State has been one of the hottest teams in women's college tennis as it continues the winning streak mentioned above. In fact, the Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 31-2 in their last eight matches, with the only points allowed coming against Kentucky as part of a 4-2 win at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.

Ohio State has four matches left before the Big Ten Tournament starts on April 27, all of which will be on the road. The Buckeyes will first travel to Michigan State and Michigan this weekend and wrap up their regular season with matches against Rutgers and Maryland the following week.

Once the Big Ten Tournament wraps up, Ohio State is expected to be one of the top teams at the NCAA Championships, which will occur from May 6-28 at campus sites and in Champaign, Illinois, at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.

Men's Lacrosse

Ohio State men's lacrosse, the No. 19-ranked squad in the country, fell to No. 5 Maryland, 12-11, in overtime at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium on Friday. With the loss, the Buckeyes fell to 5-6 this season and 1-2 in Big Ten competition.

Against the Terps, Ohio State took the lead just 25 seconds into the contest and held the advantage for more than 48 minutes. The Buckeyes went on a five-goal scoring streak and led by as many as five goals twice in that span.

However, Maryland chipped away at the Buckeye lead and won the fourth quarter by holding Ohio State scoreless in the final frame. The Terrapins tied the game 11-11 with 2:09 left in regulation to send the contest into extras. Maryland needed only 52 seconds in overtime to score the golden goal, as forward Braden Erksa scored to push the Terrapins past the Buckeyes, 12-11.

While the record may not indicate greatness from Ohio State, four of the Buckeyes' losses have been to programs ranked within the top five of the NCAA Division I polls, including Virginia, Notre Dame, Cornell and Maryland. For that reason, head coach Nick Myers feels confident his team can end the regular season strong in its matchups with Johns Hopkins and Michigan in the next two weeks.

“I’m incredibly proud of our men,” Myers said after the loss to Maryland. “It started with our families on the field and our Senior Day. We have a really special group of seniors and I want to say thank you to them and thank you to their families. We had an incredible crowd – Buckeye Nation and our home games this year have been really special – and tonight was certainly no different.

"Tonight was an awesome game, and we would’ve loved to get one more. … It will sting for sure, but it’s a special weekend. We have a lot to be thankful for, and we’ll get back to work and get ready to go for our next one.”

Other News and Notes

  • Kami Kortokrax and Ohio State softball walked off on Rutgers on Sunday to secure a series victory over the Scarlet Knights. With the win, the Buckeyes improved to 23-13 overall with a 4-5 mark in Big Ten play. The team also improved to 10-4 in one-run games this season.
  • Ohio State baseball closed out its series with a doubleheader split with Michigan State on Saturday. The Buckeyes won the first contest, 13-2, behind a strong effort from Gavin Bruni, who collected five strikeouts and allowed two runs on the bump. Ohio State lost the second game, 16-3, in seven innings, as the team's bats went quiet and the pitching ran wild. Bill Mosiello's squad is now 15-15 on the season with a 2-7 mark in the Big Ten.
  • Ohio State men's tennis went on the road over the weekend and took down No. 4 Michigan, 4-2, marking the team's second win over the Wolverines this season. The Buckeyes are now 23-2 this year and 6-0 in Big Ten competition, while Michigan falls to 18-3 and 4-1 in B1G matches, which means Ohio State is in the driver's seat for another Big Ten title, which would be their 17th consecutive dating back to 2006.
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