School is almost out for the summer, but Ohio State's Olympic sports have continued with a full head of steam.
In this week's edition of Around the Oval, Eleven Warriors' one-stop shop for coverage of the Buckeyes' non-revenue programs, we provide updates for men's volleyball, wrestling, women's tennis and several other teams that competed over the past seven days.
Over the weekend, we also covered the men's tennis program's first Big Ten Tournament title since 2019 and the 14th conference tournament championship since head coach Ty Tucker took over the program in 2000.
Let's dive in.
Men's Volleyball
Fresh off a MIVA Tournament championship, Ohio State men's volleyball won its 2023 NCAA Tournament opener on Sunday, sweeping King University in three sets (25-20, 25-16, 36-34) at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia.
That Winning Feeling. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/4S9hbVt5Ez
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) May 1, 2023
The NCAA Tournament victory was the first of head coach Kevin Burch's tenure with the Buckeyes, who were led by MIVA Player of the Year Jacob Pasteur in the contest. Pasteur finished with 17 kills and collected a hitting percentage of .667, while Shane Wetzel and Jack Stevens each added 10 kills. Additionally, Thomas Poole led both teams with 10 digs and setter Michael Wright recorded a match-best 43 assists.
The Buckeyes got the out in a 3-0 sweep of King University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday. Here are a fewfrom the win.https://t.co/HC0HM9GtRx
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioStateMVB) May 1, 2023
#GoBucks
With the win, Ohio State will face Penn State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The Nittany Lions are a familiar opponent for the Buckeyes after the programs battled twice in the regular season. Penn State won the first match, 3-1, in Columbus, and Ohio State took the second, 3-2, in State College, Pennsylvania.
Like Ohio State, Penn State also won its conference tournament, capturing the EIVA title with victories over George Mason and Princeton. The Nittany Lions will carry a record of 26-3 into their matchup with the Buckeyes, who are 23-9 after their NCAA Tournament win.
The NCAA Tournament quarterfinals will start at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Wrestling
Break out the beanies. Ohio State redshirt freshman Nic Bouzakis dominated at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas over the weekend, winning all seven matches at 61kg and outscoring opponents 71-8.
#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/qJd5GPbj1h
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) May 1, 2023
A top recruit in Ohio State's class of 2022, Bouzakis wrestled nine times as a freshman at 133 pounds, collecting an 8-1 record, and competed in three matches unattached from the program. In November, Bouzakis won his first collegiate event with a 4-0 record at the 2022 Michigan State Open, capturing a title in the underclassmen division.
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) October 31, 2022
In recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, we caught up with Nic Bouzakis at Wrestle-Offs as he shared the story of his younger brother, Greco Roman, and how Nic honors his brother who lost his battle with brain cancer in 2016. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ZqGLTkkXnU
In addition to Bouzakis, several current and former Buckeyes put together solid performances at the U.S. Open, including redshirt freshman Brendan McCrone, sophomore Jesse Mendez, redshirt senior Carson Kharchla, super senior Sammy Sasso and graduates Brady Koontz, Nick Boykin, Joey McKenna and Kollin Moore.
Congrats to all the Buckeyes (past, present and future) who competed at the U.S. Open over the weekend. For the recap and results go to: https://t.co/1BPBZDyCTb#GoBucks
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) May 1, 2023
Sasso, the 2023 Big Ten champion at 149 pounds and national runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Championships, took second in the 70kg division of the senior freestyle bracket. McKenna (65kg) and Moore (92kg) also finished second in their senior freestyle divisions. Both wrestlers were Big Ten champions and three-time All-Americans at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes also had one incoming freshman compete at the U.S. Open. Rocco Welsh, who wrestled in the 79kg U20 freestyle bracket as the No. 1 overall seed, advanced to the finals with five consecutive victories. He finished second after a loss to Gabriel Arnold in the championship bout, 3-2.
Women's Tennis
After an up-and-down regular season, Ohio State women's tennis fell short of a Big Ten Tournament championship on Sunday, losing to No. 1-seeded Michigan, 4-2, in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Buckeyes fall short in the B1G Tournament championship match.
— Ohio State Womens Tennis (@OhioStateWTEN) April 30, 2023
NCAA bracket announced Monday evening. pic.twitter.com/w4LiOKWPlJ
The Buckeyes, who are now 20-7 and will await an expected NCAA Tournament berth, lost the doubles point to the Wolverines, as Ohio State’s duo of Irina Cantos Siemers and Sydni Ratliff took care of business on Court 1, but Kollie Allen and Danielle Willson plus Isabelle Boulais and Shelly Bereznyak lost their matches.
In singles, Ratliff tied the team score, 1-1, with her win over No. 37 Kari Miller on Court 2. However, Michigan won the next two matches in straight sets to take a 3-1 lead.
The remaining Buckeyes battled hard with their backs against the wall. Still, Michigan's Lily Jones and Julia Fliegner – ranked No. 77 and No. 47 in the ITA Rankings, respectively – were too much to handle for Lucia Marzal and Boulais. The Wolverines claimed a 4-2 victory and the Big Ten Tournament title.
Other News and Notes
- Ohio State athletics public address announcer and "voice" of the Buckeyes for the past 23 years, Bob Kennedy, passed away on Sunday. He was 59.
- Ohio State softball concluded the home portion of its regular season schedule with a 7-0 loss to Minnesota on Sunday. The Gophers' win was the final victory of a three-game sweep of the Buckeyes, who are now 30-18 on the season and 10-10 in Big Ten competition. Head coach Kelly Kovach Shoenly's squad will wrap up their regular season next weekend with a three-game series at Nebraska.
- Ohio State baseball defeated Illinois 15-9 on Sunday to take the series over the Illini. The Buckeyes are a .500 ball club in 2023, with a 22-22 overall record and a 5-13 mark in Big Ten play. Head coach Bill Mosiello's squad will travel to Wright State on Tuesday before visiting Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes in a three-game series.
- Ohio State men's golf competed at the Big Ten Championship over the weekend, but rain ultimately washed out the final round on Sunday. After 36 holes, Ohio State finished in a tie for fifth, while Maxwell Moldovan tied for fifth individually – his best finish at the conference tournament and sixth top-five finish of 2022-23.
