No. 14 Ohio State Captures 3-1 Win over Saint Francis 

The No. 14 Ohio State men’s volleyball team defeated Saint Francis, 3-1 (25-19, 29-31, 25-23, 25-17), in St. John Arena Sunday afternoon. Three Buckeyes led the squad with double-digit kills in the win that moved Ohio State to 5-5 on the season.

 

Redshirt junior Andrew Lutz totaled a team-high 17 kills, while redshirt freshman Driss Guessous notched a career-best 16 kills and added four blocks (1s, 3a). Junior Michael Henchy chipped in 14 kills for the Buckeyes and had four blocks assists with two service aces. Freshman Miles Johnson had eight kills in the match along with two service aces and seven digs.

 

Junior Dustan Neary hit a scorching .778, having seven kills on nine attempts with no errors. He also totaled four block assists in the win. Freshman setter Christy Blough had a career-best 57 assists and classmate Gabriel Domecus tied a career-high with 12 digs.

 

Logan Patterson had a match-high 18 kills for the Red Flash (5-4). Adam Barba finished with 14 kills and Mark Kochan had eight kills and a match-best nine blocks (1s, 8a). Setter Mike Kresch had 41 assists, while Kyle Beatty finished with six block assists.

 

Set one was a close battle right from the start as neither team could hold a substantial lead. A kill from Henchy locked the set at 11 and another kill by Lutz gave the Buckeyes a 12-11 advantage. A pair of two-point Ohio State runs led to a 16-14 advantage and a 4-0 Buckeye rally gave the home squad a 22-16 lead. A solo block from Guessous sealed a 25-19 set win.

 

Down early at 9-8 in the second set, a kill by Guessous sent the Buckeyes on a 7-1 run for a 14-10 lead. Saint Francis responded with a six-point rally to jump ahead at 16-15 and the two teams exchanged points until the end of the set. Back-to-back kills from Lutz gave Ohio State set point at 25-24, but the Red Flash responded with a two straight blocks to earn their first set point at 26-25. After a back and forth battle, SFU took the set with a score of 31-29.

 

Saint Francis jumped out to an early lead at 4-1 to open set three and held its lead until a 4-1 Buckeye run tied the set at 10 apiece. Back-to-back kills by Guessous gave Ohio State its first lead of the set at 12-11 and a three-point Scarlet and Gray run pushed the home team up 18-15. The Red Flash came back late in the set and moved ahead at 21-20. The Buckeyes, however, finished the match on a 3-0 run to take it 25-23.

 

A kill and a service ace from Johnson led to a 5-3 Ohio State advantage to start the fourth. A pair of service aces from Henchy pushed the Buckeyes ahead at 11-6 and a duo of two-point rallies gave Ohio State a 16-10 lead. A Lutz kill triggered a 3-0 run at 23-15 and another kill from Lutz gave the Buckeyes the match with a 25-17 win.