After a successful regular season, the Buckeyes won their second consecutive Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title.
The third-seeded Buckeyes (22-8, 11-5 MIVA) defeated fourth-seeded Lindenwood (16-12, 9-0 MIVA) in a four-set battle Saturday at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana. defeated MIVA (7 losses).
Senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur led the Ohio State offense with 18 kills, followed by Ohio State offensive hitter Shane Wetzel with 13 kills. Senior libero Thomas Poole led the Buckeyes defense with 10 goals, and redshirt senior Michael Wright contributed with 45 assists.
The first set started with two quick mistakes by the Lions, giving Ohio State a 4-2 lead. Lindenwood fought back with kills from redshirt junior outside hitter Clay Wheater and junior middle blocker Kadyn Warner to give the Lions a 13-11 lead.
Lindenwood held the lead and a slam by Wieter forced the Lions into set point. Graduate outside hitter AJ Lewis had the final kill and Lindenwood won the first set 25-20.
Entering the second set, the Buckeyes took an early 4-3 lead on a Pasteur kill. Ohio State extended its lead to two points on Wetzel's kill.
Pasteur's double extended the Buckeyes' lead to four points, and Wright's kill gave Ohio State an eight-point lead at 23-15.
Junior middle blocker Cole Young had a kill and the Buckeyes won the second set 25-17.
Ohio State carried that momentum into the third set, taking a 6-4 lead on Pasteur's kill. Junior outside hitter Kyle Tune extended the lead to five points.
The Buckeyes maintained a consistent lead, reaching 20 points on a kill from redshirt senior middle blocker Justin Howard. Then, a final right fielder put Ohio State on top 25-18 to end the set.
The Buckeyes jumped out again in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. However, a hit by sophomore opposing batter Ian Shuler turned the tide, giving Lindenwood an 8-7 lead.
After a few minutes, the sets were tied at 11 o'clock each. Ohio State then went on a 4-0 run to take a 15-11 lead, and Wetzel's kill extended the lead to eight points.
An offensive error by the Lions forced Ohio State to set point, and Young's finishing kill gave the Buckeyes a 25-16 win in the set and match.
After winning the conference championship, Ohio State will begin NCAA Tournament play on April 30th at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. The Buckeyes will receive the tournament draw Sunday at 4 p.m. ET Stream live on NCAA.com.