Match Stats
- #1 Ohio State def. UCSD 3-0 (25-17, 25.19, 25.13)
- Ohio State moves to 19-0, UCSD falls to 5-14
- St. John Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- Attendance 1,0006
- Box Score
Ohio State’s Blake Leeson continued his hot run with 8 kills on just 10 swings on Friday as the #1 Buckeyes won their 42nd-straight game. The latest victory came against UCSD.
Leeson had 8 kills and just 1 error for a .700 hitting percentage. That’s the 3rd time in the last 4 games that he’s had at least 8 kills, and also the 6th time in 7 games that he’s hit over .500. He also had 4 block assists and 2 solo blocks in the way to lead a 13-2 advantage for the Buckeyes in that category.
He finished 2nd in scoring for Ohio State in the game, behind Nicolas Szerszen who had 14 kills on a .571 hitting percentage.
UCSD was led by Tanner Syftestad, who had 14 kills (.375 hitting percentage). The Tritons had only 24 kills on .094 hitting on the day and had 12 service errors with no aces. That led to an 88% side-out percetnage for Ohio State, who scored on 45 out of 51 service receptions.
Videos
Does winning ever get old? Ask our crew in Columbus, as they wrap up the 42nd consecutive victory for @OhioState_MVB https://t.co/DdbqnOg22Q
— BTN Student U (@BTNStudentU) March 11, 2017
Press Releases
Courtesy Ohio State Athletics:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 1 Ohio State University men’s volleyball team moved its season record to 19-0 and extended the overall winning streak to 42 consecutive matches by blasting through UC San Diego (5-14) in three short sets. Ohio State out-scored the Tritons by 26 in a contest lasting just 76 minutes (25-17, 25-19, 25-13). The Buckeyes attacked .548 while limiting UCSD to a .094 hitting clip.
Nicolas Szerszen and Blake Leeson each reached double-digit points, paced by Szerszen’s 16.5 points on 15 kills (.571 hitting percentage) and three block assists. Leeson led the way with six stuffs (two solo) to go along with his eight kills on just 10 swings and an ace. Miles Johnson nearly earned admission into the double-digit points club, responsible for 9.5 points on seven kills, three block assists and an ace. Leeson combined with fellow middle Driss Guessous to accumulate 13 kills at a .750 attacking rate.
Ohio State posted an outstanding side-out percentage of 88%, scoring on 45 of 51 service receptions.
STREAK SNIPPETS
• Ohio State is riding a 42-match winning streak, the longest in MIVA history
• Also marks the longest winning streak in OSU Athletics history for teams competing in head-to-head competition
• The Buckeyes last suffered an NCAA loss on February 6, 2016 (398 days)
• Ohio State has won 126 of 152 sets (83%) during the victorious stretch
• The streak includes six wins over Top-5 opponents and 18 against teams ranked inside the Top-12
• Also included in the streak are 18 straight wins in true road matches (last loss in an opponent’s home gym came in ’15)
• UCLA set the all-time record of 47 straight in both 1979-80 and 1983-85
Set 1: The Buckeyes overcame many self-inflicted wounds in the first set, winning the frame 25-17 despite handing over nine points via service blunders. Ohio State’s defensive dominance consumed the Tritons, shoving UCSD into the red at a negative-.062 hitting efficiency. Eleven of the final 15 points went in favor of the Scarlet & Gray.
Set 2: Ohio State kept it coming in set number two, increasing the team hitting efficiency to .560 (17-3-25). The Buckeyes snapped a five-match streak of dropping the second set, pushing past the Tritons, 25-19 to exorcise their second-set demons. UC San Diego closed the gap to a pair at 17-15 before an 8-4 OSU run slammed the door shut.
Set 3: Productivity numbers continued to swell in the third, coming in the form of a .588 team hitting percentage, 92-percent side-out rate and a whopping seven team blocks. Eleven different Buckeyes got in on the third-set action, all coming together to steamroll in a 25-13 clincher.
Saturday night (March 11) brings a marquee match-up in St. John Arena when the top-ranked Buckeyes square off with No. 6 UC Irvine (14-6) at 7 p.m. ET.
Courtesy UCSD Athletics:
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of California San Diego was little match for top-ranked and undefeated reigning national champion Ohio State, falling 3-0 in non-conference men’s volleyball action Friday night at St. John Arena. Scores were 25-17, 25-19 and 25-13.
UC San Diego moved to 5-14, having now dropped nine matches in succession. The Tritons had just suffered a three-set decision at No. 2 Long Beach State exactly one week ago. Ohio State ran its remarkable win streak to 42 straight contests, now at a perfect 19-0. The teams last met in 2011, with UCSD pulling off the four-set upset of then-third-ranked OSU. Tonight’s result evened up the all-time series at 3-3. The Tritons’ last visit to the Eastern Time Zone was in 2009.
Junior opposite Tanner Syftestad put down 14 kills for the team high for a 15th match in a row. The team tri-captain hit .375 (14-5-24). Senior middle blocker Shayne Beamer added four kills without an error over six swings (.667).
Ohio State compiled 13.0 total team blocks, to just 2.0 for UCSD, and out-hit the Tritons, .548-.094.
Nicolas Szerszen led all players with 15 kills for the hosts on .571 (15-3-21) hitting. Blake Leeson put down eight kills at a .700 (8-1-10) attack rate, with a match-high six total blocks.
The match featured a mere 10 tie scores and two lead changes.
The opening set did not feature a run of more than two points by either side until a 3-0 sequence by the Buckeyes to give them a 23-16 lead around a UCSD timeout. The sixth and last time the score was knotted, however, was back at 7-7.
Ohio State trotted out to a 9-3 advantage in the second frame before the Tritons called for time. The Tritons could get no closer than two the rest of the way.
Once more in the third, the Buckeyes were up 11-6 at the first timeout after a 3-0 run. A 4-0 stretch, the longest of the match by either team, put the Tritons on the brink down 22-11. OSU had three triple blocks in the set and four on the night.
“We knew heading into this match, playing the No. 1 team in the country on their home court, we were going to have to play our A game to be competitive,” said UCSD head coach Kevin Ring. “Unfortunately tonight, Ohio State played very well. They served very tough. We definitely struggled in serve receive and our offense took a hit. I thought Tanner Syftestad did a nice job for us, hitting .375 with 14 kills, and Shayne Beamer did a nice job with four kills on six attempts, but we just need to find more offense from the other pins (hitters) and the other middle blocker position.
“(One of the things about Ohio State that I was really impressed by), is they played at a high level and just sustained that. They just stay very consistent. They don’t try to do too much. From start to finish, they were the better team tonight.”
Having recovered from injury, junior Alec Flowers was back on the court and back in the starting lineup at middle blocker for the first time since Feb. 4.
UCSD remains in Columbus, Ohio, to round out a season-long four-match road stretch on Saturday, March 11. The Tritons await a neutral-site date inside St. John Arena with No. 12 Ball State of Muncie, Ind. The Cardinals, like Ohio State, are from the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. First serve is set for 2 p.m. PT.
“We had a chance to watch the UC Irvine-Ball State match, and we will be ready for that match tomorrow night,” concluded Ring.
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