As the defending NCAA Champion Ohio State men make final preparations for Wednesday’s MIVA conference semi-final game against Ball State, head coach Pete Hanson discussed both the team’s opening-round game against Quincy, and their next game.
Hanson was focused on the team’s service game in both cases. He said their service game last weekend put “pressure” on Quincy’s offense, and that they need to do the same against Ball State – where he says they excelled in the teams’ two regular-season matchups.
The Buckeyes swept Ball State 3-0 in each of the teams’ two matchups. In the first, Ohio state had 9 aces and 14 errors, and in the second they had 6 aces and 15 errors. Ohio State leads the nation with 204 total aces and 1.94 aces-per-set this season, thanks in part to the school’s all-time leading acers Nicolas Szerszen and Miles Johnson ranking 1st and 12th, individually, in aces-per-set.
In spite of the early results this year, the Cardinals have a long history of playing Ohio State tough. Before their 42-game winning streak that ended earlier this year, Ball State had been the last team to knock off Ohio State – a 3-2 win in Columbus, just like Wednesday’s game will be.
The winner will advance to the MIVA Championship game to play the winner of the other semi-final between Grand Canyon and Loyola. If Ball State loses, it likely ends their season. If Ohio State loses, they’ll still have a chance at an NCAA at-large bid.
Grab some ☕ and see what Coach Hanson has to say about tonight's big match and the latest around OSU Men's Volleyball.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/PleEV5BTg9
— OSU Men's Volleyball (@OhioState_MVB) April 19, 2017
Leave a Reply