jcollingsworth
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Men’s Volleyball National Champs
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Played in State College, Pa – the heavy favorites, BYU men’s volleyball team, will have to wait until 2017 to attempt to snag the title they thought was theirs.
The Cougars have been a commanding force through the 2016 season and was sailing straight into the National spotlight clearly looking to be crowned National Champs. But the Cougars were dealt a setback – also commonly known as The Ohio State University – or Buckeyes for short!
They lost in straight sets this past Saturday (05/07/16); 32-30, 25-23, 25-17.
BYU’s Head Coach Shawn Olmstead certainly was shocked – but both humble and thoughtful. “They put together a remarkable season and they were absolutely the better team tonight. My hat goes off to them.”
The Buckeyes overcame deficits throughout the first and second sets before rolling with their strong serving to win comfortably in the second. Miles Johnson led the way for Ohio State with a match-high 15 kills, earning him tournament MVP honors.
The first set saw the Cougars hold a tight lead throughout — setting themselves up for set point seven different times but failing to break through. Ohio State earned just one set point, leading 31-30, and didn’t waste the moment.
“I don’t look as it doing something because we bounced back,” Olmstead said when asked if the tough first set loss affected the team adversely. “… We’ve lost the first set in matches this year and come back and won. So we didn’t go over there thinking something had slipped out of our hands in any way.”
The Cougars, an exceptional team, jumped out to an early lead in the second set, and appeared to have their goals in order, up 20-18 when Ben Patch slapped a kill that would have extended the lead to 21-18 but fan interference nullified Patch’s kill, forcing the point to be played over again.
The Buckeyes took advantage of the Cougar obstacle, scoring two straight to tie the set at 20-20 before taking the second set 25-23.
It only got worse for the Cougars.
The Buckeyes put their commanding service game in full display throughout the third set, putting the Cougars into very unfamiliar territory – helpless and disorientated.
“That’s been our bread and butter all year long,” said Ohio State coach Pete Hanson when asked about his team’s dominating service game in the third set. “We didn’t believe there was a team out here that could handle the servers that we had — that would be able to see and withstand that pressure over time.”
Ohio State rolled in the third set by building up a 13-7 lead before BYU Coach Olmstead pulled Patch – their All-American from the lineup in favor of sophomore Tim Dobbert – which didn’t help. The Buckeyes were on a mission and there just wasn’t any stopping them.
In this Championship game the Buckeyes scored eight aces, but the real accomplishment was in their dominance of the powerful BYU team and the way they took them out of their game.
“The kids just played flawlessly and I’m just so proud of them,” Hanson said. “They just earned every point and earned a national championship tonight.”
Miles Johnson, as previously stated took NCAA Tournament MVP honors for Ohio State while Nicolas Szerszen and Blake Leeson were named to the All-Tournament team.
Ohio State concludes the season 31-3 for the most wins since the ’78 Buckeyes went 32-3.
Ohio State wrapped up the season riding a 23-match winning streak.
Congratulations Gentlemen. The Buckeyes rule in Volleyball – just ask the favorite BYU….
The post Men’s Volleyball National Champs appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Played in State College, Pa – the heavy favorites, BYU men’s volleyball team, will have to wait until 2017 to attempt to snag the title they thought was theirs.
The Cougars have been a commanding force through the 2016 season and was sailing straight into the National spotlight clearly looking to be crowned National Champs. But the Cougars were dealt a setback – also commonly known as The Ohio State University – or Buckeyes for short!
They lost in straight sets this past Saturday (05/07/16); 32-30, 25-23, 25-17.
BYU’s Head Coach Shawn Olmstead certainly was shocked – but both humble and thoughtful. “They put together a remarkable season and they were absolutely the better team tonight. My hat goes off to them.”
The Buckeyes overcame deficits throughout the first and second sets before rolling with their strong serving to win comfortably in the second. Miles Johnson led the way for Ohio State with a match-high 15 kills, earning him tournament MVP honors.
The first set saw the Cougars hold a tight lead throughout — setting themselves up for set point seven different times but failing to break through. Ohio State earned just one set point, leading 31-30, and didn’t waste the moment.
“I don’t look as it doing something because we bounced back,” Olmstead said when asked if the tough first set loss affected the team adversely. “… We’ve lost the first set in matches this year and come back and won. So we didn’t go over there thinking something had slipped out of our hands in any way.”
The Cougars, an exceptional team, jumped out to an early lead in the second set, and appeared to have their goals in order, up 20-18 when Ben Patch slapped a kill that would have extended the lead to 21-18 but fan interference nullified Patch’s kill, forcing the point to be played over again.
The Buckeyes took advantage of the Cougar obstacle, scoring two straight to tie the set at 20-20 before taking the second set 25-23.
It only got worse for the Cougars.
The Buckeyes put their commanding service game in full display throughout the third set, putting the Cougars into very unfamiliar territory – helpless and disorientated.
“That’s been our bread and butter all year long,” said Ohio State coach Pete Hanson when asked about his team’s dominating service game in the third set. “We didn’t believe there was a team out here that could handle the servers that we had — that would be able to see and withstand that pressure over time.”
Ohio State rolled in the third set by building up a 13-7 lead before BYU Coach Olmstead pulled Patch – their All-American from the lineup in favor of sophomore Tim Dobbert – which didn’t help. The Buckeyes were on a mission and there just wasn’t any stopping them.
In this Championship game the Buckeyes scored eight aces, but the real accomplishment was in their dominance of the powerful BYU team and the way they took them out of their game.
“The kids just played flawlessly and I’m just so proud of them,” Hanson said. “They just earned every point and earned a national championship tonight.”
Miles Johnson, as previously stated took NCAA Tournament MVP honors for Ohio State while Nicolas Szerszen and Blake Leeson were named to the All-Tournament team.
Ohio State concludes the season 31-3 for the most wins since the ’78 Buckeyes went 32-3.
Ohio State wrapped up the season riding a 23-match winning streak.
Congratulations Gentlemen. The Buckeyes rule in Volleyball – just ask the favorite BYU….
The post Men’s Volleyball National Champs appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
