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Playing their first match without junior John Albertson, out with a broken ankle, the Buckeyes (4-1) defeated Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference rival Quincy Illinois 3-0 (30-19, 30-28, 30-17 and 30-23, 30-14, 30-19) in consecutive matches Friday and Saturday.
Albertson suffered a broken ankle Jan. 19 in a match against Penn State. Although the injury will put him on the bench for six to seven weeks, he is expected to return mid-March.
Albertson was one of the leading players on the team, averaging 4.07 points a game. He also led the Buckeyes in blocking with 1.87 blocks per game.
Freshman Kevin Heine is stepping up and becoming a solid substitute for the injured Buckeye.
"(Heine) is doing everything we ask of him," senior Brett Versen said. "We can't really ask anything more."
To overcome the loss of Albertson, the Buckeyes also used their seniors' experience and consistency.
"(Senior Daniel) Mathews, Versen and (senior Conor) Martin have been playing real solid," coach Pete Hanson said. "You expect these guys to play good."
Versen averaged 14 points a game against Quincy (6-5) and made only a few errors. Mathews also had a good weekend averaging 6 points a game and using his serve to help the Buckeyes get the win.
"It's been a strange year so far," Mathews said. "I feel an added pressure since it's my last year."
The Buckeyes will look to their seniors this weekend to get two more MIVA conference wins against the Lewis University Flyers, Friday at 7:00 p.m. and the Loyola University Chicago Ramblers, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at St. John Arena.
"These are two good teams," Hanson said. "Each night we're going to have to bring our 'A' game."
Michael Bestic can be reached at bestic.6@osu.edu.
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