Freshman setter Christy Blough (5) sets the ball during a match against Saint Francis Feb. 9 at St. John Arena. OSU won, 3-1.
Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor
The struggles against the nation’s top teams continue for the Ohio State men’s volleyball team.
The Buckeyes (5-6, 2-2) fell to No. 10 Lewis, 3-1, Saturday at St. John Arena in their second match of a five-match homestand. So far this season OSU is 0-6 against teams ranked in the top 15.
After a 3-1 win against Saint Francis Feb. 9, OSU was unable to hold their own against Lewis, a private school in Romeoville, Ill.
OSU freshman setter Christy Blough said the Flyers did a great job of controlling the game with their serves, something the Buckeyes have been trying to get better at.
“To help go against that we have been working a lot more on staying aggressive with our serves,” Blough said.
The serving and passing game has been an area of focus during practice and games for the Buckeyes, since they fell to Penn State 3-0 Feb. 5.
“We are spending lots of time with serving and passing … While working on being more aggressive, and building our confidence as a unit in serve receive,” junior outside hitter Michael Henchy said.
Against Lewis the Buckeyes struggled serving the ball, finishing with a .791 serving percentage.
“I think if we can keep the pressure on from the service line we will be in good shape for upcoming matches,” redshirt-junior opposite Andrew Lutz said after the loss.
The Buckeyes were expecting a very competitive match against Lewis, and that is what they got. Although OSU lost the match, the team kept it close every set and were not lacking when it came to their offense.
Henchy led the Buckeyes with 11 kills. Redshirt-freshman middle blocker Driss Guessous totaled 10 kills, while Lutz finished with 11. Freshman outside hitter Miles Johnson contributed eight kills and junior middler blocker Dustan Neary chipped in five kills and three blocks.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to host Grand Canyon for a pair of conference matches on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22. The matches are set for 7 p.m. both nights at St. John Arena.
