Ohio State sophomore designated hitter Reese Wuebker (17) hits a ball over the net during the game against USC on September 27, 2025. Credit: Sam Ing | Lantern Photographer
The energy pulsating through a packed Covelli Center on “Scarlet Night” soon fizzled, as the Buckeyes again had their spirit zapped by a Big Ten opponent.
Ohio State’s 3-0 loss to Michigan on Friday was not just a crushing defeat to a rival, but its ninth consecutive loss.
At 3-14, the Buckeyes are undergoing their worst start in nearly 25 years, a season defined by their inability to finish sets.
They went down 13-12 in the first, before the Wolverines rattled off four of the next five points. They lost the second set, 25-9, and dropped the final 25-18, moving to 0-9 in the Big Ten.
“We have a ton of talent and just need to put it together at the right times, and we just aren’t there yet,” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said. “Michigan kind of handled us tonight, but it’s just about being better late in sets or not getting down in the middle of the set.”
Sophomore outside hitter Reese Wuebker was one of the lone bright spots in Ohio State’s defeat, recording a team-high 12 kills on a .250 hitting percentage.
Ohio State leaned on Wuebker’s powerful swings to pull Michigan’s outside hitters out of position, a strategy that worked early in the first set, tallying six kills.
“The team did a really good job at reminding each other of the game plan throughout the game, which made my job easier,” Wuebker said.
Oldenburg has noticed the work ethic and fire that Wuebker has brought to the team.
“She’s a competitor,” Oldenburg said. “She shows up to fight every single day, and we need more people like her.”
Setter Mia Tuman led the way in assists for the Buckeyes with 17, placing her 15th in the conference in assists per set with 8.39.
The Buckeyes are ranked 177th in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index, a metric that factors in wins and losses as well as strength of schedule.
33 at-large bids exist for the top teams in RPI, and one of the requirements for an at-large bid is to have at least a .500 record, and would have to win out to even have an argument.
The last time the Buckeyes were this far out of contention before November was in 2000, when the team went 0-30.
“The fight we have is strong,” Oldenburg said. “We just need to execute a little bit better as we get later in sets.”
The next game doesn’t get any easier for the Buckeyes, as No. 18 Penn State heads to Columbus Sunday, bringing with them Kennedy Martin, the Big Ten leader in kills.
“It’s just how we show up every single day, and we’ve been showing up consistently and working hard consistently,” Wuebker said. “If we keep that up, it will turn around.”
