No. 3-seeded Ohio State (22-9) knocked off No. 1-seeded Ball State (20-9) in four sets (27-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-19) on Saturday in Muncie, Ind., to win the Midwestern Collegiate Volleyball Association Tournament, the 18th tournament crown in program history.
The Buckeyes got to the title game with wins over No. 6 Lindenwood and No. 7 McKendree in the earlier rounds, dropping just one set across both games.
Up against the top-seeded Cardinals, Ohio State was able to go up two sets to none in the early stages, with the Buckeyes closing on a 4-1 run for a dominant 25-17 win in the second set.
Ohio State’s lone dropped set of the contest came in the third, as after the Cardinals took a 17-16 lead, they closed on an 8-3 run to make it 2-1 for the contest and force a fourth set. In that fourth set, the Buckeyes took a 24-17 lead before a kill from opposite hitter Shane Wetzel clinched the tournament title.
Setter Michael Wright was named MIVA Tournament MVP behind 147 assists and 15 digs across the three contests, including a team-high nine digs in the title match. Joining Wright on the All-Tournament Team was outside hitter Jacob Pasteur and Wetzel.
Ohio State’s tournament win gives the Buckeyes an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where this will be the 22nd appearance in program history.
