Feb. 27, 2013

Weekend Notes

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 7 Ohio State men's volleyball team hosts a pair of crucial MVIA matches this weekend, hosting Loyola-Chicago Friday and No. 10 Lewis Saturday.  Both matches are set for 7 p.m. in St. John Arena and admission is free.

Both matches will also be streamed live on BTN.com and will be aired on BTN next week.
Loyola - March 4 @ 11 a.m.
Lewis - March 6 @ 11 a.m.

The Last Meeting Loyola Chicago 0 Ohio State 3 March 30, 2012 Columbus, Ohio No. 10 Ohio State Takes 3-0 Win over Loyola-Chicago The No. 10 Ohio State men's volleyball team opened the weekend with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23) sweep of MIVA rival Loyola-Chicago Friday night in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes improved to 15-8 overall and 5-3 in the conference, while the Ramblers fell to 16-11 and 7-4. Recap | Box Score

The Last Meeting Lewis 3 Ohio State 2 April 28, 2012 Columbus, Ohio Ohio State Falls in MIVA Championship to Lewis in Five Sets The No. 10 and top-seeded Ohio State men's volleyball team fell to No. 2 seed and seventh-ranked Lewis in five sets (20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 15-10) Saturday night in the MIVA championship game inside St. John Arena. Recap | Box Score

LIVE STATS
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FAN EXPERIENCE
The 2011 NCAA National Championship Trophy will be available Saturday for fans to take pictures with and whoever posts the best one on our Facebook page will win a $10 Rooster's gift card! So be sure to stop by and get your picture taken!

RECAP: JUNIATA
The No. 6 Ohio State men's volleyball team hosted NCAA Div. III's Juniata Friday evening and came away with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-19) sweep in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes improved to 11-2 on the season with the win.

Senior Chen Levitan led the match with 15 kills and finished with a career-high two service aces. Sophomore Michael Henchy had 12 kills and added three block assists, while senior Nick Gibson totaled eight kills and a match-high five blocks (3s, 2a). Gibson's block totaled tied a career high and his three solo blocks set a career best. Sophomore libero Brennan Anderson led the match with 10 digs.

IN THE POLLS
The Buckeyes rank No. 7 in this week's AVCA Division I-II Men's Top 15 poll, while MIVA rival Lewis is ranked No. 10. Ohio State continues to move up in the Volleyball Magazine Top 10 poll, ranking No. 4 overall.

IN THE MIVA
As a program, Ohio State holds a 383-93 overall record against MIVA competition and is 239-71 under the direction of head coach Pete Hanson. The Buckeyes have captured the most MIVA titles with 24, including the last six. Ball State is second in the league with 21 conference titles and both squads are the only remaining initial teams that joined the conference when it formed in 1968.

NATION LEADERS
Ohio State's balanced attack on all fronts has proven effective as the squad and individuals rank among the best in NCAA Div. I-II. The Buckeyes lead the nation in digs at 11.47 per set and are second in assists (12.45) and kills (13.19). With an 11-2 record, Ohio State's winning percentage of .846 is also the nation's best.

Individually, redshirt sophomore Peter Heinen leads the nation with an 11.31 assists average, while sophomore libero Brennan Anderson is first with a 3.36 digs average. Sophomore Michael Henchy is ninth with a .347 attack percentage and redshirt sophomore Andrew Lutz is 12th with a 3.76 kills average.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
The Ohio State defense has put up big numbers so far this season to help the team to an 11-2 record. The squad totaled a season-high 70 digs collectively in the 3-1 win over George mason (Feb. 2), while the team had a season-best 17.0 blocks against IPFW (Feb. 15)

The Buckeye back row ranks first in NCAA Div. I-II, averaging 11.47 digs per set. Sophomore libero Brennan Anderson is first in the nation with a 3.36 average and has totaled a nation-best 158 on the season. Senior Chen Levitan is 30th in the country with a 1.91 average.

The Buckeye blockers are averaging 2.56 blocks per set and rank 10th nationally. Senior Grayson Overman is 15th nationally with a 1.15 average, while redshirt senior John Tholen is tied for 26th with a 1.00 average.

AGAINST THE MIVA
Ohio State ranks first in a number of categories in MIVA-only competition. The Buckeyes are first in assists (13.36), kills (14.43), blocks (3.21) and digs (13.29). The squad also ranks second in opponent hitting percentage (.185), third in team hitting percentage (.275) and fifth in aces (1.00).

Individually, five Buckeyes are first on six of seven possible statistical categories. Redshirt sophomore Andrew Lutz is first in kills (4.33) and points (5.00), while classmate Peter Heinen is first in assists (12.29). Sophomore libero Brennan Anderson leads in digs (3.50) and seniors Grayson Overman and John Tholen lead in hitting percentage (.540) and block (1.64), respectively.

SUPER SOPHOMORES
The sophomore quartet of outside hitter Michael Henchy, opposite Andrew Lutz, libero Brennan Anderson and setter Peter Heinen has put together solid numbers this season to lead the Buckeyes both offensively and defensively.

Henchy and Lutz lead the squad in kills, averaging 3.51 and 3.76 kills, respectively. Henchy has a team-high 165 kills on the season and leads the squad with 12 service aces. Lutz is second overall with 139 kills and has eight aces. Heinen has guided the Buckeye offensive strike, dishing out 509 assists this season. Anderson leads with 158 digs and a 3.36 average.

LOYOLA RAMBLERS
MIVA preseason favorite Loyola stands 10-7 overall and 3-2 in the MIVA to hold third in league standings. The Ramblers concluded last weekend 1-0 after coming off a two-match losing streak to sweep Ball State in three sets.

Redshirt junior Joseph Smalzer has 215 kills and a .269 average. Freshman Diego Rodriguez has a 10.0 assist average, while redshirt junior Peter Jasaitis has 126 digs.

Ohio State leads the series with the Ramblers 30-13. The Buckeyes are on a seven-match winning streak with the Ramblers last win coming in the 2007 season in five sets (27-30, 30-25, 26-30, 15-30).

LEWIS FLYERS
Ohio State takes on the No. 10 Lewis Flyers, who are 11-5 overall and 7-0 in the MIVA. The Flyers are coming off of a 2-0 weekend, sweeping both Ball State and IPFW in three sets.

Redshirt Sophomore Geoff Powell leads the conference in kills with 220 for a .361 average. Freshman Bobby Walsh has 72 blocks (2s, 70a) and redshirt senior Jay Petty has 20 service aces.

The Buckeyes lead the series with the Flyers 25-15 with Lewis taking two of three matches last season. In the teams' last meeting, Ohio State lost to Lewis in the 2012 MIVA Championship in five sets (25-20, 17-25, 25-22, 25-27, 10-15).

HEAD COACH Pete Hanson
The Buckeyes are led by head coach Pete Hanson, who is in his 28th year with the program. He has guided the Buckeyes to 15 MIVA regular season titles, including the team's sixth-consecutive title this past season. Under his direction, Ohio State captured its first NCAA Division I-II title in 2011 as the squad defeated UC Santa Barbara in five sets.

The Buckeyes have totaled 18 20-win seasons with Hanson and have reached the NCAA Championships 10 times. Hanson is 573-299 overall at Ohio State and boasts a 244-72 record against MIVA opponents.

UP NEXT
Ohio State travels west for a pair of MIVA matches against Grand Canyon March 8-9. The Buckeyes and the Antelopes face off at 9 p.m. ET both days in Phoenix.