Ohio State Mens Volleyball (2011, 2016, 2017 National Champions)

[LitlBuck]

Ohio State will be without one of their better players:(

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Men's volleyball: Buckeyes, opponent stumble into semifinal

Men's volleyball: Buckeyes, opponent stumble into semifinal
Thursday, May 7, 2009 3:24 AM
By Ken Gordon
Both are damaged goods -- Ohio State physically, California-Irvine mentally.

As they prepare to play in an NCAA men's volleyball tournament semifinal tonight, the question is: Which team is more vulnerable?

Four teams have gathered for the championship matches in Provo, Utah. Ohio State is seeded fourth; Irvine is No. 1. But Irvine suffered a shocking upset in its own conference tournament last week, losing to Southern California, the conference's fifth seed. The NCAA committee selected Irvine for the championships, anyway, as the lone at-large team among the four.

But suddenly, the Anteaters don't seem so intimidating.

"There's that little doubt, that chink in the armor," Buckeyes coach Pete Hanson said.

Unfortunately for Hanson, his team has its own problem. Last week in their conference tournament, the Buckeyes lost middle hitter John Albertson to a foot injury.

Albertson, a fifth-year senior, missed the entire 2008 season after surgery on the foot, and he re-injured it in a semifinal match against Loyola-Chicago. He is with the team in Provo, but will not play.

"That's really unfortunate for him," Hanson said. "He put in all this time and effort, and to be denied again right at the end of the season is a real tragedy."

Albertson was one of three middle hitters who Hanson rotated freely. The other two, Kevin Heine and Ben Spurlock, will have to step up in Albertson's absence.
"It was a nice perk for us to have three quality guys (in the middle)," Hanson said.

OSU split two matches with Irvine last year, losing 3-0 and then winning 3-2, so Hanson feels his team will head into the match with confidence.

More

 

[brutus2002]

Anyone have the score. The game is on ESPNU and I don't get it.

 

[BB73]

First serve will be at 11:48 ET.

 

[brutus2002]

Is it on anywhere but ESPNU?

 

[BB73]

Is it on anywhere but ESPNU?

Not that I'm aware of. Maybe ESPN360 online - I don't have that.

FYI, USC beat Penn State in the first semifinal, 3 games to 1.

 

[BB73]

UC-Irvine won the first game 30-25. It's best of 5 sets.

Way too many service errors (10) for the Bucks. Kiraly says the altitude's thin air makes the topspin not take effect as quickly.

The setting, digging, and hitting are OK - but they're not getting much in the way of blocks. Missing Albertson hurts there.

I'm going to watch the rest tomorrow.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Don't read this, BB73!!! **FINAL SCORE POSTED*

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
UC-Irvine sweeps the Bucks 3-0 (30-25, 30-25, 30-26) and will face USC in the final.

USC to face UC Irvine in men's volleyball title - ESPN

 

[Buckskin86]

Herron becomes Buckeye
Columbia volleyball star selects Ohio State
By JAMES ALLEN, Staff writer
First published in print: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

EAST GREENBUSH -- High school volleyball is something Columbia's Shawn Herron enjoys, but it is also a sport the 6-foot-7 senior never envisioned playing in college.

"When I started playing, I only did it to help with my timing with basketball," Herron said.

An invitation to play club volleyball over the summer changed Herron's outlook. He soon established himself as one of the elite players on the East Coast.

After three official visits, Columbia's star middle hitter gave Ohio State assistant coach Tim Embaugh his oral commitment to compete for the Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference.

"He is an outstanding kid and Shawn has worked very hard to get where he is," said Burnt Hills girls' volleyball coach Gary Bynon, who also manages of the Lakeside Volleyball Club that Herron played with this summer.

"I attribute everything that is going on to him," Herron said of Bynon. "Things would have been a lot different if I didn't play with Lakeside."

Herron drew interest from several Division I schools and narrowed his choices down to Ohio State, Penn State, Loyola-Chicago and Juniata College -- a perennial Division III power with six national championships since 1994, including 2009.

The senior took official visits to Ohio State, Penn State and Loyola-Chicago before settling on the Buckeyes, a squad that advanced to the NCAA national semifinals in 2009.

"It is very how to describe how I feel. Obviously, it feels pretty good. I wanted to be a Buckeye," said Herron, who intends be a Bio-Med major. "To go from just playing (in high school) and not ever thinking about doing it in college to being told you are one of the best middle hitters in the country during the summer playing club volleyball is pretty amazing. It made me realize I must have some natural talent at volleyball."

Read more: Herron becomes Buckeye -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:1645:

 

[BB73]

Ohio State's Men's Volleyball team will be making their 17th trip to the Final Four, facing #1 Stanford in the semifinals tonight - held on Stanford's home floor.

The match will be shown live on ESPNU at appoximately 11 pm Eastern, following the other semifinal between Penn State-Cal State Northridge, which starts at 9. Matches are best 3-of-5 sets.

The finals will be on ESPN2 Saturday at 7 Eastern.

Ohio State's other appearances in the NCAA Final Four include 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008, and 2009.

The Buckeyes have never won the title - they made the finals in '77 and 2000.

Official.site

 

[starBUCKS]

After 1... Stanford 1-0 (30-25)... best of 5.

 

[starBUCKS]

After 2... Stanford 2-0 (30-25) (30-26)

 

[starBUCKS]

Stanford smokes tOSU in 3rd, winners (30-25) (30-26) (30-17) good season Bucks. Go Penn State!

 

[LitlBuck]

Stanford smokes tOSU in 3rd, winners (30-25) (30-26) (30-17) good season Bucks. Go Penn State!

Thanks for the good news:( at least we were pretty competitive in all three games. Pretty tough to beat a West Coast team when it comes to their sport on the beach... I'm sure even the Stanford guys go to the beach every once in a while:tongue2:

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Surprisingly enough, men's volleyball did NOT help me fight off the insomnia last night. The fellas fought them tough for the first couple sets, but Stanford looked. to my untrained eye, to be the much better team. Congrats on the Final Four!

 

[BB73]

Thanks for the good news:( at least we were pretty competitive in all three games. Pretty tough to beat a West Coast team when it comes to their sport on the beach... I'm sure even the Stanford guys go to the beach every once in a while:tongue2:

That's a safe bet - of their two best players, the setter (and National Player of the Year) was one of two brothers from Hawaii, and the other (an outside hitter that had a huge night) was from the Miami area.

Those two guys were the difference in the match. tOSU played very well in the first two games, but Stanford had too much firepower and better all-around play.