Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed of the amazing things happening with the other 34 varsity sports on campus.
The autumn athletic season is coming to a close, but one Buckeye team is still competing. This weekend, women's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
With a stellar regular season, Ohio State earned the right to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and it did not disappoint the home crowd at historic St. John Arena. The team swept both weekend matches, downing Robert Morris and American to propel itself into the Sweet 16.
The Buckeyes are now one of just 11 teams in the country to reach the Sweet 16 four times in the last six years. What's the secret to the success? According to Ohio State head coach Geoff Carlston, it's simple – recruiting.
"We recruit good kids," said Carlston. "We recruit good people who get it and want to work hard. We are very aware and careful with who we bring into our family here."
Ohio State's Sweet 16 matchup is against Washington. Despite being the nation's No. 1 team according to the AVCA Coaches Poll, the Huskies are ranked ninth in the NCAA RPI rankings. As a result, they were snubbed with the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Valeria León now has a 548 digs on the year and is 18 short of the single-season school record (photo via OSU Athletics).
Seeding aside, Ohio State knows exactly how dominant 28-2 Washington has been.
"They're just playing really clean," said Carlston. "I think everyone is surprised they weren't one of the top three oR four seeds."
Ohio State will certainly be tested Friday night, but its been tested all year with its grueling Big Ten Conference schedule. "Our league is crazy," said Carlston. "And this is the best it's been, top to bottom."
Nine Big Ten teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament this season, and eight of them won their first round match. The conference also has seven teams in the top 25 of the coaches poll and three teams in the top 5 of the NCAA RPI rankings. Of the 16 teams remaining in the tournament, six of them are from the Big Ten.
"The beauty is if you can survive all the shrapnel and getting punched in the jaw all year long, then get up and be one of those nine teams, there's nothing you haven't seen," said Carlston. "I don't think there are nine teams more prepared to make a run than the nine teams that come from conference."
The Sweet 16 match will be Friday at 7:30 pm in Lexington Ky. It can be seen on ESPN3.
Other Scores and News
- Women's Basketball: Fell to No. 3 Notre Dame 75-72 and defeated Cincinnati 105-76
- Men's Hockey: Dropped two overtime games to Minnesota, losing 3-2 and 5-4
- Wrestling: Nathan Tomasello and Micah Jordan won gold medals at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
This Week's Happenings
- Women's Volleyball: Faces No. 5 seed Washington in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, Friday at 7:30 pm on ESPN3.
- Women's Basketball: Hosts North Carolina A&T, Sunday at 2 pm.
- Women's Hockey: Hosts Minnesota Duluth, Friday and Saturday.
- Wrestling: Travels to face Missouri Saturday.
Don't Forget to Follow
- Wrestling: Curt Heinrichs @CurtHeinrichs
- Men and Women's Hockey: Aubrey Nelson @DeadlyNuts
- Women's Basketball: Kevin Harrish @Kevinish
And for all Buckeye news, follow @11W
