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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The ninth-seeded Ohio State women’s volleyball team (27-6, 15-5 Big Ten) fell to eighth-seeded Georgia Tech (26-5, 14-4 ACC) in straight sets (22-25, 24-26, 21-25) on Thursday afternoon in the NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Freshman Arica Davis moved up to third on the single-season blocks list with four total blocks on the match to bring her season total to 146. Vanja Bukilic tallied a season-high nine kills, while Kylie Murr and Hannah Gruensfelder had 11 digs apiece.
How it Happened
Gabby Gonzales opened the match’s scoring with a kill. The teams were tied at two and Georgia Tech grabbed its first lead at 3-2. The Yellow Jackets pushed to a 6-2 lead and maintained a small lead until the Buckeyes used a 4-0 run to tie the set at 12. OSU trailed by one, 15-14, at the media timeout. The Buckeyes took their first lead since 2-1 at 16-15 with back-to-back points out of the timeout. A service ace from Rylee Rader prompted a Georgia Tech timeout with OSU up 18-15. The Yellow Jackets scored the next five points out of the timeout to take a 20-17 lead and force an Ohio State timeout. The Buckeyes took their second timeout trailing 23-19. Ohio State scored the next two points but could get no closer than two points as Georgia Tech took the first set by a 25-22 margin.
Georgia Tech scored the first three points to open the second set. Mac Podraza and Rylee Rader teamed up for a block to tie the set at five. The Buckeyes put together a 5-0 run, including three Gonzales aces, to take a 10-6 lead and force a Yellow Jacket timeout. Georgia Tech responded to tie the set at 11. OSU scored the next two, including a solo block from Arica Davis, but the teams were tied again at 14. A successful Ohio State challenge gave the Buckeyes a 16-15 advantage. The Yellow Jackets tied the set at 17 and 18 before back-to-back Buckeye points forced a Georgia Tech timeout. The Buckeyes called timeout with a 22-21 lead after two-straight Yellow Jacket points. The set was tied at 22, 23 and 24 before two-straight Georgia Tech points ended the set at 26-24.
Ohio State opened scoring in the third set and the teams were tied at every point until back-to-back Georgia Tech points gave the Yellow Jackets a 5-3 lead. Georgia Tech extended its run to 5-0 to force an OSU timeout trailing 8-3. Gonzales ended the Yellow Jackets’ scoring run with her seventh kill. The Buckeyes scored three-straight points to trim their deficit to 11-8 and force a Georgia Tech timeout. Ohio State cut the margin to 12-10. Georgia Tech responded to maintain the lead, calling timeout after back-to-back Buckeye points got OSU back within three, 19-16. Georgia Tech sealed the match with a 25-21 win.
Match Notes
Up Next
The Buckeyes season is complete.
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