In three seasons under head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg, Ohio State’s volleyball team has gone to three consecutive Sweet 16s.
The Buckeyes won both their first- and second-round matches in the NCAA tournament this past week, sweeping 14th-seeded Tennessee State and sixth-seeded USC as a No. 3 seed entering the bracket.
It’s been a stark turnaround for a team that lost each of its final four contests to close the regular season, after previously winning 14 in-a-row. Neither Tennessee State nor USC came within three points of capturing a set in either match.
A familiar opponent awaits Ohio State in the Sweet 16, one of five Big Ten teams remaining in second-seeded Minnesota. The Golden Gophers and Buckeyes split the season series, with the road team winning on both occasions. Ohio State swept its way to victory while Minnesota picked up its win in 3-1 fashion.
The Buckeyes open their contest with the Golden Gophers at 12 p.m. in Austin, Texas Thursday. Fans can catch the action on ESPN2.
Women’s Hockey Splits National Title Rematch Series
The women’s ice hockey team hit the road for the second of two regular season series with Minnesota Duluth on its 2022-23 campaign, the same squad Ohio State defeated in the national championship this past March.
While the Bulldogs did pick up an overtime win in the second game of this slate, with a win in game one the Buckeyes secured a 3-1 regular season record against one of their main rivals in pursuit of a title defense.
Graduate forwards Paetyn Levis and Emma Maltais started the series off strong for OSU, notching first- and third-period goals, respectively, against Duluth Dec. 2. Senior goaltender Raygan Kirk stopped 32 of the Bulldogs’ 33 shots, coming within a minute of a shutout after Duluth slipped one past with an empty-net advantage to set the final score at 2-1.
Graduate forward Gabby Rosenthal notched two goals while graduate defenseman Sophie Jaques and junior forward Makenna Webster each grabbed one of their own in the 5-4 loss to the Bulldogs Dec. 3. Junior forward Clara Van Wieren tucked away the game-winner for Duluth 3:37 into overtime.
All-Region Recognition For Men’s Soccer
A couple of Ohio State soccer players picked up All-North Region recognition from the United Soccer Coaches this week.
Midfielder Laurence Wootton made first-team all-region while goalkeeper Keagan McLaughlin made second-team.
Wootton collected five goals and two assists for the Buckeyes this season, picking up Midfielder of the Year from the Big Ten conference.
McLaughlin recorded six shutouts while in net for OSU and led the conference in goals against average, saving 78 percent of the shots that opponents put on goal. He was the Big Ten’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
