Ohio State handles Hoosiers 3-1

By Drew Allen | IDS women's basketball writer

Posted at 11:14 pm on November 20, 2009 | Print | Share | Comments (0)

The IU volleyball team couldn’t engineer a comeback to win for seniors Kelsey Hall and Whitney Thomas, falling to Ohio State in four sets for the second time this season.

The Buckeyes (22-8, 10-7) took one step further to earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament by beating the Hoosiers (15-16, 4-13) by scores of 25-16, 25-20, 20-25 and 25-22.

Hall, who was honored with her parents before the match along with Thomas and senior trainer Meghan Chambers, powered the Hoosiers offensively, earning 13 kills in her penultimate match inside University Gym.

She was one of the few bright spots for her team, however.

IU started the match out of sync. The team hit at an underwhelming .188 clip, committed uncharacteristic service errors (most notably by sophomore libero Caitlin Cox and freshman defensive specialist Laura Matula) and lacked effective communication in passing. Junior middle blocker/right-side hitter Taylor Wittmer and freshman setter Whitney Granado collided on a play that resulted in an Ohio State point.

The Buckeyes won the first set decisively and appeared to be doing the same in the second contest before the Hoosiers staged a small rally. Junior middle blocker Ashley Benson recorded a kill and block from a 19-11 deficit, and Ohio State committed a net violation to cut the lead to five. Hall recorded four of her six set kills late in the frame before the Buckeyes closed it 25-20.

The third set went back-and-forth until a Benson ace opened up a 16-13 IU lead. The Hoosiers didn’t look back, winning 25-20 and ensuring they wouldn’t be swept.

They couldn’t carry their momentum through the fourth frame, however.

Buckeyes outside hitter Katie Dull took over in the final set, capping off a 13-kill evening to seal the season sweep of IU.

The Hoosiers return to action at 7 p.m. Saturday against No. 1 Penn State. The Nittany Lions (29-0, 17-0) swept IU at State College Oct. 23.

Drew Allen is a junior majoring in journalism. He is the women's basketball beat reporter. He has also covered volleyball.

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