Ohio State’s women’s volleyball team went the distance on the road Saturday night, outlasting Michigan State in five sets at the Breslin Center in East Lansing — 25-19, 22-25, 28-26, 22-25, 15-9 — according to Michigan State University Athletics.
The win lifts the Buckeyes to 11-13 overall and 4-10 in Big Ten play, Michigan State Athletics reported. The Spartans fell to 17-7 overall and 7-7 in the conference with the loss on their home court.
The odd statistical line of the night belonged to the hosts. Michigan State outhit Ohio State .259 to .240 and led the match in kills, 65-63, digs, 71-62, and total blocks, 13-8, according to Michigan State Athletics — and still walked away with the loss. The teams were even in service aces with four apiece.
Michigan State was led by freshman outside hitter Madi Andrews, who posted a career-high 18 kills while adding eight digs and a service ace, Michigan State Athletics reported.
The Buckeyes arrived in East Lansing at 10-12 overall and 3-9 in the Big Ten, according to Michigan State’s match preview, and had dropped back-to-back matches the Spartans themselves had also endured a week earlier against ranked Indiana and Nebraska sides. Saturday’s result gives Ohio State a road win over a team with a winning conference record as the final stretch of the regular season begins.
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Michigan State 57-32, according to Michigan State Athletics, and holds a 25-20 edge in matches played in East Lansing.
The match was the back end of a demanding week for both sides. Michigan State had traveled to No. 7 Wisconsin on Thursday before returning home to host the Buckeyes on Saturday, according to Michigan State Athletics, while Ohio State made the trip to East Lansing looking to climb out of the lower half of the Big Ten table in November’s final stretch.
Michigan State stays home next, hosting Purdue at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Nov. 12, according to its athletics department. Ohio State’s win, meanwhile, is the kind a young conference slate can build on — a five-set road result earned in the deciding set, 15-9, after the teams had traded sets all night.
Photo: The Covelli Center at Ohio State University in Columbus, home of Buckeye volleyball. Photo: Nova Crystallis, CC BY-SA