COLUMBUS, Ohio — Missouri State’s volleyball team got the best of No. 20 Ohio State Friday evening in the third meeting between the teams in less than a calendar year, topping the Buckeyes 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20) on the first night of the D.C. Koehl Classic inside St. John Arena.
The win served as Missouri State’s third over a top-20 opponent in the last 53 weeks, including a home win over the then- No. 12 Buckeyes last September at Hammons Student Center.
The Bears (3-1) hit .333 in the match with no more than three attack errors in any set, with Lynsey Wright hitting .577 with 15 kills and no errors to pace an efficient offense that had six players finish with at least five kills.
Missouri State hit .424 with 15 kills spread among seven different players in the first set, taking the lead for good at 11-7 after a 4-0 run that included two MacKenzie Irwin blocks. The Buckeyes twice pulled within three points, and the last time was met with a 4-0 Missouri State run to earn set point at 24-17.
The Bears used consecutive aces from freshman Emelie Orlando to grab a 5-2 lead in the second set, and maintained the advantage between one and three points all the way until a Veronica Snelling ace made it 22-18. Wright added kills for 23-18 and 24-20, and MSU hit .282 and served four aces in the set.
The Buckeyes (2-2) piled up 19 kills on .548 hitting in the third set, but were unable to put the Bears away until late. MSU took its first lead at 11-10 after a 4-0 run that included two Johnson aces, and the score was subsequently tied at each point to 17-17. Ohio State fired three straight kills to break the tie, pushed the lead to four at 22-18, and the teams sided out to the final score.
Missouri State took control of the fourth set with a 7-0 run to lead 10-3, and kept the margin at three points or better to the end. OSU closed to 10-7 when Lauren Boone hit back-to-back kills in response, and the Buckeyes fought off four match points before Irwin and Cheffey combined for the winning block and fifth of the night for each player, a career high for both.
Brianne Dixon joined Johnson and Orlando with multiple aces, as the Bears owned an 8-2 lead at the service line in the match. Johnson added nine kills and 17 digs, and Emily Butters led MSU with 24 digs.
The Bears play a pair of matches Saturday, taking on Lipscomb (3-1) at 9 a.m. and Oakland (3-2) at 5 p.m.
