The efforts of the No. 20 Hurricanes volleyball team (5-1) were no match for the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-2) as they faced a 3-0 upset in their opening game of the Sports Imports Classic Tournament on Friday evening in Columbus, Ohio.
Miami’s staggering 11 service errors and .078 hitting percentage were enough to hand them their first loss of the season in the form of a clean sweep. This comes as a shocker after their huge win over NCAA champion Texas at the Texas Invitational last Saturday.
Although the first set of the match seemed promising for Miami with powerful kills from outside hitters Flormarie Heredia Colon, Grace Lopez, and Ava Carney, the team’s errors took away any chances for a potential comeback.
After a difficult first set filled with miscommunication, attack errors, and service errors, the Buckeyes saw their chance to win and never looked back. They finished both the first and second sets with a score of 25-21.
One obvious obstacle for the Hurricanes was 6’3” Ohio State outside hitter Emily Londot, who tallied 16 kills, 13 digs, and five aces to help seal the win for her team. She finished the night scoring 22.5 total points, and her active presence on the court dominated the game.
Miami Head Coach Jose “Keno” Gandara fought to the bitter end from the bench, challenging calls up until the very end of the third set, but his efforts were to no avail. Ohio was able to capitalize on their success in the third set, where they showed no mercy to the Hurricanes and secured the victory with a final score of 25-16.
Wright State and Buffalo on Sept. 14 and 15, respectively are up next on the tournament schedule for the ‘Canes.