Climbing to 5-4, BGSU volleyball (5-4) has created some momentum. It’s perfect timing, as Mid-American Conference (MAC) play starts after this weekend.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (5-3) are the last non-conference match for BG, a challenging but important two matches for the Falcons to try and convert to some wins.
Ohio State is a tough team to pinpoint.
Beating #20 Miami? Fantastic. Winning against Buffalo, a strong MAC team? Great win. Taking the first set in a loss to #10 Florida? A very good sign.
Blowing a two-set lead to South Florida? Not great. Losing at home against Wright State after winning the first set by eight?
What team are we going to get: one that can sweep #20 Miami or fall apart against Wright State two days later?
Whatever the score may be after the game, there are a few topics that will play into a win or loss for BGSU.
Death, Taxes, and Emily Londot
In 2023, Emily Londot had only three games in which she did not attain double-digit kills, all three being three-set losses where she scored nine kills in each match. She finished the Big 10 season second in kills (546), first in kills per set (5.06), third in points (595), and first in points per set (5.51), one of the best scorers in the conference.
She hasn’t lost touch. Londot has played every set for OSU in 2024, leading the team and conference in kills with 146 while being sixth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.249) among all players with 100+ kills.
The graduate student also leads the team in aces (14—three away from tying her last season’s total), which is seventh in the Big 10, and records 0.44 aces per set and two aces for every error.
The offensive juggernaut has achieved a double-double in kills and digs four times, double-digit kills in every game thus far, and six out of eight games with three or more blocking assists.
In the loss to South Florida, Londot dropped 27 kills, two aces, eight digs, and six blocks, and in the win against Buffalo, she landed 29 kills, three assists, 11 digs, and seven blocks.
Ohio State has 530 recorded points this season; Londot gets credit for 173. After some math, Londot is responsible for about 32% of the Buckeye’s scoring. She is one of ten people who have scored in scarlet and gray yet has earned almost a third of the total points.
She is one of the best players in the Big 10, by far the Buckeye’s best player and the heart of the team. Her consistency is unmatched, her attack nearly unstoppable, surely attracting the eye of Falcon blockers for the weekend.
Efficiency
In the Buckeye’s three losses to South Florida, Florida, and Wright State, the opposition was able to hold OSU to a hitting percentage of around .200. Londot alone was held to .105 against Wright State and around .200 in the loss to Florida.
In the most recent matches against Brown and DePaul, BGSU’s blocking and overall defense in early sets were so strong as to hold attackers to a sub-.200 hitting percentage.
I did some math again.
BGSU’s winning sets in the last three matches held opponents to around a.190 hitting percentage. In OSU’s losing sets in the previous three matches, they were held to a.194 hitting percentage.
What does this mean for the Falcons? If the Orange and Brown can execute their defense as they have shown possible in the last two matches, they will be able to plummet OSU’s attacking efficiency. Limiting efficiency, as described by the statistics above, is a way for opponents to consistently take sets from Ohio State and thus to take matches as well.
Block Party
If you have listened to the broadcasts of the last few BGVB games on WBGU 88.1 FM, you’ll know blocks have been a big part of the Falcon’s game. They have 2.42 blocks per set, averaging two per set in the first six games and almost three blocks per set since.
Junior middle blocker Jessica Andrews has led the way in rejections, scoring four or more blocks in the last six games, including a seven- and a nine-block game in Chicago last weekend. She also earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week from the MAC due mainly to her 20-block weekend in the Windy City.
Ohio State also has 2.42 blocks per set, led by sophomore Eloise Brandewie. Like Andrews, the Buckeye’s middle blocker has 40 blocks on the season, blocking 18 attacks this past weekend, including eight assists against Miami (Fl).
The last time the two teams met was in 2023 when the Falcons took the Buckeyes to five sets amidst 14 kills, 23 assists, two aces, 6.5 blocks, and two digs by Amanda Otten in only her second game.
BGSU volleyball is looking for their first-ever win against Ohio State and to host 3000+ fans in the Stroh Center for the first game. Tickets can be bought on the BGSU volleyball website.
The games are on Friday, Sept. 20, at home at 6 pm and Sunday, Sept. 22, in Columbus at 1 pm. Tune in for both games 15 minutes before the first serve with Ben Corak on WBGU 88.1 FM.
