King Challenges No. 9 Ohio State in Opening Round of NCAA Men’s Volleyball Tournament
Box Score | FAIRFAX, Va.– Conference Carolinas champion King finished the 2023 men’s volleyball season in the first round of the NCAA Men’s National Collegiate Volleyball Championship.
The Tornado (16-16) fell to No. 9 Ohio State (23-9) in three, but pushed the Buckeyes to the brink in a hard fought game three. The Tornado outhit their Division I foe in the first set, .143-.095, but they did score the first two points and tied the Buckeyes several times, the last at 16, before Ohio State scored five-of-six points to take a 22-18 lead en route to a 25-20 set one win. It was all OSU in the second set as the Columbus, Ohio program raced out to an 11-5 advantage and controlled the set in a 25-16 win.
With their season in the balance, the Tornado came out strong in the third set as they stormed out to a 17-13 lead, only to see the Buckeyes score four straight to tie the set. King spoiled seven Ohio State match points and had three set points of their own, but it was ultimately the Buckeyes who escaped with a 36-34 win.
For the contest, Ohio State hit .310 and held King to a .232 mark. Conference Carolinas tournament MVP Warren Davis led the Bristol, Tennessee program with 13 kills while Kellan Kennedy added eight kills and hit a team-best .385. Jack Sarnowski dished out 31 assists and had a team-high seven digs. Aaron Milstead paced the defense with four blocks (one solo, three assists.
The Buckeyes were led by Jacob Pasteur who tallied 16 kills and hit an astonishing .619 with two block assists and four digs.
The complete championship bracket can be found here.