Adversity steels Buckeyes for league title game

Not much has gone wrong for Ohio State the past two men’s volleyball seasons.

The Buckeyes unexpectedly won the national championship last year and have lost only twice in 31 games this season.

But they got a jolt of unexpected adversity on Wednesday against Ball State in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association semifinals.

After winning the first two sets, second-ranked Ohio State lost the next two and fell behind 7-2 in the decisive fifth set. But the Buckeyes rallied for a 15-13 victory to reach tonight’s conference championship against Grand Canyon (19-10) at St. John Arena.

“A 7-2 deficit in the fifth set never looks good for any team,” Buckeyes senior Miles Johnson said. “I think overcoming that is huge because it adds to our resume of scenarios we can win in.”

It was particularly important because it may have ensured that Ohio State gets an at-large bid to the NCAA championships, also at St. John in two weeks, if it doesn’t win tonight.

The prospect of defending the national championship at home has loomed over the Buckeyes all the season.

“You always want to look at the next game and not jump a couple steps,” senior Driss Guessous said. “But we’re all human and it’s only natural to think, ‘Hey, it’d be awesome to have a chance to play for the championship at home in front of our crowd.’ ”

Coach Pete Hanson said that Wednesday’s close call could serve his team well.

“I think when you’ve had the run of success we’ve had in the last year and a half, I think sometimes you become maybe desensitized that other teams can create their momentum and can take it away from you,” he said.

The Buckeyes beat Grand Canyon in a couple of close matches in Phoenix in February.

“They’re a very emotional team,” Hanson said. “They try to create their own energy. They’ll do a lot of celebrating.”

The Buckeyes are intent on doing some of their own. But that would be only a prelude to the main attraction coming in May. The NCAA bracket will be released Sunday, though any suspense about whether the Buckeyes make the sixteam field would be eliminated by earning the automatic MIVA spot.

“I’m sure they’re going to be a sense of a pressure valve going off if we get some good news on Sunday,” Hanson said. “Hopefully, we get some good news on Saturday by winning the darn thing.”