The Ohio State women’s volleyball team fell to top-ranked Nebraska in straight sets on Saturday night in Lincoln, dropping the scores 25-19, 25-10, and 25-12. The loss moves the Buckeyes to an 8-4 overall record and 1-1 in Big Ten play, while the Cornhuskers advance to 13-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
Early Set Battles Give Way to Nebraska Dominance
The opening set featured tight play early, with the score tied 11 times. Ohio State carved out a 14-11 lead following a 3-0 run sparked by a block from Bailey Nakanelua and Lauren Wiese alongside a kill from Naomy Govou. Kalli Jioshvili-Ravva added a kill to push the Buckeyes ahead 15-13 at the first media timeout. However, Nebraska erased a 16-16 tie with a 3-0 run and secured the first set 25-19.
The second set saw Nebraska pull away after a competitive start. Govou notched back-to-back kills to level the score at 5-5, and another kill kept the Buckeyes within three points at 9-6. The Cornhuskers responded with a 6-1 run and later added a 7-1 surge out of the media timeout to build a 22-8 advantage. Consecutive blocks involving Jioshvili-Ravva, Wiese, and Alia Schoonover added late points for Ohio State, but Nebraska closed out the set 25-10.
Nebraska opened the third set with a 10-2 run, fueled by early kills from Hannah Jones for the Buckeyes. Jioshvili-Ravva and Govou combined to narrow the deficit to six points at 13-7, and an ace from Mia Stahler kept Ohio State within reach at 16-10. The Cornhuskers limited the Buckeyes to just two more points to take the final set 25-12.
Buckeyes Statistics and Upcoming Schedule
Saturday’s defeat halted a six-match winning streak for Ohio State, which marked the program’s longest run since a 14-match streak in 2022. Govou and Jioshvili-Ravva paced the offense with eight kills apiece. Nakanelua contributed a team-high 16 assists, while Emily Avshalomov anchored the back row with nine digs.
Ohio State returns home to host Rutgers on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. for season ticket holder appreciation night at the Covelli Center. The Buckeyes will then travel to Evanston to face Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. ET.