“I don’t think it’s how we thought this year was going to end,” Dayton coach Kelly Sheffield said. “We went into this feeling like, alright the regionals, that’s where we have to be and take the next step. It’s tough not being able to do that. With that said, it was a heck of a match.”
The 14th-seeded Flyers had their work cut out for them after dropping the first two sets. All-Big Ten outside hitter Katie Dull paced Ohio State with 11 kills and an ace as the Buckeyes led 2-0.
Dayton continued to struggle after the break. Down two sets and trailing 4-7 in a must-win third, Sheffield called timeout. It wasn’t about strategy — it was about urgency.
“I think it was about, ‘Are you going to swing or are you not going to swing,’” he said. “Our backs were against the ropes, and I wanted to know how we were going to respond.”
The Flyers responded with six unanswered points, translating the 7-4 deficit into a 10-7 lead. The Flyers never trailed again in the set.
The battle continued in the fourth set, which saw 16 ties and five lead changes.
“I remember thinking halfway through Game 4, ‘This is an awesome match,’ ” Ohio State coach Geoff Carlston said. “That’s the most intense match I’ve ever been a part of either as a player, 100 years ago, or as a coach.”
The Buckeyes had match point, 24-23, late in the fourth set on a kill by Anna product Kelli Barhorst but Flyers middle blocker Becky Novacek evened the contest 24-24 on the next play. Dayton setter Jessica Yanz tipped in the go-ahead score and the Flyers evened the match, 2-2, after an attack error by the Buckeyes.
After more than two hours of volleyball, the first team to 15 points — or in this case 16 — was moving on.
Dayton took an 11-8 lead after a string of Ohio State errors, but the Buckeyes snagged the momentum after a timeout. Dull, who finished the night with a match-high 25 kills, gave the Buckeyes the lead at 13-12. While the Flyers tied it two more times, Dayton could never take the lead, and Barhorst sealed the deal for the Buckeyes 16-14.
“It was very high level volleyball and I don’t think anyone on our team should hang their heads,” Sheffield said. “I think competitors want to be in a match like that and unfortunately somebody has to lose.”
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