The Ohio State men’s volleyball team traveled to southern Illinois for a MIVA semi-final match against the McKendree Bearcats Wednesday. The Buckeyes dominated play and swept the Bearcats, 3-0, to move on to the championship match Saturday at Chicago Loyola.

Ohio State got better as the match wore on, claiming all three sets – 25-22, 25-19, and 25-19. OSU junior Shane Wetzel had another impressive performance. He paced the Buckeyes with 10 kills and three aces and shared the most digs – seven – with freshman setter Daniel Henwood Rodriguez.

Rodriguez led all players with 28 assists. Senior Cole Young, an Olentangy Liberty alum, and Rodriguez each had five blocks. Freshman Stanislaw Chacinski played well for the Buckeyes with nine kills, four digs, and two aces.

Ohio State’s title match against the #1 seed Ramblers starts at 7:00 p.m. EDT Saturday at Joseph J. Gentile Arena. The Buckeyes have played in the MIVA finals 28 times with 19 tournament titles. OSU is the current two-time defending tourney champions.