OSU men's volleyball sweeps Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday, February 21, 2026
By Kevin Rouch
krouch@cbussports.com
Ohio State’s Aaron Grimm (left) makes the “eye” block of an Owen Banner hit during the Buckeyes’ 3-0 win over Purdue Forth Wayne Saturday at the Covelli Center. Photo: Kevin Rouch
The #13-ranked Ohio State men’s volleyball team (9-4, 4-1 MIVA) swept their MIVA home weekend, beating conference rival Ball State 3-0 Thursday and capping things off with a 3-0 win over Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday. The victory against the #20 Mastodons (8-4, 3-2 MIVA) went 25-22, 25-23, and 25-15.
“Honestly, I thought the first two sets were a little bit of a struggle,” said OSU head coach Kevin Burch after the match. “I think (our players) were certainly focused on doing the little things right that we talked about all week.”
And I certainly think they did that, but it didn’t come as easy as it did against Ball State. I was proud of the fact that they fought through it to get to that third set, where they finally broke though and made things a little bit easier on themselves.”
Ohio State’s Daniel Hurley elevates for the serve during the second set of the Buckeyes’ 3-0 conference win over visiting Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Eliel Salva Torres led the Buckeyes with 10 kills. The junior from Arecibo, Puerto Rico also had a team-high six blocks. Daniel Henwood Rodriguez recorded nine digs for Ohio State, with Drew Hudson adding eight.
Shane Wetzel had a service ace during the match against the Mastodons. That puts him in a tie for fifth in career aces with Robbie Klein at 122. Wetzel, who leads the team with 132 kills this season, has 12 service winners so far in 2026.
The Buckeyes’ Aaron Grimm (21) and Stanislaw Chacinski go up to block the hit of Purdue Fort Wayne’s Brody McAfee at the Covelli Center Saturday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
The Buckeyes play two games in Illinois this upcoming weekend, starting with a MIVA match against Lewis University (9-6, 2-3 MIVA) in Romeoville on Thursday beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST. Fans can see that matchup on the Flyers’ YouTube channel.
OSU follows that up with a Sunday conference contest against Loyola Chicago (8-4, 2-1 MIVA) at 3:00 p.m. EST. All of the action against the Ramblers at Joseph J. Gentile Arena on the Lake Shore campus can be seen on ESPN+.
Daniel Henwood Rodriguez prepares to serve during the Buckeyes’ 3-0 sweep of the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Saturday at the Covelli Center. Photo: Kevin Rouch