The weather might be unpredictable. But predicting Ohio State’s opening-round opponent in this week’s Outrigger Volleyball Invitational?
“No surprise,” said OSU coach Pete Hanson, whose 12th-ranked Buckeyes face host Hawaii tonight in the four-team, three-day tournament in the Stan Sheriff Center.
This is the Buckeyes’ fifth appearance in this 20-year-old event. Penn State and UCLA are the other participants.
“That’s kind of the way they set it up with us the last few years,” Hanson said. “We understand that. That’s not a problem. Eventually, you’re going to have to play them all. It doesn’t matter if you play them first, second or third.”
Hanson said this match is a good way to open the regular season for both teams.
“There will be some energy in the building,” Hanson said. “It’ll be good for our players. We’re looking forward to it.”
The Rainbow Warriors and Canada’s Thompson Rivers split two exhibition matches last weekend. The Buckeyes will be coming in cold. It was minus-10 degrees when the Buckeyes departed Columbus on Tuesday. The OSU campus was closed Monday and Tuesday because of the chilling temperatures.
The Buckeyes will cobble together a mostly youthful lineup. Left-side hitter Michael Henchy is a third-year starter. Opposite attacker Andy Lutz started 23 matches in 2013, leading the way with 3.74 kills per set. Middle blocker Shawn Herron played in 11 of 27 matches last year.
After that, Hanson said, “there will be some young pups on the floor.”
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20TH OUTRIGGER VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL
At Stan Sheriff Center
>> Who: No. 14 Hawaii (0-0), No. 7 UCLA (0-1), No. 11 Penn State (0-0), No. 12 Ohio State (0-0)
>> When: Today-Saturday
>> Schedule: Today: UCLA vs. Penn State, 4 p.m., Hawaii vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m. Friday: Ohio State vs. UCLA, 4 p.m., Hawaii vs. Penn State, 7 p.m. Saturday: Ohio State vs. Penn State, 4 p.m., Hawaii vs. UCLA, 7 p.m.
>> TV: OC Sports (Ch. 16)
>> Radio: KKEA (1420-AM)
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Four freshmen will fill out the rotation, including middle blocker Driss Guessos, who redshirted in 2013, and setter Christy Blough.
Blough played with the U.S. national youth team last summer, relinquishing a chance to compete with his volleyball club at the junior national tournament.
“Christy wanted to wear the red, white and blue,” Hanson said. “That’s a pretty neat thing. I thought that was pretty commendable.”
Setter Peter Heinen is a fourth-year junior who will graduate this spring, but “right now we feel Christy is giving us a little more,” Hanson said.
The Rainbow Warriors open with one of their deepest teams. Setter Joby Ramos, libero Kolby Kanetake, opposite Brook Sedore and middle blocker Taylor Averill have secured starting spots. Jace Olsen and Siki Zarkovic appear to have the edge for the two left-side positions. Nick West is expected to start at the second middle.
Hanson said the tournament will serve as a barometer.
“You can start the season off with easy nonconference wins and run your record up, but you’re not going to get really tested, or you can participate in an event like this where you know you’re going to have three quality matches,” Hanson said. “You might come out 0-3, but in the end, it’s a good 0-3. You’re going to learn a lot about your team and what it takes to be successful at this level.”
