Despite loss to Michigan, Buckeyes set records and make memories at the Schott

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — It was a weekend to remember for Ohio State women’s volleyball, even if it included a loss to that team up north.

For the first time in program history, the Buckeyes got to play inside the Schottenstein Center instead of their usual home at the Covelli Center down the street. The bigger venue allowed 8,844 fans to see Ohio State play Michigan, setting a new program and state record for attendance for a regular season collegiate volleyball match. The Wolverines won the contest in four sets.

“I think it’s a pretty special environment and opportunity for our players,” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said. “And yeah, the result is not what we wanted. I think we battled, that was good. To have that many fans come out on a Sunday enjoying us, I think it’s a good sign for our program.”

The Buckeyes forced a fourth set thanks to a kill by graduate outside hitter Emily Londot. That moment rewrote the record books, marking the fifth-year player’s 2000th kill. She became only the second player in program history to have 2,000 career kills, 2,000 career points and 1,000 digs.

“Yeah, that’s incredible. I don’t know, it just makes me think about the last four and a half, five years, I guess, of my career,” Londot said. “Just the people who have helped me along the way and impacted my life and my volleyball career, and then these girls, getting to experience that with me is really special to me.”

The record crowd included Jerame Tuman, a former NFL player who won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2006. He played college ball for Michigan in the 1990s but his daughter, Mia, is a sophomore setter for Ohio State. And while she admits that she grew up as a Wolverines fan because of her dad, the whole family is now all-in for the Buckeyes after Oldenburg recruited her.

“When it comes to volleyball, I think he’s all about Ohio State and just loves to support Ohio State volleyball,” Mia Tuman said. “Definitely has a clear distinction between football and volleyball and what he’s willing to root for.”

Jerame Tuman keeps the dynamic with his daughter light-hearted and fun when the annual showdown on the gridiron approaches. But there’s no question where his allegiances lie when his daughter is on the volleyball court.

“When it comes down to her playing, I’m a 100 percent Mia Tuman fan. I’m going to support anything and everything she does,” Jerame Tuman said. “Even though they’re playing the school I went to, I was cheering every point for Ohio State.”

The Buckeyes return to the Covelli Center this week to face Penn State on Friday night followed by Nebraska on Saturday. The match against the Cornhuskers will be broadcast on NBC4 at 3:30 p.m.

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