2017 NCAA champs Ohio State named MIVA Team of Decade

Photo courtesy of Ohio State athletics

The most successful team in Ohio State program history is now officially the best team from the MIVA this decade.

A nationwide voting committee selected the 2017 NCAA champions Ohio State as the MIVA Team of the Decade that was revealed Thursday on Off the Block.

The Buckeyes set single-season program records 32 victory and a .941 winning en route to winning their second consecutive national championship.

Ohio State was ranked No. 1 throughout the entire season and opened the year on a 19-match winning streak, including victories against then-No. 2 UCLA and then-No. 4 Long Beach State. The team went undefeated in conference play and defeated Quincy, Ball State and Grand Canyon in the MIVA Tournament to repeat as conference champions.

In the NCAA Tournament that took place at their home arena, Ohio State hit more than .350 in sweeps against Hawai’i and BYU.

All-American setter Christy Blough guided the offense to finish second in the nation with a .365 attack percentage. Ohio State also had more than a .400 attack percentage in 13 matches during the season.

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All three of the Buckeyes starting pin-hitters had more than a .300 attack percentage.

All-American outside attacker Nicolas Szerszen led the Buckeyes and was seventh in the .389 attack percentage. In addition, All-American opposite Miles Johnson hit .329 and outside attacker Maxime Hervoir hit .309 to both finish in the nation’s top 30.

Szerszen and Johnson concluded the season among the nation’s leaders in multiple offensive categories.

Szerszen, the 2017 MIVA Player of the Year, finished with a nation-best 0.64 aces per game average that was highlighted with a match-high five aces in the NCAA Tournament semifinals against Hawai’i. The outside attacker also was 10th in the nation averaging 3.73 kills per game.

Johnson was ninth in the country with a 3.83 kills per game average along with being in the nation’s top 15 with 0.44 aces per game average.

The voting committee for this MIVA Team of the Decade was comprised of MIVA head coaches along with national volleyball media members. The top-three vote-getters were selected finalists, while the team with the most votes named the overall award winner.

Ohio State received 16 votes — six more votes than the runner-up and 2014 NCAA champions Loyola. The 2016 NCAA champions Ohio State finished in third place with seven votes.

Off the Block coordinated the MIVA All-Decade Awards. Along with the MIVA Team of the Decade, Off the Block presented the MIVA Coach of the Decade, the MIVA Player of the Decade and the MIVA All-Decade Awards.

Off the Block is a national award winning website that was established in 2011 and is the nation’s leader college men’s volleyball coverage.

MIVA Team of the Decade voting results

1. 2017 Ohio State — 16 votes
2. 2014 Loyola — 10 votes
3. 2016 Ohio State — 7 votes
4. 2015 Loyola — 3 votes