COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Miami University volleyball team put together several competitive sets, but ultimately fell victim to some untimely Ohio State runs as it fell 1-3 (18-25, 23-25, 26-24, 20-25) to open play at the Buckeye Invitational on Thursday. The RedHawks are now 4-5 on the season, while the Buckeyes are 5-5.

"The quality of opponents this weekend is just what we need to gain more strength through adversity and consistency when it counts," said head coach Carolyn Condit. "In the four-set loss tonight we beat ourselves in two of them, despite some great serving and rallies. We have to decide when it is time to just play."

Junior middle hitter Avarie Powell had a breakout performance with 13 kills to lead Miami. She added two block and made only two attack errors in 21 attempts for a hitting percentage of .524.

Ohio State jumped to a 12-5 lead in set one. Two straight kills from Powell off assists from sophomore setter Louise Comerford started the Miami comeback. Back-to-back kills from sophomore right side hitter Sophie Riemersma and senior middle hitter Margaret Payne off assists from junior setter Morgan Seaman cut the deficit to only three at 11-14. Freshman outside hitter Lindsay Taylor put down a pair of kills as the teams began to trade points. The Buckeyes called timeout after a RedHawk point made it 16-19. Out of the break, OSU went on a 6-2 run to close out a 25-18 win.

Tied at seven in set two, a kill from sophomore outside hitter Gaby Harper, along with a block from Powell and Riemersma started a 13-5 run that put Miami in control at 20-12. Ohio State slowly got back into it with an extended run, eventually pulling to within two at 22-20. Payne answered with a kill to give the 'Hawks a 23-20 advantage, before two straight Buckeye points made it a one-point lead. Miami appeared to get a kill on the next set, but it was overturned by an OSU challenge to tie the score. The Buckeyes then grabbed the next two points to take a 25-23 victory.

Harper helped the RedHawks shake off the tough finish to the previous set with a kill and service ace to give MU a 4-1 lead in set three. Powell and Payne each put down two kills as the Red and White extended the advantage to 13-7. The Buckeyes again fought back, answering with a 13-7 run of their own to tie the score at 20. The teams traded side outs until the score was tied at 24. At that point, back-to-back kills from Harper and Taylor put Miami back in the match with a 26-24 victory.

Set four was tight early as neither team could establish a lead of more than two points. The Buckeyes finally got it to three points when they went in front, 14-11. The RedHawks answered with back-to-back kills from Payne and Harper, followed by two straight service aces by Comerford to take a 15-14 advantage and force an Ohio State timeout. Out of the break, the Buckeyes hit two more attack errors to give Miami a 17-14 lead and force them to use their final timeout. OSU responded with six straight points to regain control at 20-17. Despite two more kills from Powell, the Buckeyes were able to pull away and grab a 25-20 win to take the match in four sets.

Payne put down 12 kills for Miami to go with a team-high four blocks. Harper just missed a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs. Seaman led the RedHawks with 23 digs, while junior libero Abigail Huser finished with 18 digs.

The RedHawks complete non-conference play with two matches at the Buckeye Invitational on Friday. Miami opens with Dayton at noon, and will then take on Illinois State at 5:30 p.m.