Ohio State embraces role as men's volleyball ambassador in central Ohio. Here's why
Ohio State men’s volleyball coach Kevin Burch needs players who thrive under pressure because opponents always circle the Buckeyes on their schedule.
“We have to be the Reggie Millers of men’s volleyball,” Burch said with a smile.
In 2023, Ohio State lived up to that expectation, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. In 2024, Ohio State has won seven of its first nine games and spent a week as the No. 1 team in the country.
That gives OSU players extra gravitas as they serve as ambassadors for a growing sport, one that was officially recognized by the Ohio High School Athletic Association ahead of the 2022-23 school year.
Adding to the team's appeal locally is that Ohio State has three central Ohio success stories on its 2024 roster: setter Noah Platfoot out of Hilliard, middle blocker Cole Young out of Powell and libero Thomas Poole out of Dublin.
“They grew up wanting to be at Ohio State being Ohio kids,” Burch said. “When they get here, they want to make a name for themselves.”
Ohio State men's volleyball 'wasn't a hard pitch' for central Ohio players
Platfoot was a self-described “big basketball guy” until he was introduced to volleyball by his cousins in eighth grade. And from there, Platfoot was hooked.
“It’s a different type of athleticism, right?” Platfoot said. “You got guys serving 70 miles-an-hour, jumping 14 inches. Some of the players are just remarkable. It’s just a different type of athleticism that drew me to it.”
Platfoot was a three-time captain at Hilliard Darby High School and the Ohio High School Player of the Year in 2019, while also being a captain for Vanguard Volleyball Club. Platfoot was the kind of central Ohio player Ohio State was looking for coming off two national championships in 2016 and 2017.
“It wasn’t a hard pitch,” Platfoot said.
Young, who started playing volleyball his freshman year of high school and attended Olentangy Liberty High School and played for Vanguard, remembered a similar pitch from Burch centered around the standard of excellence and talent he would be stepping into if he chose the Buckeyes.
“It’s kind of hard to say no to all those players and coaches who know they are going to make you a better player at the end of the day,” Young said.
When Burch took over for Pete Hanson in 2019 he knew Ohio recruiting would be a staple, he said. The better the talent of men’s volleyball in Ohio the better Ohio State men’s volleyball would be.
From 2020-24, Ohio State has had five Ohio natives on the roster: libero Parker Mikesch (Xenia), middle blocker Austin Gerwig (Doylestown), Poole, Platfoot and Young.
Men’s volleyball is a sport that is still growing in Ohio, Burch said. And its continued growth depends on the junior level and high school coaches pitching the sport to prospective athletes at an earlier age.
“It’s kind of like golf in a sense that LeBron James could walk on a volleyball court day one, golf course day one, never even played the sport, and he’s not going to be good at it,” Burch said. “It takes time. It takes reps. It’s one of those sports where the earlier you get started, the better you are going to be.”
What's next for men's volleyball in central Ohio?
It’s easy for Phil Cagnoli to support Ohio State men’s volleyball in 2024.
Set aside that the Dublin Jerome High School coach used to coach Poole and has crossed paths with Young and Platfoot many times before they joined the Buckeyes. To Cagnoli, it’s simply easy to support a winner when there are more people in the stands and more highlights from the team on social media.
“Having Ohio State in your backyard is such a cool thing just because, as a high school coach, especially for boys, as the sport grows, the vast majority of kids that I interact with have not had exposure to the sport other than at a picnic or at a gym class,” Cagnoli said. “That’s not what this is. Like this is a way, way different level.”
But even at this level, Cagnoli sees proof the sport is accessible to athletes of many different body types, from Young’s 6-foot-10 frame to Poole's 5-foot-9 stature.
Poole isn’t one to gloat about being an Ohio State athlete. But he said he does return to Dublin Jerome multiple times each year to make sure members of the boys volleyball team can see what they are capable of.
And with Ohio State’s continued success, Poole feels more and more central Ohio players will want to follow in his, Platfoot’s and Young’s footsteps.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” Poole said.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OSU embraces role as men's volleyball ambassador in central Ohio
