The Buckeye Opener kicked off the 2025-26 season on September 20th, and there was no shortage of drama. Transfers, graduations and rookies all created new looks for all of the teams in attendance, but the rivalries remained intense in the always contentious Ohio region. When the dust settled on the day, the Buckeyes were the only undefeated team remaining, but there were close points, blowouts, and surprises all throughout the day. If last Saturday in Columbus was any indication of how the season will go, we’re in for a year of incredibly entertaining and unpredictable dodgeball.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes defended their home court, going 4-0 and leaving no doubt they were the most complete team in Columbus on September 20th. The Bucks were tested, as Cleveland state and Akron kept the games close in the first half but weren’t able to hang as the game progressed. Strong performances by Colson Bunch and Max Edling kept the Buckeyes spotless through their first three games. In their last game of the day against preseason #3 Kent State, the Buckeyes found themselves down 2-1. From then on they controlled the game masterfully, led by Captain and wall-ball specialist Jackson Bolognia, and ended up with a 3-2 victory. The Buckeyes looked strong from top to bottom and with a team that is only going to get more cohesive, the nation better watch out.
Kent State
Kent State arrived in Columbus carrying momentum from their quarterfinals appearance last nationals, and came out with something to prove. They rolled through their first two opponents, beating CSU 7-2 and Akron 5-0. It seemed like the Golden Flashes were making catches and getting big kills everywhere you looked. Kent State looked scary, with a corner consisting of Evan Harbison and Eman Miller flat out overpowering their opponents. This momentum met an equally powerful force in Ohio State, and for the opening portion of this game the Flashes looked better, in part due to a strong catching performance by Jacob Florentine. Kent cooled off in the second half and weren’t able to hold off the Buckeyes, leaving them with a 2-1 record and a lot to be excited for in the coming months.
Akron
The Zips came into this tournament with an overhauled roster and a lot of question marks. They left this tournament with much of that uncertainty remaining. One thing that is for certain is that Akron has two of the best players in the country, as Alexis Schultz and Jeremy Faircloth put on incredible performances and looked to be the best players on the court for most of Akron’s points. The Zips just did not get enough from the rookies and first-year starters and will need to see more from the back half of their roster if they want to avoid results like their 5-0 loss to Kent. There were positive signs, as the 4-3 loss to Ohio State saw the Zips hang tough with one of the nation’s premier teams. There is still talent in Akron, but coach Adam Pfeifer is going to need to develop some of the younger talent if they want to compete with Ohio’s top teams.
Bowling Green
It wasn’t necessarily a surprise that this year was going to be a rebuild year for the Falcons. The Falcons left Columbus without a win, and all of their games were decided by a large margin. The Falcons returned very little production from last year and will need to lean on their rookies and young players if they want to make noise this year, making it not the biggest surprise they went winless in the season-opening tournament. Jackson Peterson and Gavin Gillard led the charge this weekend and will look for other players to step up around them as the season progresses. I expect this squad to get significantly better in the coming months and eventually start competing with other teams in the Ohio region.
Cleveland State
The Vikings left Columbus with a 1-2 record, with their only win coming against Bowling Green. The Vikings lost 7-2 and 6-2 against Kent State and Ohio State respectively, but stayed competitive with them, even taking the first point on the Buckeyes. The Vikings have solid players across the court, with Leo Rockamore and Antoine Lamar leading their offense in Columbus, and many players stepping up with timely catches. The Vikings still are trying to build a consistent strategy, but if the dominoes fall right in any particular game, they can beat almost any team in the country. Overall, the Vikings will be disappointed at their Columbus results, but optimistic for the rest of the season.
My All-Tournament Starting 12
- Alexis Schultz (Akron)
- Max Edling (OSU)
- Jeremy Faircloth (Akron)
- Colson Bunch (OSU)
- Antoine Lamar (CSU)
- Jackson Peterson (BGSU)
- Leo Rockamore Jr. (CSU)
- Mike Bilzco (Kent)
- Nick Kemer (OSU)
- Will Dalton (OSU)
- J.J. Oldenburg(Kent)
- Kyle VonScio (Akron)