a close set. PSU had the lead early, then tOSU was up a bit, and then they traded points. tOSU finally came out on top 17-15 in S5, and takes the match 3-2
Your first observation is related to your second observation. Even when the back row was able to pass from service receptions and digs, the passes were low quality and put the team out of system. That means fewer hitting options and poor sets, which lead to weak attacks and tip shots.To this casual observer, Penn State's back line wasn't capable of making some digs to save possessions, and Ohio State was. Plus, it seemed like Penn State tried too many soft touches over the net which did nothing but set up OSU for kill shots.
Looks like there are 2 others according to this website: https://dignittanyvolleyball.com/2023-recruiting/Did we sign any other recruits? I believe I read that Nebraska just inked 5 players who are rated the top recruiting class in the country. That will be tough to overcome.