Women’s Volleyball Hosts Indiana and Northwestern – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/25/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
November 25, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State (14-13 overall, 7-11 Big Ten) concludes the regular season at home this weekend facing Indiana (16-11, 9-9) on Friday and Northwestern (15-15, 5-13) Saturday. The Indiana match will be telecast on tape delay by the Columbus Sports Network on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Eric Mauk and Audrey Flaugh will call the action.
OHIO STATE LAST WEEK
The Buckeyes defeated Michigan 15-10, 15-6, 15-11 but lost to No. 14 Michigan State 15-12, 15-12, 15-13.
THE BEST OF THE BUCKEYES
Rosie Snow leads the Buckeyes in kills with 455 for a 5.00 per game average. Two additional players are averaging three or more kills per game. They are Angelee Abbring (3.48) and Dana Stearns (3.10). Stearns has a team high (starters) .251 hitting percentage with Abbring at .215 and Snow at .217. Top servers on the squad are Stearns with 36 ace serves and Snow with 29. Snow leads the team in digs with 222 (2.44 per game) with Jen Flynn second at 215 (2.34). Shellye Sills is first in blocks with 75 (seven solo and 68 assists) for a 1.23 average. Stearns is second in blocks with 74 (six solo, 68 assists) for a .81 per game average. Flynn (971 assists) and Carey Cavanaugh (262 assists) have shared the setting duties. Flynn has a 10.55 per game average to 2.91 for Cavanaugh.
The Buckeyes are averaging 16.21 kills, 2.65 blocks, 12.91 digs and 1.65 aces per game and is hitting .208 for the season. Ohio State opponents average 15.17 kills, 2.59 blocks, 12.71 digs and 1.28 aces per game. Opponents are hitting .233.
BUCKEYES UNRANKED
Ohio State is not ranked in the top 25 of the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll for only the second time in the last 10 years. The Buckeyes were unranked for five weeks last season before returning to the rankings and finishing 15th for the season.
SNOW CONTINUES DOUBLES STREAK
Rosie Snow picked up 10 kills at Michigan and 11 at Michigan State last weekend to extend her double-figure kills streak to 17 matches. Snow has had double-figure kills in 34 matches in her career and 26 double-figure digs matches. She has had 18 double-doubles (kills-digs). SNOW HIGH IN RANKINGS
Rosie Snow was ranked last week as 12th in the country in kills per game with a 5.11 average. This week she is averaging 5.00. In Big Ten statistics (all matches) she ranks third in kills per game (5.11) and eighth in aces (.33). In conference play Snow is second in kills (5.58), seventh in aces (.37) and second in digs (2.98).
BOTICA CONTINUES TO IMPROVE
Anne Botica continues to improve her performances. Against Michigan, she recorded a career high nine kills and against Michigan State Botica had a career high 10 digs.
ABBRING IMPROVING
Angelee Abbring had her best match since being slowed by a mid-season back injury. She had a team-high 17 kills and hit .270 against #14 Michigan State. Abbring also had four assist blocks and three digs in the match.
SILLS HAS EDGE IN BLOCKS
Shellye Sills is the team leader in blocks with 75. The non-starter had a total of 10 blocks this past weekend. She had seven assists against Michigan and a solo and two assists versus Michigan State. Sills is averaging 1.23 blocks per game and ranks seventh in conference only statistics with a 1.27 per game average.
OHIO STATE VS. INDIANA
Ohio State has a 27-16 advantage in the series with Indiana. OSU is 14-5 in matches played in Columbus and is 4-2 in neutral court matches. The Buckeyes have won 16 of the last 19 matches played since 1989. The teams split matches last year with each team winning on the others court. Earlier this season, Indiana defeated OSU in Bloomington 0-3 (15-17, 4-15, 11-15). In Bloomington the Buckeyes have won nine of 18 matches, but have won eight of the last 10 played at Indiana.
INDIANA LAST WEEK
The Hoosiers won two matches last weekend knocking off Northwestern and Minnesota to even their conference record at 9-9. IU set a new record with its 11th and 12th home wins of the season, eclipsing the old record of 10 from 1988. At home, IU is 12-2 for the season. In the win over Northwestern, Indiana tied a school record with 13 block solos. Ryann Connors led the Hoosiers for the week with 22 kills and 16 digs against Northwestern and 18 kills and 10 digs versus Minnesota.
INDIANA DEFEATS #23 OSU 3-0
Ohio State could not overcome a balanced Indiana attack led by Jen Magelssen’s 16 kills and 11 digs with three other players in double-figure kills. OSU’s Rosie Snow had 16 kills with Jen Flynn adding 12. OSU held off three game points in game one and served for the match once, but lost 17-15. Indiana led 10-5 in game three only to see OSU take a 11-10 lead. The Hoosiers finished the game at 15-11. Indiana hit .346 for the match to OSU’s .162. The Hoosiers had the edge in blocks at 9-8 and in digs, 52-39. Each team had five aces.
OHIO STATE VS. NORTHWESTERN
Ohio State leads the series with the Wildcats 31-9. The Buckeyes have won the last 18 matches. In Evanston, OSU is 11-4 with wins in the last nine road trips. Northwestern’s last win was in 1988, a 3-0 (15-6, 15-4, 15-9) win in Evanston. In Columbus, the Buckeyes enjoy a 14-2 mark over the Wildcats, winning the last 13 matches. In neutral court matches, OSU has won six of eight.
NORTHWESTERN LAST WEEK
Northwestern dropped two matches last week, falling to Indiana and Minnesota. Senior Jessica Holloway totaled 15 kills and zero errors to earn a .536 hitting percentage and three service aces. The Wildcats close out the Conference season by traveling to Penn State and Ohio State.
NORTHWESTERN DEFEATS #23 OSU 3-1
Ohio State, despite 28 kills by Rosie Snow and a triple-double (12 kills, 31 assists and 10 digs) by Jen Flynn lost to Northwestern 12-15, 16-14, 10-15, 7-15. Jessica Holloway had a team high 17 kills and a match high 25 digs for Northwestern. The Buckeyes kept it close for three games, including holding the Wildcats in game two 14-14 to win 16-14. OSU hit .116 for the match to .219 for Northwestern. The Buckeyes had a season high 19 team blocks to 11 for the Wildcats. Northwestern outdug the Buckeyes 72 to 58 and had six aces to four. The NU win broke a streak of 18 wins for the Buckeyes.
OSU VS. RANKED TEAMS
Against nationally ranked teams this season, Ohio State has a 3-11 record. The Buckeyes defeated No. 6 Florida, No. 18 UCLA and No. 25 Minnesota. OSU has lost to No. 1 & 2 Penn State, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 6 & 8 Wisconsin, No. 14 Hawaii. No. 20 & 17 Illinois. No. 22 & 14 Michigan State and No. 24 Minnesota.
HEAD COACH JIM STONE
Jim Stone is in his 17th year at Ohio State. He has a 378-168 (.692) record with the Buckeyes and is 216-89 (.708) in Big Ten play. His squads have won Big Ten championships in 1989, 1991 and 1994 and in the last nine years have never finished below third. In the championship years, he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and in 1991 was the Volleyball Monthly Coach of the Year. For the last nine years, OSU has participated in the NCAA Championships, advancing to the national semifinals in 1991 and 1994. Stone’s coach career record includes three years at Wyoming (1979-1981). His 19-year career record is 428-210 (.671).
REGIONAL AND LOCAL TV MATCHES SET
The Buckeyes will have six matches broadcast locally, two regionally and one nationally during the season. Columbus Sports Network will broadcast two matches a month on tape delay with broadcast times to be determined. These matches include Marshall, Pittsburgh, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and Indiana (Nov. 27, replayed Nov. 30 & Dec. 1, 7 p.m.). Fox Sports Chicago broadcasted OSU’s matches at Northwestern and vs. Purdue on tape delay. ESPN2 carried the Ohio State at Michigan State match, on Nov. 22, live. That match will be rebroadcast in Central and South American by ESPN International.
BUCKEYES END REGULAR SEASON
Ohio State has completed regular season play with the Indiana and Northwestern matches. The Buckeyes, ranked 25th in the Sagarin Division I Women’s Volleyball 1998 Power Ratings last week await the possible bid to the NCAA Championship
