Women’s Volleyball Faces Texas Tech in NCAA First Round – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/1/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
December 1, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State (16-13 overall, 9-11 Big Ten, tied for fifth) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship and will play Texas Tech (23-10) Thursday, Dec. 3 (5 p.m.) in a first round match at Florida in Gainesville. Host Florida (31-2) will play Tennessee-Chattanooga (23-10) in the other first round match. The winners will faceoff in the second round to be played on Fri., Dec. 4 at Gainesville for a regional berth.
%^$OHIO STATE LAST WEEK
%^$The Buckeyes defeated Indiana 15-8, 15-9, 15-10 and Northwestern 15-5, 15-2, 15-9 to end regular season play. The wins moved OSU into a fifth place tie with Indiana in the Big Ten Conference.
%^$OSU IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
%^$The Buckeyes are making a 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship. OSU has advanced to regional semifinal play seven times (1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997) and twice have advanced to the national semifinals (1991 and 1994). Ohio State had to defeat Nebraska (3-1) in Lincoln in 1991 and Long Beach State (3-1), in Long Beach in 1994 to advance to the national semifinals. Overall, the Buckeyes are 12-9 (.571) in NCAA Championship play.
%^$SNOW NAMED ALL-BIG TEN
%^$Rosie Snow has been named to the All-Big Ten Volleyball Team as selected by the coaches. A junior outside hitter from Colorado Springs, Colo., she ranks third in Big Ten statistics in kills (5.48) and digs (3.03) and fifth in aces (.038).
%^$STEARNS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
%^$Dana Stearns was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her play against Indiana and Northwestern. The Bexley, Ohio native had 27 kills, hit .522, adding 14 digs, 12 blocks and an ace serve in the two matches. Stearns had 12 kills and hit .545 (12-0-22) against Indiana. She also had 10 digs, two solo blocks, six assist blocks and an ace serve against the Hoosiers. In the Northwestern match, she had a match-high 15 kills and hit .500 (15-3-24) and added four digs and four assist blocks. Stearns, a middle blocker, who has played part of the time at outside hitter is third on the squad in kills with 309 (3.19 per game). She ranks as the top hitter (starters) with a .268 percentage and is tied with Shellye Sills in total blocks with 86. Stearns is the second Ohio State player to be honored this season as Player of the Week. Rosie Snow took the honor in the first week of the season.
%^$THE BEST OF THE BUCKEYES
%^$Rosie Snow leads the Buckeyes in kills with 482 for a 4.97 per game average. Two additional players are averaging three or more kills per game. They are Angelee Abbring (3.51) and Dana Stearns (3.19). Stearns has a team high (starters) .258 hitting percentage with Abbring at .222 and Snow at .228. Top servers on the squad are Stearns with 37 ace serves and Snow with 32. Snow leads the team in digs with 243 (2.51 per game) with Jen Flynn second at 232 (2.37). Shellye Sills is first in blocks with 86 (seven solo and 79 assists) for a 1.28 average. Stearns is tied for first in blocks with 86 (eight solo, 78 assists) for a .89 per game average. Flynn (1,058 assists) and Carey Cavanaugh (262 assists) have shared the setting duties. Flynn has a 10.80 per game average to 2.91 for Cavanaugh.
%^$The Buckeyes are averaging 16.33 kills, 2.74 blocks, 13.12 digs and 1.65 aces per game and is hitting .218 for the season. Ohio State opponents average 15.08 kills, 2.49 blocks, 12.54 digs and 1.33 aces per game. Opponents are hitting .228.
%^$SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
%^$The Buckeyes answered the call last weekend with two important wins to secure a bid to the NCAA Championships. OSU had a combined .390 hitting percentage for the two matches, hitting .421 against Northwestern and .359 against Indiana. OSU’s .421 against Northwestern is the team’s third highest percentage of the season. Only a .473 against Marshall and a .450 to open the season against Indiana State has been better.
%^$SNOW CONTINUES DOUBLES STREAK
%^$Rosie Snow picked up 15 kills against Indiana and 12 against Northwestern last weekend to extend her double-figure kills streak to 19 matches. Snow has had double-figure kills in 36 matches in her career and 27 double-figure digs matches. She has had 19 double-doubles (kills-digs).
%^$SNOW HITS SEASON HIGHS
%^$Rosie Snow hit her best percentage of the season against Indiana when she posted a .500 hitting efficiency. She had 15 kills against the Hoosiers with only one error in 28 swings. That was her best mark since the opening match of the season when she hit .474 (12-3-19) against Indiana State. Snow also collected a season high four assist blocks against Northwestern to go with her 12 kills (.476).
%^$BOTICA NUMBERS GOING UP
%^$Anne Botica continues to be more of a factor for the Buckeyes. She had a career high 11 digs and four assist blocks against Indiana and had a career-high 10 kills against Northwestern.
%^$SPIERS SEES FRONT ROW ACTION
%^$Brianne Spiers had not seen front row action in 22 matches until Saturday when she played a few full rotations against Northwestern. She had two kills in three attempts for her efforts. Spiers, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, played a key role for the Buckeyes in wins over No. 6 Florida and No. 18 UCLA in early September. After playing in the first six matches, Spiers was held out the next 14 matches with an injury that was later determined to be a stress fracture of her cervix. She returned to action against Purdue on Oct. 31, playing in the back row only. She collected 14 digs in that match. Spiers has had three other double-figure dig matches since returning and has scored on eight ace serves. She is expected to see limited front row action in the NCAA Championships.
%^$SERIES RECORD AGAINST OPPONENTS
%^$Texas Tech – The Buckeyes have a 2-1 record against Texas Tech. The teams first played in the 1979 Brigham Young Invitational, a 2-0 (15-9, 15-9) Tech win. The teams next played in the 1981 Alabama Invitational with Ohio State winning 2-1 (15-10, 13-15, 15-4). The last meeting came in 1986 at the New Mexico State Classic, with OSU winning 3-2 (15-6, 11-15, 3-15, 15-0, 15-3).
%^$Florida – Ohio State tied the series with Florida at one match each earlier this season in Hawaii at the Hawaiian Airlines Tournament with a 3-2 (9-15, 11-15, 15-4, 15-5, 20-18) win. The previous meeting came in 1996, in Gainesville, in the NCAA Central Regional Semifinal with Florida coming from behind for a 3-2 (15-8, 14-16, 13-15, 15-12, 15-6) win.
%^$Tennessee-Chattanooga –The teams have not played.
%^$OHIO STATE IN BIG TEN STATS
%^$Statistically in Big Ten Conference matches, Rosie Snow is listed as third in kills (5.48 per game), third in digs (3.03) and tied for fourth in aces (0.38). Jen Flynn is ranked sixth in assists (12.69) and Shellye Sills is fifth in blocks (1.33)
%^$In Conference matches, Ohio State, as a team, is ranked eighth in hitting percentage (.202), fourth in kills (16.82), fourth in assists (15.45), third in blocks (3.10), fifth in digs (14.48) and sixth in aces (1.54).
%^$BUCKEYES UNRANKED
%^$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.
%^$OSU VS. RANKED TEAMS
%^$Against nationally ranked teams, 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 380-168 (.693) record with the Buckeyes and is 218-89 (.710) 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 20-year career record is 430-210 (.672). His teams have now made the NCAA Championships the last ten years, reaching the national semifinals in 1991 and 1994.
%^$
PLAYER NOTES
%^$ANGELEE ABBRING – Hit .222, KPG 3.51 BPG .68, DPG .48
%^$13 double-figure kills matches, including the last three…4 with 20 or more kills…career high 23 kills in back-to-back games (two weekends) at Minnesota and Purdue…suffered a back injury in late October, played that weekend at Northwestern (six kills in four games) and at Indiana (1 kill in one game)… Held out of the Illinois match and then played against Purdue, scoring 12 kills in the win… Had 17 kills at Michigan State, 12 each against Indiana and Northwestern…
%^$ERIN BAKER –Hit -.073; KPG .59; BPG .45; DPG .64
%^$Has played in 13 matches…Career highs of five kills, four aces and five digs at Minnesota…six assist blocks against Purdue, a career high…
%^$ANNE BOTICA – Hit .100; KPG 1.51; BPG .46; DPG 1.68
%^$Has played in 29 matches…Career high of 10 kills against Northwestern…Career high of 11 digs against Indiana…
%^$CAREY CAVANAUGH – APG 2.91; HIT -.027; KPG .09; BPG .12; DPG 1.77
%^$Has played in 27 matches…Career high of 44 assists in win over ranked UCLA when set the last four games to allow Jen Flynn to hit…Has switched off with Flynn in several other matches…Career high 12 digs at Wisconsin…Four double-figure digs matches…Career high three aces against UCLA…
%^$NIKKI CISCO – HIT -.286; KPG .01; BPG .00; DPG 1.46
%^$A third generation Ohio State Athlete – father played baseball, grandfather played football and baseball and her uncle played football and baseball…Has seen action in 24 matches…Career high eight digs, twice, the last at Purdue…Back row time has been limited of late with the return of Brianne Spiers (permitted to play in back row only until Northwestern)…Career high three aces at Minnesota, one of three matches with two or more aces…
%^$JEN FLYNN – APG 10.80; HIT .247; KPG 1.80; BPG .74; DPG 2.37
%^$Primary position is setter, but has played at outside hitter in several matches…Season high 72 assists against Purdue…Has four matches with double-figure kills, with a season high 15 against Nebraska…Second on team in digs with 232 (2.37) and is third on the team in blocks with 73 (12 solo and 61 assists)…Eight matches with double-figure digs with a season high of 21 against Purdue…Fourth on the squad in kills with 176…
%^$SHELLYE SILLS – HIT .194; KPG 1.15; BPG 1.23; DPG .59
%^$Has played in 22 matches…Tied for the team high in total blocks with Dana Stearns with 86 (seven solo and 79 assists)… Team leader in kills per game with a 1.28 mark…Equaled her previous career high of 10 total blocks in a match with a solo and nine assists at Northwestern…Eight matches with five or more blocks…
%^$ROSIE SNOW –HIT .228; KPG 4.97; BPG .57; DPG 2.51; APG .33
%^$The team’s go-to hitter…Shoulder surgery at the end of last season…Team leader in kills with 482, averaging 4.97 per game…Ranked 12th in the country last week at 5.11…Has string of 19 consecutive double-figure kill matches and 25 this season…Career high 36 kills against Purdue…23 or more kills in eight matches…Double-figure digs in 13 matches…Season high 16 digs against Purdue and at Michigan…2nd on the team in aces with 32…Named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her play to open the season including wins over Florida and UCLA…
%^$BRIANNE SPIERS – HIT .265; KPG .92; BPG .30; DPG 2.34
%^$Started the first six matches of the season after missing all of last season with two knee operations…Missed the next 14 matches with back problems, later determined to a stress fracture of the cervix…Had a career-high 15 kills in upset win over No… 6 Florida, hitting a career high .650 (15-2-20)…Had a season high 16 digs in that match…Has played in the last nine matches, limited to duty in the back row until the final regular season match against Northwestern…
%^$LAURA STALLING – HIT .287; KPG 1.03; BPG 1.24; DPG .32
%^$Has played in 14 matches…Has 42 total blocks (six solo, 36 assists) for a team high 1.24 per game average…Equalled her career high of 7 kills at Indiana hitting a career high .545 (7-1-11)…Career block high of seven assists and eight total blocks (1-7) against Michigan…Had seven total blocks (1-6) against Michigan State…
%^$DANA STEARNS – HIT .268; KPG 3.19; BPG .89; DPG 1.88; APG .38%^$Had a career high 24 kills against Purdue…One of 17 double-figure kill matches this season…Season highs of seven assist blocks and eight total blocks (1-7) at Illinois…Had eight total blocks (2-6) against Indiana…Career high of four aces, twice this season, against Indiana State and Iowa…Team high 37 ace serves…Season high of 14 digs against Michigan and Purdue…Has seven matches with double-figure digs…Has hit from the outside on occasion…Named the Big Ten Player of the Week against Indiana and Northwestern…
