Women’s Volleyball Opens Season against Indiana State on Tuesday – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/27/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
August 27, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team begins its 28th season of competition Tuesday facing the Sycamores of Indiana State at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena. The 13th ranked Buckeyes were 24-11 overall last season, finishing tied for third in the Big Ten Conference with a 13-7 mark. OSU reached the NCAA regional semifinals in 1997, its ninth consecutive appearance. The Buckeyes have four starters returning from last season and 1996 starter Brianne Spiers (Sr., Boulder, Colorado) , who sat out last season with a knee injury.
Indiana State was 13-21 in 1997. The Sycamores finished sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference and lost in the first round of the MVC Tournament. They return only one starter from last season, but have a total of eight letterwinners back for 1998.
OHIO STATE AND OPENING MATCHES
Ohio State is 19-8 in opening matches. The Buckeyes are 9-1 at home and 10-7 on the road. OSU has won nine consecutive home openers. Overall, Ohio State has won 10 of the last 11 opening matches.
THE OHIO STATE – INDIANA STATE SERIES
Ohio State has won all three previous meetings between the Buckeyes and the Sycamores. The first meeting was in 1972 at the Ball State Invitational. OSU won 15-5, 15-2. The teams next played in the opening match of the 1985 season in the Buckeye Invitational, a 15-5, 15-0, 15-5 OSU win. The last meeting came in 1996, again in the opening match of the season, at the Ohio State Invitational. The Buckeyes came away with a 15-6, 15-6, 15-9 victory.
NEXT UP – HAWAIIAN AIRLINES WAHINE CLASSIC
After Tuesdays match, the Buckeyes will leave for Honolulu, Hawaii and the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic, Sept. 4-6. OSU will face sixth ranked Florida on Friday, 14th-ranked Hawaii Saturday and 18th-ranked UCLA Sunday. Ohio State previously played in the Wahine Classic in 1990.
FOX SPORTS CHICAGO AND COLUMBUS SPORTS NETWORK TO AIR MATCHES
The Buckeyes will have six matches broadcast locally and two regionally during the season. Fox Sports Chicago will broadcast OSU’s matches at Northwestern (Oct. 23) and vs. Purdue (Oct. 31) on tape delay the following Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern. Columbus Sports Network will broadcast two matches a month on tape delay with broadcast times to be determined. These matches include Marshall (Sept. 15), Pittsburgh (Sept. 16), Iowa (Oct. 10), Michigan (Oct. 17), Penn State (Nov. 11) and Indiana (Nov. 27).
OSU’s matches in Hawaii will be televised locally on KFVE-TV in Honolulu.
BUCKEYES BEGIN SEASON RANKED NO. 13TH
Ohio State opens the 1998 season ranked 13th in the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll. This marks the 10th consecutive season that the Buckeyes have been included in the national poll.
ST. JOHN ARENA, THE “NEW” HOME FOR OHIO STATE VOLLEYBALL
With the Jerome Schottenstein Center opening in October, St. John Arena is showing signs of becoming volleyball friendly. With the annual resurfacing of the arena floor, a new set of lines have been added. A volleyball court has been painted on the floor.
HEAD COACH JIM STONE
Jim Stone is in his 17th year at Ohio State. He has a 364-155 (.701) record with the Buckeyes and is 209-78 (.728) 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 coaching career record includes three years at Wyoming (1979-81). His 19-year career record is 414-197 (.678).
