18th-ranked Volleyball Travels to Purdue and #20 Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/29/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
September 29, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State (7-4 overall, 0-2 Big Ten), ranked 18th in the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll, will face Purdue (7-4, 1-1) on Friday and No. 20 Illinois (9-3, 2-0) Saturday in road matches. The Buckeyes are on the road for the second consecutive week after matches last week at No. 1 Penn State and No. 24 Minnesota. Both Brianne Spiers and Anne Botica missed the matches last week and will be out this week with injuries.
OHIO STATE LAST WEEK
The Buckeyes lost two matches on the road last week. Last Wednesday OSU lost at No. 1 Penn State 1-15, 3-15, 3-15. On Saturday, the Buckeyes battled No. 24 Minnesota but fell 3-15, 15-11, 11-15, 11-15.
THE BEST OF THE BUCKEYES
Rosie Snow leads the Buckeyes in kills with 154 for a 4.16 per game average. Four additional players are averaging two or more kills per game. They are Angelee Abbring (3.05), Dana Stearns (2.59), Jen Flynn (2.03) and injured Brianne Spiers (2.00). Stearns has a team high .344 hitting percentage with Spiers at .293 and Snow at .272. Top servers on the squad are Flynn with 16 and Stearns with 15 ace serves. Flynn leads the team in digs with 83 (2.18 per game) with Snow second with 60 (1.62). Stearns has a team high 25 blocks (three solo, 22 assists) for a .68 per game average. Snow is second in blocks with 18 (six solo and 12 assists) for a .49 average. Flynn (266 assists) and Carey Cavanaugh (197 assists) have shared the setting duties. Flynn has a 7.00 per game average to 5.47 for Cavanaugh.
The Buckeyes are averaging 14.82 kills, 1.92 blocks, 10.11 digs and 1.97 aces per game and is hitting .239 for the season. Ohio State opponents average 12.55 kills, 2.12 blocks, 9.76 digs and 1.29 aces per game. Opponents are hitting .247.
ABBRING HITS CAREER HIGH 23 KILLS
Angelee Abbring became a force against Minnesota. She had a career high 23 kills against the Gophers, hitting .311 for the match on 45 attempts, also a career high. Her previous high was 15 against Florida. It was her sixth double-figure kill match of the season.
SNOW ADDS 24 KILLS AT MINNESOTA
Rosie Snow scored a match-high 24 kills at Minnesota on a career-high 56 attempts. The Colorado Springs, Colo. native also had 10 digs, two solo blocks and two aces in the match. Her ten digs is a season best for Snow and her two aces and solo blocks equal her season best. Snow has 18 double-figure kill matches in her career and has had 20 or more kills three times this season including a career high 27 against UCLA.
A GAME OF ACES
Ohio State collected a season high 15 ace serves against Minnesota last week. That total included eight in OSU’s 15-11 game two win. Leading the way was freshman Erin Baker with a career high four with Jen Flynn and Nikki Cisco (a career high) adding three each while Rosie Snow and Dana Stearns had two each.
BAD START, GOOD FINISH
For the third consecutive year, Ohio State has started the Big Ten season with two or more losses. Opening 1996 Big Ten defeats at Wisconsin and Minnesota saw the Buckeyes finish at 15-5 in the conference, finishing third. OSU, in 1997, lost home matches to Penn State and Indiana and a road loss at Minnesota, but finished third in the conference at 13-7. In each year, OSU advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals.
SPIERS INJURY SAGA CONTINUES
Brianne Spiers was to be a force on the court and provide leadership to a young Buckeye squad this season. Her leadership will prove invaluable, now that her playing status is again on hold. Spiers has suffered a stress fracture that could keep her out of action for the next six to eight weeks. She saw action in the first six matches of the season after missing all of last year with a knee injury. Her on-court presence against No. 6 Florida with 15 kills, 16 digs and three blocks helped OSU to a 3-2 win over the Gators.
BOTICA INJURED
Anne Botica suffered a knee injury prior to the team leaving for Minnesota and could miss three to four weeks. The freshman has seen action in 10 games this season recording 19 kills, eight ace serves and 21 digs
OHIO STATE VS. PURDUE
Ohio State has a 26-24 margin in the series with the Boilermakers. The Buckeyes have won the last eight meetings and 15 of 16 in the ’90s. In West Lafayette, OSU has won the last four meetings and seven of the last eight.
OHIO STATE VS. ILLINOIS
Ohio State leads the series with the Illini 23-30. The Buckeyes have won the last four meetings and have won nine of the last 10 matches. In Champaign, OSU has won the last five matches but Illinois has the edge 11 to nine.
OSU VS. RANKED TEAMS
Against nationally ranked teams this season, Ohio State has a 2-4 record. The Buckeyes defeated No. 6 Florida and No. 18 UCLA. OSU has lost to No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 14 Hawaii and No. 24 Minnesota.
HEAD COACH JIM STONE
Jim Stone is in his 17th year at Ohio State. He has a 371-159 (.700) record with the Buckeyes and is 210-78 (.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 coach career record includes three years at Wyoming (1979-1981). His 19-year career record is 421-201 (.677).
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 (Sept. 15, replayed Sept. 16, 7 p.m.), Pittsburgh (Sept. 16, replayed Sept. 17 & 18, 7 p.m.), Iowa (Oct. 10, replayed Oct. 11 & 13, 7 p.m.), Michigan (Oct. 17, replayed Oct. 18 & 20, 7 p.m.), Penn State (Nov. 11, replayed Nov. 12 & 13, 7 p.m.) and Indiana (Nov. 27, replayed Nov. 30 & Dec. 1, 7 p.m.). 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. ESPN2 will carry the Ohio State at Michigan State match, moved to Sunday, Nov. 22, live that afternoon. Broadcast time is scheduled at 1:30 p.m.
BUCKEYES RETURN HOME NEXT WEEK
After four road matches in two weeks, Ohio State returns home for the next two weeks to play four matches. Next week OSU will face No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday and Iowa Saturday. The following week the Buckeyes will host No. 18 Michigan State and Michigan.
