Women’s Volleyball Opens Camp on Wednesday – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
August 9, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball squad reports to campus today to begin preparing for the 1999 season. The 15 student-athletes will begin preparation for practice on Tuesday and start drills on Wednesday.
The Buckeyes return 10 of 11 letterwinners from last season, including all six starters. In addition, five incoming freshmen will join the veterans for the 29th season of Ohio State volleyball. The Buckeyes were 17-14 overall last season and finished the season ranked 24th nationally in the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll. The team participated in its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament last season reaching the second round.
The squad features a five-player senior class led by fifth-year senior Brianne Spiers (MB, Boulder, Colo.). Other seniors include Jen Flynn (S/OH, Pittsburgh, Pa.), Rosie Snow (OH, Colorado Springs, Colo.), Laura Stalling (MB, Watson, Ill.) and Shellye Sills (MB, Canton, Mich.). Spiers returns for the fifth season after enduring two knee surgeries and a back injury. Flynn, a member of the 1999 USA World University Games team, is a pre-season all-Big Ten pick. Snow, ranked 13th nationally in kills per game (5.09) last season, was a 1998 all-Big Ten selection. Stalling, an academic All-Big Ten honoree, is a strong support player off the bench while Sills, in her third year at OSU, is the school’s career leader in blocks per game with a 1.26 average.
The junior class includes Angelee Abbring (OH, Wheatfield, Ill.) and Dana Stearns (Bexley, Ohio). Abbring, an academic all-Big Ten selection, was second on the squad in kills (349) last season. Stearns, selected to the pre-season all-Big Ten team, ranks in six career categories for the Buckeyes.
Erin Baker (MB, Elmhurst, Ill.), Anne Botica (OH, Windsor, Ont.) and Nikki Cisco (DS, Dublin, Ohio) comprise the sophomore class. Baker played in 13 matches last season and should be able to contribute more this season. Botica finished strong last season and should be able to build on that for this year. Cisco, a third-generation OSU student-athlete, has developed into a consistent back row sub.
Newcomers to the program include Sue Calligaris (OH, Palermo, Italy), Shelly Draeger (OH, Milwaukee, Wisc.), Sabrina Meyers (S/DS, Adrian, Mich.), Suzie Stiling (MB, Glenview, Ill.) and Katie Virtue (S, St. Charles, Ill.). Calligaris comes to Ohio State from Italy with extensive club experience. Draeger was the Player of the Year in Wisconsin while Meyers, a walk-on, helped her high school to three district and a regional championship. Stiling and Virtue played for the Sports Performance club in Chicago. Stiling is capable of playing across the front row, while Virtue, a member of the 1998 USA Junior National Team, directed her senior squad to the state championship.
“I think we are going to have a very competitive team this season,” head coach Jim Stone noted. “Ten of 11 players are back from last year and we have added some freshmen that will contribute immediately. For the first time in several years, we are going to have some intense competition for court time, so the August practices are going to be critical for all the players. The Big Ten is, without question, the toughest volleyball conference in the nation, so there are definitely challenges ahead.”
Stone, who begins his 18th year with the Buckeyes, spent a large part of the summer as the head coach of the USA women’s team at the World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Ohio State opens the 1999 season at Dayton on Sept. 1. OSU will open the home season with an exhibition match against the United State Volleyball League traveling squad on Sept. 5. The Buckeyes will open Big Ten play on Sept 24 at Michigan. The conference schedule now includes Sunday matches at home against Illinois on Oct. 3 and Michigan on Nov. 14.
1999 Ohio State Women’s Volleyball Roster
No. Name Pos. Hgt. Cl. Hometown High School 1 ** Shellye Sills MB 6-0 Sr. Canton, Mich. Plymouth Salem 2 *** Rosie Snow OH 5-11 Sr. Colo. Springs, Colo. Thomas B. Doherty 3 Katie Virtue S 5-9 Fr. St. Charles, Ill. St. Francis (Wheaton) 4 * Erin Baker MB 6-1 So. Elmhurst, Ill. York 5 *** Brianne Spiers MB 5-9 Sr.+ Boulder, Colo. Boulder 6 Sabrina Meyers S/DS 5-9 Fr. Adrian, Mich. Lenawee Christian 7 ** Dana Stearns MB 6-1 Jr. Bexley, Ohio Bexley 8 * Anne Botica OH 6-1 So. Windsor, Ont. St. Josephs 9 Suzie Stilling MB 6-1 Fr. Glenview, Ill. Glenbrook South 10 ** Angelee Abbring OH 6-0 Jr. Wheatfield, Ill. Kankakee Valley 11 *** Jen Flynn OH/S 5-9 Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. Baldwin 12 Sue Calligaris MB 6-1 Fr. Palermo, Italy Liceo Linguistico 13 * Nikki Cisco DS 5-4 So. Dublin, Ohio Dublin Coffman 14 *** Laura Stalling MB 5-11 Sr. Watson, Ill. Effingham 15 Shelly Draeger OH 5-11 Fr. Milwaukee, Wisc. Wisconsin Luthern
* indicates letters won Sr.+ indicates fifth-year senior Head Coach: Jim Stone Assistant Coaches: Gweyn Leabo, Greg Smith
1999 Ohio State Women’s Volleyball Schedule
September 1 at Dayton 7:00 p.m. 5 USVL EXHIBITION 2:00 p.m. 7 at Akron 7:30 p.m. 10 at Loyola Marymount 7:00 p.m. 11 vs. Houston 10:00 a.m. 15 at Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m. 17 BOISE STATE 7:00 p.m. 19 TEMPLE 3:00 p.m. 24 at Michigan 7:00 p.m. 25 at Michigan State 7:00 p.m.
October 1 INDIANA 7:00 p.m. 3 ILLINOIS 2:00 p.m. 6 at Penn State 7:30 p.m. 9 at Northwestern 7:00 p.m. 15 at Wisconsin 7:00 p.m. 16 at Purdue 7:00 p.m. 22 MINNESOTA 7:00 p.m. 23 IOWA 7:00 p.m. 27 PENN STATE 7:00 p.m. 29 NORTHWESTERN 7:00 p.m.
November 5 at Illinois (1) 7:00 p.m. 6 at Indiana 7:00 p.m. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 7:00 p.m. 14 MICHIGAN (2) 2:00 p.m. 19 at Iowa 7:00 p.m. 20 at Minnesota 7:00 p.m. 26 PURDUE 7:00 p.m. 27 WISCONSIN 7:00 p.m.
December 2-5 at NCAA First and Second Rounds 9-11 at NCAA Regional 16 at NCAA Championship Semifinal, Honolulu, Hawaii 18 at NCAA Championship, Honolulu, Hawaii
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-GO BUCKS!-
