No. 13 Women’s Volleyball Travels To Illinois and Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 24, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – %^$Ohio State (18-2, 8-2 Big Ten) begins the second half of the Big Ten campaign with matches at Illinois (11-10, 2-8), 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 27 and at Purdue (10-12, 2-8), 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28.%^$
%^$Ohio State split a pair of home matches last weekend. The Buckeye fell to No. 13 Penn State in five games (5-15, 15-10, 14-16, 15-7, 9-15) and defeated Indiana 3-0 (15-6, 15-1, 15-8%^$
%^$OSU RANKS 13TH IN BOTH POLLS%^$
%^$Ohio State moved to 13th in the USA TODAY/AVCA Top 25 Poll after holding the 11th spot for three weeks. The Buckeyes dropped to No. 13 in the Volleyball Magazine Poll this week after holding the No. 8 spot last week.%^$
%^$LOOKING AT THE BUCKEYES%^$
%^$Offensively Ohio State is showing great balance in the offense with five players averaging 2.99 or more kills per game. Dana Stearns (Sr., Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) has a team-high 239 kills (3.46 per game) with Anne Botica (Jr., Windsor, Ont./St. Joseph) second with 224 (3.34) and Shelly Draeger (So., Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) third with 232 kills (3.31). Suzie Stiling (So., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) has 232 (3.27) and Sue Calligaris (So., Palermo, Italy/Liceo Linguistico) 212 kills (2.99). Stearns is the squad’s top percentage hitter at .386 with Stearns second at .352. Katie Virtue (So., St. Charles, Ill./St. Francis) quarterbacks the team and is averaging 14.13 assists per game (1,003). Botica is the team leader in ace serves with 29 (.45) with Virtue second with 24 (.34). Defensively Botica leads the team with 200 digs (2.99), one of six players who average 1.96 or more digs per game. Stearns is second with 185 (2.68) and Calligaris third with 180 (2.54). Virtue has 179 digs (2.52), Draeger 154 (2.20) and Nikki Cisco (Jr., Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) 139 (1.96). At the net, Stearns leads the team with 77 (7 solo, 70 assists) blocks (1.12) and Stiling is second with 72 (7-65, 1.01).%^$
%^$As a team, Ohio State is hitting .268 and averages 17.61 kills per game. The Buckeyes are averaging 2.52 blocks, 16.08 digs and 1.75 aces per game. OSU opponents are hitting .154 and average 13.39 kills per game. Opponents average 2.46 blocks, 12.89 digs and 1.14 aces per game.%^$
%^$OSU 3-2 VS. RANKED TEAMS%^$
%^$OSU has won three of five matches against team’s ranked in the USA TODAY/AVCA Top 25 Poll. The Buckeyes have home wins over No. 17 Michigan State, No. 21 Michigan and a road victory at No. 10 Wisconsin. OSU’s losses have come at No. 8 Minnesota and at home to No. 13 Penn State.%^$
%^$A BALANCED ATTACK%^$
%^$Ohio State’s has four starters averaging three-plus kills per game for the season and the fifth at 2.99. These include Dana Stearns (3.46), Anne Botica (3.34), Shelly Draeger (3.31), Suzie Stiling (3.27) and Sue Calligaris (2.99).%^$
%^$DIGS BALANCED TOO%^$
%^$Not to be outdone by the offense, OSU has five players averaging two-plus digs per game. They include Anne Botica (2.99), Dana Stearns (2.68), Sue Calligaris (2.54), Katie Virtue (2.52), Shelly Draeger (2.20). Defensive specialist Nikki Cisco (Jr., Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) is close behind at 1.96.%^$
%^$DRAEGER POWERS OFFENSE%^$
%^$With match-highs of 18 kills against No. 13 Penn State and 14 against Indiana, Shelly Draeger was the main impact of the Buckeye offense. Against the Lions she added 12 digs and four assist blocks while against Indiana Draeger equaled her career-high hitting percentage of .500 (14-2-24). Draeger added three ace serves in each match. For the two matches she averaged 4.00 kills per game, hitting .307 and averaging 2.00 digs per game.%^$
%^$STILING 18TH IN ASSIST BLOCKS%^$
%^$With four assist blocks against Penn State and two against Indiana, Suzie Stiling now has 144 for her career and ranks 18th on the OSU career list. She passed Tricia Stragliotto (1992-95) with 141 and Andrea Pankova (1995-97) with 142 last weekend to move to 18th. Stiling needs five assist blocks to move past No. 17 Brianne Spiers (1995-96, 98-99) with 148.%^$
%^$STILING EQUALS CAREER-HIGH IN KILLS%^$
%^$A 17-kill performance again Penn State for Suzie Stiling equaled her career-high set last week at Iowa. She has a nine-match streak of double-figure kill matches and has had double-figure kills in 16 of the last 18 matches.%^$
%^$STEARNS HITS HIGH PERCENTAGE%^$
%^$Dana Stearns had an excellent weekend producing 15 kills, 17 digs and seven blocks (one solo, six assists) against Penn State. She had seven kills, five digs, three assist blocks and an ace serve in the Indiana match. For the weekend, Stearns hit .528 for the two matches. She was .545 against Penn State and .500 against Indiana. She currently is the OSU team leader in hitting percentage at .386 for all matches and is .343 in the Big Ten.%^$
%^$STEARNS AND CAREER RANKINGS%^$
%^$In several OSU career categories, Dana Stearns is nearing new rankings. With 1,199 kills, she ranks 10th and needs 13 to pass No. 9 Tricia Stragliotto (1993-96) with 1,211. Stearns is 17th in aces with 96. She needs three to pass No. 16 Vicki Wright (1983-86) with 98. In blocking, Stearns ranks third in assists with 344. She needs 17 assists to pass No. 2 Sherri Helman (1993-96) with 360. In total blocks, she has 374 and ranks sixth. Stearns needs 12 total blocks to pass the duo of Leisa Wissler (1988-91) and Sherri Rinker (1984-87) who are tied for fourth with 385.%^$
%^$VIRTUE TOPS 1,000 ASSISTS%^$
%^$With 106 kills (65 Penn State, 41 Indiana), last weekend Katie Virtue topped the 1,000 mark in assists for the season. She currently has 1,003 on the year which ranks 14th in OSU season records. Virtue, who was ranked ninth in the country last week with a 14.25 per game average has 2,373 career assists and ranks sixth all time for Ohio State. Virtue needs 249 assists to move past No. 5 Marlene O’Brien (1983-86) who has 2,621. She set a season-high of 17 digs last weekend against Penn State. Her previous season high was 16 against Michigan.%^$
%^$BOTICA DIGGING IN%^$
%^$Anne Botica turned in an outstanding defensive performance last weekend. She had 17 digs in the Penn State match and added 13 more the next night against Indiana. The 30 digs for the two matches gave her a 3.75 per game average. Botica leads the team with 200 digs on the season for a 2.99 per game average.%^$
%^$OSU HITS SEASON-HIGH .471%^$
%^$In the Indiana match, Ohio State hit a season-high .471 as a team. The Buckeyes had 48 kills and seven errors in 87 swings. OSU’s previous high for the season was .455 (48-8-88) vs. Liberty at Western Michigan. The Indiana mark is OSU’s ninth best hitting percentage in the history of the program.%^$
%^$DIVISION I NATIONAL STATISTICS%^$
%^$In the NCAA national statistics released Oct. 17, Katie Virtue was ranked ninth in assists at 14.25. In team statistics, the Buckeyes are fifth in kills per game at 17.89, eighth in assists at 15.86 and 20th in hitting percentage at .266.%^$
%^$LOOKING AT ILLINOIS%^$
%^$The Fighting Illini are 11-10 overall and 2-8 in the Big Ten. Last week Illinois defeated Northwestern 3-2 (12-15, 15-2, 10-15, 15-6, 15-9) and lost to Wisconsin 0-3 (13-15, 9-15, 4-15) in home matches. Illinois hosts Purdue Wednesday.%^$
%^$Ohio State leads the series 24-22. In Champaign, the Buckeyes have won 10 of 21 matches. OSU has won five of the last six matches in Huff Hall. Ohio State has won the last two meetings including a 3-0 (15-8, 15-5, 15-10) victory in Columbus earlier this season%^$
%^$LAST TIME VS. ILLINOIS%^$
%^$Ohio State’s Anne Botica had a match-high 17 kills as Ohio State defeated Illinois 3-0. Also in double-figure kills were Dana Stearns (13), Shelly Draeger (12) and Suzie Stiling (10) for OSU. Betsy Spicer had a team-high 16 kills for Illinois. Stiling hit a career-high .615 for the match with 10 kills, two errors with 13 attempts. For the match Ohio State hit .439 to .185 for the Illini. OSU had a 60-39 advantage in kills and a 42-27 margin in digs. Illinois outblocked Ohio State seven to six and outserved the Buckeyes six to three.%^$
%^$LOOKING AT PURDUE%^$
%^$The Boilermakers are 10-12 overall and 2-8 in the Big Ten. Purdue lost to Wisconsin 0-3 (5-15, 3-15, 6-15) and defeated Northwestern 3-2 (15-9, 15-10, 5-15, 8-15, 15-13) in home matches last week. The Boilermakers play at Illinois Wednesday.%^$
%^$Ohio State leads the series 30-25. The Buckeyes are 8-13 in West Lafayette. OSU lost 1-3 (8-15, 8-15, 15-9, 10-15) last season in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. The Buckeyes had won the four previous meetings in West Lafayette. OSU has won the last two meetings with Purdue, both in Columbus including a 3-0 (15-13, 15-7, 15-12) victory earlier this season.%^$
%^$LAST TIME VS. PURDUE%^$
%^$Ohio State’s Suzie Stiling scored a match-high 16 kills in a 3-0 win over Purdue. Also in double-figures for Ohio State were Dana Stearns with 15, Sue Calligaris 14 and Shelly Draeger 11. Purdue’s Jonna Lowry scored a team-high 15 kills with Julie Doud and Maegan Petersen adding 14 each. Stiling’s 16 kills equaled her career high and her .577 hitting percentage (one error with 26 attempts) set a career high. She had 10 of her kills (in 14 attempts, .714) in game one where the Buckeyes needed five game points to capture the game. OSU hit .243 for the match to .133 for Purdue. OSU had the advantage in kills (72-49), digs (72-53) and aces (4-3) while the Boilermakers outblocked OSU 13-11.%^$
%^$HEAD COACH JIM STONE%^$
%^$Jim Stone is in his 19th year at Ohio State. He has a 416-183 (.695) record with the Buckeyes and is 236-101 (.701) in Big Ten play. His squads have won Big Ten championships in 1989, 1991 and 1994 and in the last 11 years has only finished below third twice. In the championship years, he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and in 1991 was the Volleyball Monthly Coach of the Year. For the last 11 years, OSU has participated in the NCAA Championships, advancing to the national semifinals in 1991 and 1994. Stone’s coaching career record includes three years at Wyoming (1979-1981). His 22-year career record is 466-225 (.675).%^$
%^$THE DEAN OF THE BIG TEN COACHES%^$
%^$Head coach Jim Stone begins his 19th-year in the Big Ten at Ohio State. Closest to Stone is Mike Hebert of Minnesota who is entering his 18th season. He spent 14 years at Illinois and the last four at Minnesota.%^$
%^$NEXT UP FOR THE BUCKEYES%^$
%^$Ohio State returns home to host Northwestern at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 and Wisconsin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5%^$
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A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
%^$
%^$#10 ANGELEE ABBRING%^$
%^$Saw action against Liberty and Minnesota recording one kill.%^$
%^$#4 ERIN BAKER%^$
%^$Played against Liberty.%^$
%^$#8 ANNE BOTICA%^$
%^$Named to the Ameritech and Buckeye Invitational All-Tournament Teams. Career-highs of 27 kills and 28 digs in upset win at Wisconsin. Double-figure kills in four of last five matches and double-figure digs in last two matches. Career-high seven aces (ties OSU match record) against Illinois State. Season-high .452 (17-3-31) against Illinois.%^$
%^$#12 SUE CALLIGARIS%^$
%^$Named to the All-Tournament Team of the Temple Volleyball Classic. Career-high 21 kills against Michigan State. Had a season-high 15 digs at Iowa. Has six double-doubles (kills-digs) matches this season. Hit a career-high .550 (13-2-20) at Marshall. Equaled her career-high of six assist blocks in the Temple and Toledo matches. Traveled to London and Germany during the summer.%^$
%^$#11 NIKKI CISCO%^$
%^$Back row defensive specialist. Season-high 12 digs at Minnesota. Had 11 digs against Purdue and 10 digs against Liberty, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Her team finished second out of 192 in a mud volleyball tournament for epilepsy during the summer.%^$
%^$#15 SHELLY DRAEGER%^$
%^$Career-high 20 kills against Toledo. Equaled her career high hitting percentage of .500 against Indiana. Career-high 16-digs at Wisconsin. Seven double-double (kills-digs) matches this season. Equaled her career-high of four blocks against Michigan and Penn State. Double-figure kills in five of the last six matches. Double-figure digs in four of last six matches. Has served three aces in three of the last four matches.%^$
%^$#7 DANA STEARNS%^$
%^$Named to the Ameritech Invitational All-Tournament Team. Named the Most Valuable Player of the Buckeye Invitational. Season-high 20 kills against Connecticut. Tied her career-high of 19 digs at Wisconsin. Double-figure kills in 14 matches this season. Has had double-figure digs in nine matches. Equaled her career-high of nine assist blocks against Temple. Tenth in OSU career kills with 1,199. Needs 13 to pass No. 9 Tricia Stragliotto (1993-95) with 1,211. She ranks 17th in aces with 96 and needs three to pass No. 16 Vicki Wright (1983-86) with 98. Third in OSU career assist blocks with 344. Needs 17 to pass No. 2 Sherri Helman (1993-96) with 360. Sixth in OSU career total blocks with 374. Needs 12 to pass No. 4 Leisa Wissler (1988-91) and Sherri Rinker (1984-87) with 385.%^$
%^$#9 SUZIE STILING%^$
%^$Hit a career-high .615 (10-2-13) against Illinois. Career-high three ace serves against Colgate and at Marshall. Season-high seven digs against Seton Hall. Career-high of 17 kills at Iowa and against Penn State. Double-figure kills in the last nine matches and in 16 of the last 18 matches. Season-high seven blocks (1-6) against Michigan and at Northwestern (0-7). Ranks 18th in career block assists with 144. Needs five blocks to pass No. 17 Brianne Spiers (1995-96, 98-99) with 148. Had her first experience with coaching during the summer.%^$
%^$#13 ERIN TREADWAY%^$
%^$Hit a career-high .700 (8-1-10) against Illinois State coming off the bench in the last two games. Did not play against Colgate because of illness. Started against Temple and had a season-high 11 kills in the match. Had six kills off the bench in the win against Wisconsin, keying wins in game four and five. Was an assistant coach for the Fair Valley Country Club’s swim team during the summer. The team placed second overall in the Greater Dayton Swimming Association Championships. Her aunt Janis Browning (Janis Reichert) played volleyball for Ohio State, lettering in 1975-76.%^$
%^$#3 KATIE VIRTUE%^$
%^$Most Valuable Player of the Temple Volleyball Classic and the Ameritech Invitational. Named to the Buckeye Invitational All-Tournament Team. Career-high 83 assists in win at Wisconsin. Equaled her career-high of six kills against Toledo as she hit a season-high .857 (6-0-7). Season-high 17 digs against Penn State. Cut her right knee (four stitches) hitting scoring table at Marshall. Preseason All-Big Ten selection. Had a season-high four assist blocks three times this year. Career-high two solo blocks against Michigan. Double-figure digs in seven of the last 10 matches. Ranks sixth in career assists with 2,373. Needs 249 to pass No. 5 Marlene O’Brien (1983-86) with 2,621. Played during the summer for the USA under-20 team in an international tournament in Italy where they beat Yugoslavia for the gold.%^$
%^$#6 HEATHER WHALEN%^$
%^$Saw her first action as backrow specialist at Marshall. Came in at setter for the injured Katie Virtue in the third game collecting 17 assists. Went white-water rafting in California during the summer.%^$
%^$TEAM NOTES%^$
%^$Ohio State’s season-high .471 (48-7-87) hitting percentage against Indiana ranks as the ninth best mark in the history of OSU volleyball. The Buckeyes have reached double-figure aces in three matches this season (Colgate 11, Illinois State 12, at Minnesota 10). Double-figure blocks have been reached in nine matches (Temple 15, Toledo 14.5, Michigan 14, Western Michigan 11, Michigan State 10, Northwestern 12, Purdue 11, at Minnesota 11, Penn State 12). OSU had a season-high 108 digs against Wisconsin. Defensively, Ohio State has had five opponents hit under .100 (Colgate .038, Seton Hall .080, Liberty .025, Western Michigan .032, Northwestern -.021). Marshall holds the best opponent hitting percentage at .273.%^$
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%^$BIG TEN STANDINGS%^$
%^$(as of Oct. 23) Conf. Pct. All Pct.%^$ 1 Minnesota 9-1 .900 20- 1 .952%^$ Wisconsin 9-1 .900 19- 2 .905%^$ 3 Ohio State 8-2 .800 18- 2 .900%^$ 4 Penn State 7-3 .700 18- 4 .818%^$ 5 Iowa 6-4 .600 10- 8 .556%^$ 6 Michigan State 5-5 .500 12- 7 .632%^$ 7 Michigan 3-7 .300 13- 8 .619%^$ Indiana 3-7 .300 12- 8 .600%^$ 9 Illinois 2-8 .200 11-10 .524%^$ Purdue 2-8 .200 10-12 .455%^$11 Northwestern 1-9 .100 4-16 .250%^$
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%^$UPCOMING SCHEDULE%^$
%^$October%^$25 Purdue at Illinois%^$27 Ohio State at Illinois%^$ Michigan State at Indiana%^$ Iowa at Wisconsin%^$ Michigan at Penn State%^$ Minnesota at Northwestern%^$28 Michigan at Indiana%^$ Iowa at Northwestern%^$ Michigan State at Penn State%^$ Minnesota at Wisconsin%^$ Ohio State at Purdue%^$
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%^$BIG TEN STATISTICS%^$
%^$Team (Conference matches)%^$
%^$Hitting Pct. %^$ 1 WIS .277%^$ 3 OSU .250%^$ 6 ILL .216%^$10 PUR .160%^$
%^$Kills%^$ 1 WIS 18.73%^$ 3 OSU 17.45%^$ 9 ILL 14.63%^$10 PUR 14.37%^$
%^$Assists%^$ 1 WIS 16.67%^$ 3 OSU 15.53%^$ 9 PUR 12.83%^$10 ILL 12.76%^$
%^$Service Aces%^$ 1 WIS 1.67%^$ 2 ILL 1.66%^$ 5 OSU 1.42%^$11 PUR 0.83%^$
%^$Digs%^$ 1 WIS 18.21%^$ 2 OSU 17.58%^$ 9 PUR 13.91%^$10 ILL 13.29%^$
%^$Blocks%^$ 1 MINN 3.66%^$ 7 OSU 2.55%^$ 8 ILL 2.42%^$10 PUR 1.09%^$
%^$Individual (Conference matches)%^$
%^$Hitting Percentage%^$ 1 Stephanie Hagen, MINN .435%^$ 3 Betsy Spicer, ILL .357%^$ 4 Dana Stearns, OSU .346%^$ 7 Suzie Stiling, OSU .340%^$
%^$Kills%^$ 1 Sherisa Livingston, WIS 5.79%^$ 8 Joanna Lowry, PUR 3.97%^$ 9 Anne Botica, OSU 3.76%^$
%^$Assists%^$ 1 Lizzy Fitzgerald, WIS 14.52%^$ 2 Katie Virtue, OSU 14.47%^$ 8 Melissa Fisher, PUR 11.53%^$ 9 Betsy Eiserman, ILL 11.03%^$
%^$Service Aces%^$ 1 Lindsey Berg, MINN .53%^$ 3 Amber Lindner, ILL .48%^$ 4 Shelly Draeger, OSU .39%^$ 8 Melissa Vandrey, ILL .35%^$ 9 Maegan Petersen, PUR .34%^$10 Sarah Pomeroy, ILL .34%^$
%^$Digs%^$ 1 Nicole Branagh, MINN 3.74%^$ 3 Anne Botica, OSU 3.39%^$ 8 Julie Doud, PUR 3.15%^$10 Katie Virtue, OSU 3.00%^$
%^$Blocks%^$ 1 Robyn Guokas, PSU 1.77%^$ 7 Suzie Stiling, OSU 1.29%^$
%^$
%^$USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll%^$
%^$Oct. 23, 2000 – Poll #8%^$Rk School Total 2000 Last%^$(First-Place Votes) Points Record Week%^$ 1 Nebraska (50) 1,490 19-0 1%^$ 2 Hawai’i (110) 1,449 18-0 2%^$ 3 Colorado State 1,375 22-1 3%^$ 4 Southern California 1,294 16-1 4%^$ 5 Arizona 1,248 17-2 5%^$ 6 Wisconsin 1,175 19-2 6%^$ 7 Minnesota 1,156 20-1 7%^$ 8 UCLA 1,066 14-5 8%^$ 9 Pepperdine 1,036 18-3 9%^$10 Florida 941 17-3 10%^$11 Penn State 876 18-4 13%^$12 Pacific 837 16-3 14%^$13 Ohio State 814 18-2 11%^$14 UC Santa Barbara 751 15-5 12%^$15 Santa Clara 660 18-2 15%^$16 Brigham Young 576 15-6 16%^$17 Stanford 497 11-8 17%^$18 Long Beach State 450 14-6 19%^$19 Utah State 392 17-5 22%^$20 Utah 344 16-4 18%^$21 Texas A&M 255 13-5 25%^$22 Loyola Marymount 215 15-5 23%^$23 Michigan State 188 12-7 20%^$24 Notre Dame 152 16-5 21%^$25 Missouri 99 17-3 24%^$Others receiving 30 or more points: Kansas State%^$
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%^$Volleyball Magazine Top 20 Poll%^$
%^$Oct. 23, 2000/Poll #9%^$ 2000 Last%^$Rk School Record Week%^$ 1 Hawai’i 18-0 1%^$ 2 Nebraska 19-0 2%^$ 3 Colorado State 22-1 3%^$ 4 Arizona 17-2 4%^$ 5 Southern California 16-1 5%^$ 6 Wisconsin 19-2 6%^$ 7 Minnesota 20-1 7%^$ 8 Penn State 18-4 9%^$ 9 Pacific 16-3 10%^$10 Florida 17-3 11%^$11 UCLA 14-5 12%^$12 Pepperdine 18-3 14%^$13 Ohio State 18-2 8%^$14 UC Santa Barbara 15-5 13%^$15 Stanford 11-8 15%^$16 Long Beach State 14-6 16%^$17 Santa Clara 18-2 17%^$18 Brigham Young 15-6 18%^$19 Utah 16-4 16%^$20 Kansas State 14-5 20%^$Others: Utah State, Notre Dame, Michigan State,%^$Texas Tech, Loyola Marymount, North Carolina,%^$Baylor, Michigan, Arizona State, Missouri.
