No. 13 Women’s Volleyball Travels To Michigan And Michigan State This Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 9, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State (21-3, 11-3 Big Ten) has a pair of road matches this week traveling to Michigan (15-10, 5-9) and Michigan State (14-9, 7-7). The Buckeyes face Michigan Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. and play at Michigan State Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. OSU will continue on the road the following week facing Indiana Friday, Nov. 17 and Penn State Saturday, Nov. 18.
Last week in home matches Ohio State defeated Northwestern 3-0 (15-1, 15-9, 15-13 and lost to Wisconsin 3-1 (7-15, 15-13, 16-14, 15-11).
OSU RANKS 13TH IN POLLS
Ohio State remained 13th in the USA TODAY/AVCA Top 25 Poll for the third consecutive week. The Buckeyes were also No. 13 in the Volleyball Magazine Poll for the third week.
LOOKING AT THE BUCKEYES
Offensively Ohio State is showing great balance with five players averaging 3.04 or more kills per game. Suzie Stiling (So., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) averages 3.46 (291) with Dana Stearns (Sr., Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) second at 3.38 (277) and Anne Botica (Jr., Windsor, Ont./St. Joseph) third with 3.31 (265). Shelly Draeger (So., Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) averages 3.23 (268) and Sue Calligaris (So., Palermo, Italy/Liceo Linguistico) 3.04 (255). Stearns is the squad’s top percentage hitter at .385 with Calligaris second at .369. Katie Virtue (So., St. Charles, Ill./St. Francis) quarterbacks the team and is averaging 14.04 assists per game (1,179). Botica is the team leader in ace serves with 36 (.45) with Draeger second with 31 (.37). Defensively Botica leads the team in digs with a 3.00 average (217 digs), one of six players whom average 1.90 or more digs per game. Stearns is second at 2.63 (216) and Virtue third with 2.55 (214). Calligaris averages 2.39 digs per game (201) with Draeger 2.14 (178) and Nikki Cisco (Jr., Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) 1.90 (160). At the net, Stiling leads the team in blocking with a 1.12 per game average on 94 blocks (11 solo, 83 assists) and Stearns is second at 1.06 (87 blocks, 7-80). As a team, Ohio State is hitting .276 and averages 17.62 kills per game. The Buckeyes are averaging 2.53 blocks, 15.74 digs and 1.85 aces per game. OSU opponents are hitting .158 and average 13.45 kills per game. Opponents average 2.42 blocks, 12.67 digs and 1.17 aces per game.
OSU 3-3 VS. RANKED TEAMS
OSU has won three of six matches against teams 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, at home to No. 13 Penn State and No. 5 Wisconsin.
A BALANCED ATTACK
Ohio State has five starters averaging three-plus kills per game for the season. These include Suzie Stiling (3.46), Dana Stearns (3.39), Anne Botica (3.31), Shelly Draeger (3.23) and Sue Calligaris (3.04).
DIGS BALANCED TOO
Not to be outdone by the offense, OSU has five players averaging two-plus digs per game. They include Anne Botica (3.00), Dana Stearns (2.63), Katie Virtue (2.55), Sue Calligaris (2.39) and Shelly Draeger (2.14). Defensive specialist Nikki Cisco is close behind at 1.90.
DRAEGER HITS AND SERVES
A career-high .556 (11 kills, 1 error, 18 attempts) hitting percentage by Shelly Draeger against Northwestern improved on her previous high of .500 (14-2-24) against Indiana set earlier this season. Draeger also set a career-high of six ace serves against Wisconsin. Her previous high was four against Notre Dame in 1999.
STILING SETS HIGH for KILLS
A 26-kill performance by Suzie Stiling against Wisconsin was a career-high improving on her previous high of 17, set twice, the last against Penn State. Stiling hit .523 (26-3-44) against the Badgers and had a match-high six blocks (two solo, four assists).
VIRTUE DIGS FOR SEASON HIGH
Against Wisconsin, Katie Virtue had a season-high 18 digs against the Badgers. Her previous season-high was 17 against Penn State and her career-high is 19 against Wisconsin in 1999. Virtue added four assist blocks, two kills and an ace serve against the Badgers.
CALLIGARIS HITS CAREER PERCENTAGE
Against Wisconsin, Sue Calligaris hit a career-high .567 (18-1-30). Her previous top hitting mark was .550 (13-2-20) at Marshall. It was the eighth time this season she has hit .500 or better.
BUCKEYES ACED WISCONSIN
Ohio State recorded 13 ace serves against Wisconsin to set a season high, one better than the 12 against Illinois State. Shelly Draeger had a match-high six scoring swings while Anne Botica, Sue Calligaris and Nikki Cisco each contributed two and Katie Virtue one.
STEARNS NOW 8TH IN CAREER KILLS
With her 11 kills against Wisconsin, Dana Stearns raised her career-kill total to 1,237 moving to No. 8 on the OSU career list. She passed Rosie Snow (1996-99) with 1,227. Stearns needs six kills to pass No. 7 Kristi Neuman (1983-86) who has 1,242.
STEARNS NOW 16TH IN CAREER ACES
With an ace serve against Northwestern, Dana Stearns now has 99 career aces and moved to No. 16 on the OSU career list. She moved past Vicki Wright (1983-86) who has 98. Stearns needs three aces to pass No. 15 Margie Meyers (1984-87) who has 101. Three aces would tie Stearns with No. 14 Jen Flynn (1996-99) who has 102.
STEARNS CAREER BLOCKS STATUS
Dana Stearns ranks No. 3 in OSU career assist blocks with 354 and No. 6 in total blocks with 384. Stearns needs seven assist blocks to pass No. 2 Sherri Helman (1993-96) who has 360. With two total blocks, Stearns will move to No. 4 in career blocks passing Leisa Wissler (1988-91) and Sherri Rinker (1984-87) who are tied for fourth with 385. With six total blocks, Stearns will pass No. 3 Jenny Jackson (1992-95) who has 389.
VIRTUE CLOSES ON 5TH IN ASSISTS
With 104 assists (30 Northwestern, 74 Wisconsin) on the weekend, Katie Virtue now has 2,549 career assists and ranks No. 6 for OSU. She needs 73 assists to pass No. 5 Marlene O’Brien (1983-86) who has 2,621.
STILING CAREER BLOCK NUMBERS
With 10 blocks (three solo, seven assists) on the weekend Suzie Stiling continues to edge up the OSU career leaders list. She currently has 188 (26-162) total blocks to rank 17th and her 162 assist blocks also ranks 17th. In total blocks, Stiling moved to No. 17 passing Shellye Sills (1995-97) who has 181 (13-168). Stiling needs 19 total blocks to pass Lisa Vitali (1986-89) and Laura Davis (1991-94) who are tied for 15th with 206. She needs seven assist blocks to pass No. 16 Sills (1997-99) with 168.
DIVISION I NATIONAL STATISTICS
In the NCAA national statistics released Nov. 5, Katie Virtue was ranked ninth in assists at 14.05. In team statistics, the Buckeyes are 11th in kills per game at 17.62, 14th in assists at 15.67 and 10th in hitting percentage at .276.
BUCKEYES 9-2 IN TELEVISED MATCHES
Ohio State has had 11 matches televised on a state, regional or national level this season and has won nine of those. The Buckeyes are 6-1 on the Ohio News Network (ONN) which covers the state of Ohio. OSU split road matches on Midwest Sports Channel (MSC), a regional cable network, defeated Iowa in a match carried by Fox Sports and won its national cable appearance on ESPN2. Ohio State has two more televised matches. They play at Michigan State Saturday, Oct. 11, in a match carried live by AT&T Cable. The following week OSU plays at Penn State Saturday, Nov. 18 in a match televised by Fox Sports Sunday, Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. eastern.
OHIO STATE TELEVISED MATCHES
Date Opponent Score TV 9- 5 at Marshall W, 3-0 ONN 9- 9 Toledo W, 3-1 ONN 9-10 Illinois State W, 3-1 ONN 9-12 Cincinnati W, 3-0 ONN 9-24 Michigan W, 3-1 ONN 9-29 at Wisconsin W, 3-2 MSC 10- 7 Illinois W, 3-0 ONN 10-13 at Minnesota L, 2-3 MSC 10-14 at Iowa W, 3-0 FOX 10-21 Indiana W, 3-0 ESPN2 11- 5 Wisconsin L, 1-3 ONN 11-11 at Michigan State 8 p.m. ATT 11-18 at Penn State 8 p.m. FOX LOOKING AT MICHIGAN
The Wolverines have a two-match winning streak with home wins over Purdue 3-0 (15-5, 15-5, 15-9) and Illinois 3-0 (15-10, 16-14, 15-6). The wins stopped a four-match losing streak. Overall Michigan is 15-10 and 5-9 in the Big Ten.
Ohio State leads the series with Michigan 38-6. The Buckeyes have won the last two meetings, including a 3-1 win earlier this season. OSU has lost two (1997 and 1999) of the last three matches played in Ann Arbor but have a 15-3 record at Michigan.
LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN
The 25th-ranked Ohio State women’s volleyball team, with four players in double-figure kills, defeated No. 21 Michigan 3-1 (15-11, 15-9, 11-15, 15-7) Sunday afternoon in St. John Arena. Buckeye Sue Calligaris topped the OSU attack with a match-high 16 kills while Anne Botica added 14, Dana Stearns 13 and Suzie Stiling 12. For Michigan, Katrina Lehman had a team-high 12 kills with Alija Pittenger adding 11 and Nicole Kacor 10. OSU’s Botica set a career-high for digs with 17 while Katie Virtue and Stearns had 16 each with Nikki Cisco adding 10. The Buckeyes are 12-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. The 12-0 start is the best start in the history of the program. OSU was 11-0 in 1996 to start the season. For the match Ohio State hit .190 to .124 for Michigan. The Buckeyes had a 66-52 advantage in kills, a 72-56 margin in digs a 14 to 12 edge in blocks and outserved the Wolverines four to one.
LOOKING AT MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans are 14-9 overall and 7-7 in the Big Ten. MSU split home matches last week losing to Illinois 3-2 (15-6, 4-15, 15-12, 1-15, 15-12) and defeating Purdue 3-1 (15-6, 10-15, 15-5, 15-6).
Ohio State leads the series with the Spartans 31-17. The Buckeyes have won the last two meetings including a 3-1 win earlier this season in Columbus. Michigan State has won the last two meetings in East Lansing but the Buckeyes have a 12-9 record at Michigan State.
LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN STATE
The 25th-ranked Ohio State women’s volleyball team opened its Big Ten season with a 3-1 victory over 17th-ranked Michigan State. The 11-15, 15-5, 15-7, 15-11 win keeps OSU’s overall record perfect at 11-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan State stands at 8-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Buckeye Sue Calligaris played a big part in the OSU win with a career-high 21 kills while three other players reached double-figure kills. Anne Botica had 14 kills in the match with Dana Stearns and Shelly Draeger adding 13 each. Spartans Erin Hartley and Sarah Gustin each had a team-high 13 kills for Michigan State. For the match, Ohio State hit .282 to Michigan State’s .130. The Buckeyes had a 71 to 54 advantage in kills, a 66-54 margin in digs a 10-9 edge in blocks and outserved the Spartans 6-4. OSU had four players with double-figure digs with Calligaris getting a match-high 14 with 12 by Botica and 11 each from Virtue and Stearns. Suzie Stiling had a match-high six blocks for Ohio State with Botica adding five (1-4). OSU’s Katie Virtue had a match-high 61 assists and a team-high two ace serves.
HEAD COACH JIM STONE
Jim Stone is in his 19th year at Ohio State. He has a 419-184 (.695) record with the Buckeyes and is 239-102 (.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 469-226 (.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 continues on the road for the second week with matches at Indiana and Penn State. OSU plays at Indiana Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. and at Penn State Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES
#10 ANGELEE ABBRING
Has played in five matches. Recorded a kill against Liberty and Minnesota.
#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 seven of last nine 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 .567 (18-1-30) against Wisconsin. Equaled her career-high of six assist blocks in the Temple and Toledo matches. Career-high four aces at Purdue. 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, at Wisconsin, Illinois and Wisconsin. 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. Career high hitting percentage of .556 against Northwestern. Career-high 16-digs at Wisconsin. Eight 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 seven matches. Career-high six ace serves against Wisconsin.
#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 17 matches this season. Has had double-figure digs in 10 matches. Equaled her career-high of nine assist blocks against Temple. Eighth in OSU career kills with 1,237. Needs six kills to move to No. 7 passing Kristi Neuman (1983-86) with 1,242. She is 16th in career aces with 99. She needs three aces to pass No. 15 Margie Meyers (1984-87) with 101. Three aces would tie Stearns with No. 14 Jen Flynn (1996-99) with 102. Ranks third in career assist blocks with 354 and is sixth in total blocks with 384 (30-354). Stearns needs seven assists to pass No. 2 Sherri Helman (1993-96) with 360. Two total blocks would move Stearns to No. 2 passing Leisa Wissler (1988-91) and Sherri Rinker (1984-87), currently tied for No. 4 with 385. Six total blocks would move her past No. 3 Jenny Jackson (1992-95) with 389.
#9 SUZIE STILING
Hit a career-high .615 (10-2-13) against Illinois. Had a career-high 26 kills against Wisconsin. Career-high three ace serves against Colgate and at Marshall. Season-high seven digs against Seton Hall. Double-figure kills in the last 12 of 13 matches. Season-high seven blocks (1-6) against Michigan, at Northwestern (0-7) and at Illinois (1-6). Ranks 17th in career assist block with 162. Stiling needs seven to pass No. 16 Shellye Sills (1997-99) with 168. She is 17th in career total blocks with 188 (26-162). With 17 total blocks she would pass Lisa Vitali (1986-89) and Laura Davis (1991-94), each with 206, and move to No. 15. 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 18 digs against Wisconsin. 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. Ranks sixth in career assists with 2,549. Needs 73 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. Had 11 assists in home match against Northwestern. 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 four matches this season (Colgate 11, Illinois State 12, at Minnesota 10, Wisconsin 13). Double-figure blocks have been reached in 11 matches (Temple 15, Toledo 14.5, Michigan 14, Western Michigan 11, Michigan State 10, Northwestern 12, Purdue 11, at Minnesota 11, Penn State 12, at Illinois 11.5, Wisconsin 10). OSU had a season-high 108 digs at Wisconsin. Defensively, Ohio State has had seven opponents hit .100 or less (Colgate .038, Seton Hall .080, Liberty .025, Western Michigan .032, at Northwestern -.021, at Illinois .086, Northwestern .100). Wisconsin (in Columbus) holds the best opponent hitting percentage at .277.
BIG TEN STANDINGS
(as of Nov. 6) Conf. Pct. All Pct. 1 Wisconsin 13-1 .929 24-2 .923 2 Minnesota 12-2 .857 23-2 .920 3 Ohio State 11-3 .786 21-3 .875 4 Penn State 10-4 .714 21-5 .808 5 Michigan State 7-7 .500 14-9 .609 Iowa 7-7 .500 11-11 .500 7 Michigan 5-9 .357 15-10 .600 Indiana 5-9 .357 14-10 .583 9 Illinois 3-11 .214 12-13 .480 Purdue 3-11 .214 11-15 .423 11 Northwestern 1-13 .071 4-20 .167
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
November 8 Michigan State at Michigan 10 Minnesota at Illinois Wisconsin at Indiana Iowa at Purdue Ohio State at Michigan Northwestern at Penn State 11 Iowa at Illinois Northwestern at Indiana Ohio State at Michigan State Minnesota at Purdue Wisconsin at Penn State
BIG TEN STATISTICS
Team (Conference matches) Hitting Pct. 1 WIS .280 2 OSU .266 3 MSU .249 8 MICH .198
Kills 1 WIS 19.02 3 OSU 17.51 4 MICH 16.95 7 MSU 15.70
Assists 1 WIS 16.98 3 OSU 15.53 4 MICH 15.44 8 MSU 14.16
Service Aces 1 OSU 1.67 6 MSU 1.38 9 MICH 1.22
Digs 1 WIS 18.55 4 OSU 16.63 6 MICH 15.71 8 MSU 14.62
Blocks 1 MINN 3.74 3 MSU 3.16 7 OSU 2.56 11 MICH 1.97
Individual (Conference matches) Hitting Percentage 1 Stephanie Hagen, MINN .371 2 Maren Witzel, MSU .364 5 Suzie Stiling, OSU .356 6 Dana Stearns, OSU .353 7 Sue Calligaris, OSU .351
Kills 1 Nicole Branagh, MINN 5.76 6 Sarah Gustin, MSU 4.32 9 Suzie Stiling, OSU 3.73
Assists 1 Lizzy Fitzgerald, WIS 15.05 3 Katie Virtue, OSU 14.24 4 Shannon Melka, MICH 13.09 6 Christie Landry, MSU 12.49
Service Aces 1 Lindsey Berg, MINN .56 3 Shelly Draeger, OSU .45 6 Angela Morley, MSU .35 8 Katrina Lehman, MICH .33 10 Shannon Melka, MICH .31
Digs 1 Nicole Branagh, MINN 3.96 2 Alija Pittenger, MICH 3.71 5 Anne Botica, OSU 3.31 6 Nicole Kacor, MICH 3.31
Blocks 1 Robyn Guokas, PSU 1.78 6 Suzie Stiling, OSU 1.39 9 Angela Morley, MSU 1.20
USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll
Nov. 6, 2000 – Poll #10 Rk School Total 2000 Last (First-Place Votes) Points Record Week 1 Nebraska (50) 1,490 23-0 1 2 Hawai’i (10) 1,450 22-0 2 3 Arizona 1,366 21-2 4 4 Wisconsin 1,304 23-2 5 5 Colorado State 1,219 25-2 6 6 Southern California 1,170 19-2 3 7 UCLA 1,157 17-5 8 8 Minnesota 1,135 23-2 7 9 Florida 994 21-3 10 10 Pacific 917 20-3 12 11 Penn State 886 21-5 11 12 Pepperdine 837 20-4 9 13 Ohio State 794 21-3 13 14 Brigham Young 744 18-6 14 15 UC Santa Barbara 703 19-6 15 16 Santa Clara 604 21-3 16 17 Long Beach State 534 17-7 18 18 Utah State 371 19-8 19 19 Utah 328 17-6 20 20 Stanford 321 14-10 17 21 Notre Dame 277 21-5 23 22 Loyola Marymount 266 17-7 25 23 Missouri 245 20-4 24 24 Texas A&M 126 15-6 21 25 Michigan State 60 14-9 22 Others receiving 30 or more points: Arizona State (38), Northern Iowa (35), South Carolina (31).
Volleyball Magazine Top 20 Poll
Nov. 6, 2000/Poll #11 2000 Last Rk School Record Week 1 Hawai’i 22-0 1 2 Nebraska 23-0 2 3 Arizona 21-2 3 4 Wisconsin 23-2 5 5 Colorado State 25-2 6 6 Pacific 20-3 7 7 Minnesota 23-2 8 8 Florida 21-3 10 9 UCLA 17-5 11 10 Southern California 19-2 4 11 Penn State 21-5 9 12 Pepperdine 20-4 12 13 Ohio State 21-3 13 14 UC Santa Barbara 19-6 14 15 Brigham Young 18-6 15 16 Santa Clara 21-3 16 17 Long Beach State 17-7 18 18 Stanford 14-10 17 19 Notre Dame 21-5 NR 20 Missouri 20-4 NR Others: Utah, Utah State, Kansas State, Michigan State, Texas Tech, Loyola Marymount, North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, Arizona State, Washington State.
