Women’s Volleyball Captures Ameritech Invitational With 3-0 Win Over Western Michigan – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 16, 2000
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With match-highs of 14 kills and 13 digs from Dana Stearns (Sr., Bexley, Ohio/Bexley), the Ohio State women’s volleyball team defeated Western Michigan 3-0 (15-11, 15-9, 15-9) to win the Ameritech Invitational. Stearns, who hit a season high .700 (14-0-20) along with Anne Botica (Jr., Windsor, Ont./St. Joseph) were named to the All-Tournament Team. OSU (10-0) setter Katie Virtue (So., St. Charles, Ill./St. Francis) with 34 assists, six digs, four kills and two assist blocks was named the Most Valuable Player of the Invitational. Suzie Stiling (So., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) with 11 kills was the only other player in the match to collect double-figure kills. Bronco (5-4) Zakiya Pope had a team-high nine kills with Monyka Paul adding eight.
In game one, Western Michigan broke a five-all tie with a kill by Pope and three OSU errors to take a 9-5 lead. At 10-6, two WMU errors cut their lead to 10-8 but an OSU error made the Bronco lead three at 11-8. OSU tied the game (11-11) with an ace serve by Erin Treadway (Fr., Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne), a Bronco error and a kill by Virtue. Three consecutive points off kills by Botica and Stiling and a WMU error put OSU ahead 14-11. An ace serve by Virtue closed the game at 15-11. OSU hit .088 for the game to .000 for Western Michigan.
OSU trailed 5-1 in game two before three WMU errors and a kill by Stiling tied the game at five. After a six-all tie an ace by Shelly Draeger (So., Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran), a kill by Stiling and two Bronco errors put OSU up 10-6. Western Michigan closed the margin to three at 12-9 but two errors and a Stearns kill ended the game at 15-9. The Buckeyes hit .342 for the game to .109 for the Broncos. After Ohio State opened a 3-0 lead, Western tied the game at three and went ahead 5-3. A Botica ace, a Stearns kill and four WMU errors put the Buckeyes ahead 9-5. Two OSU errors closed the lead to 9-7 but three Bronco errors gave Ohio State a 12-7 lead. A WMU error put the OSU lead at 13-7 before an ace serve by Heather Murphy and a block by Angie Sillmon and Ashley Ritter cut the OSU lead to four at 13-9. A block by Stiling and Draeger set match point for OSU at 14-9 and a kill by Virtue ended the game at 15-9. OSU hit .136 for the game to -.022 for Western Michigan.
For the match Ohio State hit .190 to .032 for Western Michigan. OSU had a 44-39 advantage in kills, a 40-39 margin in digs and an 11-7 edge in blocks. The Broncos outserved the Buckeyes seven to six.
Also named to the All-Tournament Team were Stephanie Schindel (Connecticut), M’Myia McQuirter (Western Michigan), Zakiya Pope (Western Michigan) and Alberta Griffin (Western Michigan).
Ohio State begins Big Ten Conference play next Friday at 7 p.m. against Michigan State in St. John Arena. OSU will then face Michigan at 2 p.m. Sunday in a match that will be televised live by the Ohio News Network.
