Volleyball Hosts Michigan and Michigan State – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State (11-9 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team begins a two-week, four-match home stand this weekend. OSU hosts Michigan (14-8, 8-4) Fri. Nov. 8 and Michigan State (15-7, 7-5) Sat., Nov. 9. The following week, the Buckeyes face Indiana (16-8, 6-6) Wed., Nov. 13 and close out the home stand with No. 14 Penn State (18-5, 8-4) Fri., Nov. 9. All four matches begin play at 7 p.m.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes, coached by Jim Stone, are 11-10 overall and 5-7 in Big Ten play. Ohio State split road matches last week winning at Northwestern, 3-2 (23-30, 32-30, 25-30, 30-27, 15-8) and dropping a 3-1 (30-18, 22-30, 30-23, 32-30) decision at No. 15 Wisconsin. Stacey Gordon (So., Oshawa, Ontario) leads Ohio State with a 5.77 kills (479) and a 3.43 digs (285) per game average. Suzie Stiling (Sr., Glenview, Ill.) ranks second in kills at 2.83 (235) and is second in blocks per game at .92 (12 solos, 64 assists). Shelly Draeger (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis.) is third in kills at 2.67 (222). Freshman Stephanie Higgins (Fr., Biggsville, Ill.) leads the team in blocks with a .93 per game average (three solos, 73 assists). Katie Virtue (Sr., St. Charles, Ill.) is the team leader with a 13.13 assist (683) per game average. Jackie Schardt (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) is second with a 7.63 (229) average. Gordon has a team-high 29 ace serves for a .35 per game average with Stiling second with 20 aces (.24) each. Ohio State averages 15.45 kills per game and is hitting .220. The Buckeyes average 1.34 aces, 13.60 digs and 2.11 blocks per game. OSU opponents average 13.28 kills per game and are hitting .202. Buckeye opponents average 1.34 aces, 12.27 digs and 2.88 blocks per game. A LOOK AT MICHIGAN
The Wolverines, coached by Mark Rosen, are 14-8 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten. Michigan has won its last four matches including victories at No. 25 Michigan State, 3-1 (30-24, 30-27, 24-30, 30-18) and at home against No. 11 Penn State, 3-2 (31-29, 28-30, 30-20, 15-30, 15-10). Leading the Wolverine attack is Jennifer Gandolph with a 3.95 kills (316) per game average. Chantel Reedus is second at 3.41 (273) with Erin Moore third at 3.30 (251). Reedus is the top percentage hitting on the squad at .265. Running the offense is Lisa Gamalski with a 13.25 assist (1,060) per game average. Katrina Lehman in the team leader in serving with a .30 aces (24) per game average. Defensively, Gandolph is the team leader in digs (269) with a 3.36 per game average. Lehman is the top blocker on the squad averaging 1.38 per game with 15 solos and 95 assists. Second is Moore with a 1.11 per game average with nine solos and 75 assists. Michigan is averaging 16.58 kills per game and is hitting .257. The Wolverines average 1.16 aces, 15.49 digs and 2.75 blocks per game. Opponents are averaging 14.68 kills per game and are hitting .202. Wolverine opponents average 1.33 aces, 13.75 digs and 2.33 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE – MICHIGAN SERIES
Ohio State leads the series with Michigan, 38-10. The Buckeyes are 19-2 in matches played in Columbus with the two losses being forfeits. OSU is 16-4 in Ann Arbor and 3-3 on neutral courts. Ohio State won 3-1 (30-13, 30-25, 26-30, 30-19) in Columbus last season. Earlier this season an injured Buckeye squad lost 0-3 (21-30, 25-30, 28-30) at Michigan
A LOOK AT MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans, coached by Chuck Erbe, are 15-7 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten. Michigan State lost to Michigan 3-1 (30-24, 30-27, 24-30, 30-18) and then defeated No. 11 Penn State 3-2 (31-29, 20-30, 28-30, 30-24, 15-13) in home matches last week. Jenny Rood is the team leader in kills (271) per game at 3.57. Kim Schram is second at 3.51 (288) with Kyla Smith third at 3.09 (244). Angela Morley is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .344. Nikki Colson quarterbacks the offense with a 13.21 assists (1,083) per game average. On the serve, Emily Engel has 22 ace serves for a .29 per game average. Defensively, Emmy Miller has a team-high 217 digs for a 3.01 per game average. At the net, Morley is the top blocker with a 1.43 per game average with 14 solos and 93 assists. Rood is second on the block with a .95 per game average with 17 solos and 56 assists. The Spartans average 15.74 kills per game and are hitting .248. Michigan State averages 1.44 aces, 13.89 digs and 2.89 blocks per game. Spartan opponents are averaging 15.00 kills per game and are hitting .219. Michigan State opponents average 1.33 aces, 13.44 digs and 2.27 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE – MICHIGAN STATE SERIES
Ohio State has a 30-22 lead in the series with Michigan State. The Buckeyes are 15-6 in matches played in Columbus, 13-12 in East Lansing and 2-4 on neutral courts. Last year in St. John Arena, OSU lost 1-3 (25-30, 30-24, 23-30, 24-30) to the Spartans. Earlier this season, Ohio State dropped a 2-3 (27-30, 30-23, 28-30, 30-26, 15-17) decision in East Lansing.
STILING MOVES TO EIGHTH IN CAREER KILLS AT 1,253
With a combined 25 kills last weekend, Suzie Stiling now has 1,253 career kills and has moved to eighth on the OSU career kills list. Her 14 kills at Northwestern moved her into a tie for eighth with Kristi Neuman (1983-86) with 1,242. Stiling’s 11 kills at Wisconsin gives her eighth place alone with 1,253 career kills. Stiling stands 79 kills behind Dana Stearns (1997-00) who holds seventh place with 1,331 kills.
STILING TAKES FOURTH IN OSU CAREER TOTAL BLOCKS
Suzie Stiling added 13 total blocks to her career totals last weekend. She had a solo and five assists at Northwestern and a solo and six assists at Wisconsin. Her six total blocks against the Wildcats moved her into fourth place on the OSU career total blocks (395) list. She previously had been tied with Jenny Jackson (1992-95) with 389. Her seven blocks at Wisconsin raises her career total to 402 with 59 solos and 343 assists. Stiling needs 12 total blocks to move to third place and pass Dana Stearns (1997-00) with 413 (33-380).
GORDON NEARING 1,000 KILLS
With 19 kills at Northwestern and 20 at Wisconsin, Stacey Gordon has 992 career kills and should become the 15th OSU student-athlete to surpass 1,000 kills in her career. Her 39 kills on the weekend moved her from 18th to 15th on the OSU career kills list. She passed No. 17 Jen Flynn (1997-99) with 968, No. 16 Lisa Vitali (1986-89) with 978 and No. 15 Julie Chellevold (1988-91) with 987.
GORDON COULD BECOME FIRST OSU SOPHOMORE TO REACH 1,000 KILLS
Needing only eight kills to reach 1,000, Stacey Gordon would become the first Ohio State sophomore to ever reach 1,000 kills. Six players reached 1,000 kills as juniors and seven as senior. The only exception to this is Vanessa Wouters (1996-97), a transfer from Southwest Missouri State who played her final two years at Ohio State. She reached 1,000 kills in her 46th match for OSU, but as a senior. Gordon, as a sophomore, could reach 1,000 kills in her 53rd match.
GORDON TOPS CONFERENCE STATISTICS IN KILLS PER GAME
Stacey Gordon continues to lead the Big Ten in kills per game, overall at 5.77 and in conference matches at 5.61. In overall statistics, Gordon ranks third in digs at 3.43 and 11th in aces at .35 per game. She is 7th in aces at .33 per game in conference statistics and seventh in digs at 3.14.
GORDON CONTINUES DOUBLE-FIGURE KILLS STREAK
Stacey Gordon continued her consecutive streak of double-figure kill matches with 19 kills at Northwestern and 20 at Wisconsin. She now has recorded double-figure kills in her last 37 matches. For her career, Gordon has double-figure kills in 50 of 52 matches and has 23 matches with 20 or more kills. Defensively, Gordon has 15 double-figure dig matches this season and 34 in her career. She has had 33 double-doubles (kills-digs) in her career.
GORDON RANKED FOURTH NATIONALLY IN KILLS PER GAME LAST WEEK
Stacey Gordon, with a 5.77 kills per game average this week, is ranked fifth nationally in the national statistics release by the NCAA
DRAEGER COLLECTS CAREER-HIGH SIX ASSIST BLOCKS
Shelly Draeger recorded a career-high six assist blocks at Northwestern last week, which improved on her previous career high of five at Wright State in 2001. Her seven assist blocks on the weekend (one at Wisconsin) gives her 181 in her career and moved her to 17th on the OSU career assist blocks list. She passed Lisa Vitali (1986-89) with 177. Draeger is six assists behind No. 16 Laura Davis (1991-94) with 187.
VIRTUE MOVES TOWARD OSU CAREER ASSIST RECORD
With 5,113 career assists, Katie Virtue has moved a little closer to the OSU career assist record of 5,483 held by Laura Davis (1991-94). Virtue had 56 assists at Northwestern and 49 at Wisconsin to move within 371 of becoming OSU’s career leader.
WHALEN MISSES WEEKEND ACTION
Heather Whalen missed the matches at Northwestern and Wisconsin last weekend after she suffered a concussion last Thursday. Previously she had started the last six matches as a defensive specialist for the Buckeyes. Prior to that, Whalen had three starts at setter replacing the injured Katie Virtue and Jackie Schardt. Whalen had also seen action in five matches this season in the libero position.
HIGGINS DELIVERS AGAINST NORTHWESTERN
An 11-kill performance by Stephanie Higgins helped Ohio State to a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats. Higgins was one of four Buckeyes to have double-figure kills in the match. She also contributed four assist blocks, an ace serve and one dig against Northwestern.
ANDERSSON STARTS AGAINST NORTHWESTERN AND WISCONSIN
With the injury to Heather Whalen, Anna Andersson returned to the starting lineup against Northwestern and Wisconsin. She had six digs, a kill and an assist block at Northwestern and had eight digs, four kills and four assist blocks at Wisconsin. Her four assist blocks against the Badgers is a career-high. Her previous best was two assists in three matches this season.
MILLER CONTRIBUTES TO WIN OVER WILDCATS
Amanda Miller contributed five kills, four total blocks (one solo, three assists) and three digs in OSU’s 3-2 victory over Northwestern. Miller’s three assist blocks is her career high. She also set a career-high in total blocks of four with a solo and three assists against the Wildcats.
KASTEIN ADDS ANOTHER DOUBLE-FIGURE DIG MATCH
With 13 digs at Northwestern, Rebecca Kastein recorded her fourth consecutive match with double-figure digs. That streak ended at Wisconsin where she had five digs in the match. Kastein has established herself as the libero on the squad as she has played the position in the last eight matches for the Buckeyes. She has played in a total of 13 matches and is averaging 1.87 digs per game.
BUCKEYES HURT BY INJURIES
Ohio State, in the first four weeks of the season, was hit hard by injuries, The Buckeyes had five players injured in the first month of action with three now back in action. Since then Heather Whalen also has missed matches due to an injury. Below is a list of the players and their current status.
Maria Pongonis, foot stress fracture at Hawaii, currently unavailable for competition
Katie Virtue, fractured hand in Illinois-Chicago match, missed seven matches, now playing
Jackie Schardt, concussion on Sept. 17, missed three matches, now playing
Katherine Grant, dislocated elbow in Miami (Ohio) match, currently unavailable for competition
Anna Andersson, knee sprain on Sept. 20, missed eight matches, now playing
Heather Whalen, concussion on Oct. 31, missed two matches, probably available vs. Michigan and Michigan State
WHO IS STARTING?
Because of the five early season injuries for the Buckeyes, Ohio State has tried to find the right starting combination with the available players. In 21 matches, the Buckeyes have used 12 different starting combinations and at one point used a different lineup in 10 consecutive matches. Each of the 14 student-athletes has now started at least one match this season.
OHIO STATE 3 NORTHWESTERN 2
Trailing two games to one, Ohio State rallied to defeat Northwestern, 3-2 (23-30, 32-30, 25-30, 30-27, 15-8) in Evanston. OSU’s Stacey Gordon scored a team-high 19 kills with Suzie Stiling adding 14 and Shelly Draeger and Stephanie Higgins contributing 11 each. Northwestern’s Erika Lange had a match-high 24 kills with Christie Gardner and Iwona Lodzik adding nine kills each. OSU won a close game two, 32-30 after 13 ties, the last at 30-all. Trailing most of game four, Northwestern closed to one at 25-24 and 26-25 before a 30-27 Buckeye win. With game five tied at six, OSU outscored Northwestern 9-2 for the win. Ohio State hit .188 for the match to .112 for Northwestern. The Buckeyes had a 64-60 advantage in kills while the Wildcats out served Ohio State, 10-5. OSU gave up 15 service errors to 13 for Northwestern. Ohio State had a 59-49 advantage in digs while the Wildcats out blocked Ohio State, 14 to 12.5. NU’s Lange recorded a match-high seven blocks with two solos and five assists. OSU’s Draeger (0-6) and Stiling (1-5) had a team-high six blocks each. Ohio State setter Katie Virtue had a match-high 56 assists with NU’s Drew Robertson recording 44.
WISCONSIN 3, OHIO STATE 1
Ohio State fell to Wisconsin 3-1 (30-18, 22-30, 30-23, 32-30) in Madison. Trailing 2-1 in the match, OSU held a 27-24 lead in game four but Wisconsin tied the game at 28 and went on to a 32-30 win. Stacey Gordon had a team-high 20 kills for OSU with Shelly Draeger adding 13 and Suzie Stiling 11. Erin Byrd had a match-high 21 kills for Wisconsin with Lori Rittenhouse adding 11. Wisconsin hit .219 for the match to .175 for the Buckeyes. The Badgers had a 62-57 advantage in kills and out served the Buckeyes, 6-4. OSU gave up nine service errors to eight for Wisconsin. Ohio State had a 45-42 advantage in digs with OSU’s Gordon picking up a match-high 15 and UW’s Byrd recording a team-high 10. The Badgers controlled the net with a 21-9 margin in blocks. UW’s Sheila Shaw recorded a match-high 10 assists with Rittenhouse adding eight total blocks on two solos and six assists. OSU’s Stiling had a team-high seven blocks with a solo and six assists. Wisconsin Morgan Shields recorded a match-high 50 assists in the match to OSU’s Katie Virtue with 49.
BUCKEYE HEAD COACH JIM STONE
Jim Stone is in his 21st season at Ohio State. He has a 420-239 record with the Buckeyes and is 241-138 in Big Ten play. His squads have won Big Ten Championships in 1989, 1991 and 1994 and in the last 13 years have finished in the Top 3 in the league 10 times. In the championship years, he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and was the 1991 Volleyball Monthly National Coach of the Year. Under Stone, Ohio State has participated in the NCAA championship in 11 of the last 13 years, advancing to the national semifinals in 1991 and 1994. Stone’s coaching career record includes three years at Wyoming (1979-1981). His 23-year career record is 470-281.
NEXT WEEK FOR OHIO STATE
Ohio State completes a four-match home stand with contests against Indiana (16-8, 6-6) and No. 14 Penn State (18-5, 8-4). The Buckeyes face Indiana at 7 p.m.,, Wed., Nov. 13 and Penn State at 7 p.m., Fri., Nov. 15. OSU then returns to the road with matches at Iowa (8-14, 2-10) Fri., Nov. 22 and #7 Minnesota (24-3, 11-1) Sat., Nov. 23.
