No. 17 Women’s Volleyball Hosts Iowa Friday and No. 19 Minnesota Saturday in St. John Arena – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 15, 2005
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 17th-ranked Ohio State (18-7 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) women’s volleyball returns home this week for home matches against Iowa (14-15, 4-12) and No. 19 Minnesota (21-6, 11-5). The Buckeyes will host Iowa Friday and Minnesota Saturday in St. John Arena at 7 p.m. Last week, in road matches, Ohio State defeated Illinois, 3-0, 30-24, 30-27, 30-26) and upset No. 14 Purdue, 3-2 (30-24, 30-24, 24-30, 22-30, 15-11).
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are coached by Jim Stone, the 2004 Big Ten and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Mideast Region Coach of the Year. Ohio State is 18-7 overall and 11-5 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes defeated Illinois, 3-0, 30-24, 30-27, 30-26) and upset No. 14 Purdue, 3-2 (30-24, 30-24, 24-30, 22-30, 15-11) last week. Danielle Meyer (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) leads the Buckeyes in kills per game with a 4.67 per game average. Ami Stevens (So., Centerburg, Ohio) ranks second at 3.56. Setter Marisa Main (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) is the top percentage hitter at .375 with Nicole Britenriker (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) second at .291. Main has a 12.60 assist per game average. Ashley Kiel (Jr., Allenton, Wis.) has a team-high 33 ace serves (.35 per game) with Meyer second with 27 (.29). Defensively, Stevens has a team-high 2.88 digs per game average with Meyer second at 2.53. At the net, Meyer is averaging a team-leading 1.03 blocks per game with 12 solos and 84 assists. Britenriker ranks second in blocking with a .81 average on seven solos and 68 assists. The Buckeyes are averaging 16.89 kills and 15.42 assists and are hitting .259. OSU averages 1.40 aces, 15.38 digs and 2.04 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.95 kills and 12.40 assists and are hitting .215. They average 1.02 aces, 12.84 digs and 2.58 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT IOWA
The Hawkeyes are coached by Cindy Fredrick. Iowa has an overall record of 14-15 and is 4-12 in the Big Ten. Last week they lost 0-3 (20-30, 28-30, 23-30) to No. 13 Wisconsin and 0-3 (21-30, 20-30, 23-30) to Northwestern in home matches. The Hawkeyes have lost their last four matches. Catherine Smale leads the team in kills per game at 3.56 with Stacy Vitali at 3.33. Vitali is the top hitter on the squad with a .287 percentage. Setter Kiley Fister is averaging 10.36 assists per game. Emily Hiza has a team-high 30 ace serves (.28 per game) with Fister second with 26 (.24). Defensively, Hiza has a team-high 3.83 digs per game average with Tina Costanzo second at 2.93. At the net, Melanie Meister leads the team in blocking with a .99 per game average with 22 solos and 83 assists. Megan Gatens ranks second on the squad at .82 with nine solos and 76 attempts. Iowa is averaging 14.18 kills and 12.61 assists while hitting .190. The Hawkeyes average 1.31 aces, 15.27 digs and 2.12 blocks per game. Opponents average 15.40 kills and 14.21 assists while hitting .211. Hawkeye opponents average 1.27 aces, 17.67 digs and 2.44 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-IOWA SERIES
Ohio State leads the series with Iowa, 42-8. The Buckeyes are 21-4 in matches played in Columbus. Ohio State has not lost an on-court match in Columbus since 1988. Due to forfeits in 1999 and 2000, OSU currently has a four-match winning streak in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes won 3-0 decisions last season in Columbus (30-24, 30-27, 30-27) and in Iowa City (30-22, 30-20, 30-18). Earlier this season, Ohio State won 3-1 (27-30, 30-21, 30-23, 30-27) at Iowa.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST IOWA
(Oct. 22, 2005) No. 20 Ohio State overcame a 1-0 Iowa lead to defeat the Hawkeyes, 3-1 (27-30, 30-21, 30-23, 30-27) Saturday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Buckeye Danielle Meyer scored a match-high 29 points for Ohio State with Nicole Britenriker adding 19.5. Meyer collected a match-high 23 kills, adding an ace serve and a career-tying nine total blocks (one solo, eight assists) while Britenriker had 17 kills and five assist blocks for the Buckeyes. Buckeye setter Marisa Main produced her third consecutive triple-double match with 10 kills, 60 assists and 10 digs in the match. Iowa’s Stacy Vitali recorded a team-high 25.5 points with 22 kills, an ace serve and five assist blocks. Catherine Smale contributed 16.5 points with 16 kills and an assist block for the Hawkeyes.
Game one was close early and saw 14 ties with the last coming at 20. Iowa, with a kill by Vitali and an ace serve from Jacqueline Huguelet, took a 22-20 lead. The Hawkeyes built a five-point lead at 26-21. At 28-24, Iowa, two kills from Main and one by Ami Stevens cut the Hawkeye lead to one at 28-27. Iowa responded with a Smale kill and won the game with a Kiley Fister-Melanie Meister block, 30-27. Ohio State hit .410 in the game to .282 for Iowa.
Tied at five in game two, Ohio State took the lead with an Ashley Kiel kill. At 7-6, a Meyer kill, a Meyer-Stevens block and a kill from Stevens gave the Buckeyes a 10-6 lead. Ohio State expanded the lead and won the game, 30-21, with a Meyer kill. The Buckeyes hit .312 for the game to .162 for Iowa.
Iowa broke a three-all tie in game three with a Vitali-Meister block and a Vitali ace serve for a 5-3 Hawkeye lead. Iowa built a four-point lead at 10-6 but Ohio State, trailing 15-11, tied the game with two Britenriker kills, one from Amanda Miller and a block by Kiel and Britenriker. A Buckeye error gave Iowa a 16-15 lead but the Buckeyes scored five consecutive points to open a 20-16 lead. The run began with a Miller kill and an Iowa error. Two kills from Meyer and a Jackie Schardt ace serve completed the run. Ohio State held the lead and won, 30-23 with a Britenriker kill. Ohio State hit .311 in the game to .171 for Iowa.
Ohio State, in game four, overcame a 4-2 Iowa lead with kills from Britenriker and Meyer to tie the game. Another Meyer kill and a Hawkeye error put the Buckeyes ahead, 6-4. Ohio State held a 16-12 lead but twice Iowa cut that margin to one at 19-18 and 21-20. Kills by Meyer and Main expanded the lead to 23-20. A Smale kill made it 23-21 but two Britenriker kills and a kill and ace serve from Meyer took the lead to six at 27-21. Ohio State reached match point at 29-23 with a Britenriker-Stevens block. The Hawkeyes responded with four straight points off kills by Megan Gatens, Vitali and Smale and an OSU error to cut the Buckeye lead to 29-27. A kill from Britenriker ended the game at 30-27, OSU, to give the Buckeyes a 3-1 victory in the match. Ohio State hit .297 in the game to Iowa’s .350.
The Buckeyes hit .333 in the match to .242 for Iowa. OSU had a 78-61 edge in kills while Iowa produced a seven to four advantage in ace serves. The Hawkeyes gave up nine service errors to five for Ohio State. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 68-41 advantage in digs with Britenriker and Meyer collecting a match-high 14 digs each for Ohio State. At the net, the Buckeyes had a 14-11 margin in team blocks. OSU’s Meyer recorded a match-high nine total blocks with a solo and eight assists. Ohio State’s Main collected 60 assists in the match while Fister recorded 45 for Iowa.
A LOOK AT MINNESOTA
The Gophers are coached by Dr. Mike Hebert. No. 19 Minnesota is 21-6 overall and 11-5 in the Big Ten. Last week they lost, 2-3 (27-30, 28-30, 30-23, 30-28, 12-15) to Northwestern and defeated No. 13 Wisconsin, 3-1 (21-30, 30-24, 30-19, 31-29) in home matches. Gopher Meghan Cumpston is the Minnesota team leader in kills per game at 3.11. Sarah Florian ranks second at 3.03. The top percentage hitter for Minnesota is Meredith Nelson at .330. Setter Kelly Bowman has a team-high 8.36 assists per game average with Rachel Hartmann second at 5.63. Libero Paula Gentil has a team-high 47 ace serves for a .24 per game average. Malama Peniata ranks second on the squad with 27 (.30 per game). Gentil leads the team in digs per game at 5.76 with Peniata second at 2.95. At the net, Jessy Jones has a team-high 1.14 blocks per game average with 17 solos and 88 assists. Nelson ranks second at 1.13 with 20 solos and 84 assists. Minnesota averages 15.93 kills and 14.84 assists while hitting .235. The Gophers average 1.48 aces, 16.09 digs and 2.93 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.31 kills and 12.47 assists while hitting .143. Minnesota opponents average .91 aces, 15.53 digs and 2.20 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-MINNESOTA SERIES
Ohio State has a 29-26 edge in the series with Minnesota. In Columbus, the Buckeyes are 16-7 against the Hawkeyes. Last season, Ohio State upset No. 1 Minnesota at home, 3-1 (30-24, 30-23, 18-30, 30-24) but lost 1-3 (19-30, 30-32, 30-21, 28-30) in Minneapolis in regular season matches. The Gophers defeated Ohio State 3-2 (30-32, 34-32, 27-30, 28-30, 15-8) in the NCAA regional championship match hosted by Minnesota. Earlier this season, Ohio State won, 3-0 (30-28, 30-26, 30-28) in Minneapolis.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST MINNESOTA
(Sept. 23, 2005) No. 20 Ohio State upset No. 12 Minnesota, 3-0 (30-28, 30-26, 30-28) Friday night in the Minnesota Sports Pavilion. The Buckeyes had five players reach double-figure points in the match with Danielle Meyer leading the squad with 17.5. Setter Marisa Main, with her second consecutive triple-double (12 kills, 37 assists, 13 digs), had 14 points, Nicole Britenriker and Amanda Miller with 11.5 each and Ami Stevens, 10. Meyer had a match-high 15 kills, a solo block and three assists with Main recording 12 kills, a solo block and two assists. Britenriker had nine kills and five assist blocks, Miller contributed 11 kills and an assist block and Stevens had nine kills and two assist blocks. For Minnesota, Sarah Florian and Jessy Jones recorded 14 points each with Meredith Nelson with 11.5. Florian had 12 kills, an ace serve and a solo block with Jones collecting 12 kills and four assist blocks. Nelson produced nine kills, a solo block and an assist block.
In game one, Minnesota held an 18-15 lead when a Gopher error and two kills from Stevens tied the game at 18. A Britenriker kill and a Minnesota block by Jessica Byrnes and Jones tied the game at 19. The Buckeyes then scored four straight points with kills from Ashley Kiel, Miller and Meyer and a Gopher error to open a 23-19 lead. At 26-22, Ohio State, a Buckeye error and a Florian ace serve cut the lead to 26-24. A kill from Stevens and a Buckeye error moved the score to 27-25. Minnesota kills from Jones and Kelly Bowman tied the game at 27. The Buckeyes took a 28-27 lead with a kill from Stevens but a Gopher kill from Meghan Cumpston tied the game at 28. Ohio State reached game point at 29-28 with a kill from Stevens. The Buckeyes won the game, 30-28, with a Miller kill. The Buckeyes hit .208 in the game to .128 for Minnesota.
Minnesota, in game two, held an 11-10 lead when a four-point run by Ohio State opened a 14-11 Buckeye lead. The run began with kills from Kiel and Miller, a Kiel ace serve and a Meyer kill. At 23-20, Ohio State expanded the lead to 27-20 with a Main kill, a Gopher error, and kills from Main and Stevens. Minnesota, at 28-21, with kills from Florian and Nelson cut the lead to 28-23. Britenriker, with a kill, set game point at 29-23 with a kill. A Florian kill, a Bowman-Nelson block and a Cumpston kill stopped three Ohio State game points to make the score, 29-26. The Buckeyes won game two, 30-26 with a Britenriker-Kiel block. Ohio State hit .362 in the game to .333 for Minnesota.
Minnesota took an early lead in game three, building a five-point lead at 19-14 with a Jones kill. With a Britenriker kill, a Britenriker-Stevens block and a Gopher error, OSU cut the lead to 19-17. At 21-19, A Britenriker-Kiel block and a Meyer kill tied the game at 21. Kills by Minnesota’s Jones and OSU’s Meyer tied the game at 22. The Buckeyes took a 25-22 lead with a three-point run starting with a Meyer solo block, a Gopher error and a Meyer-Miller block. Minnesota kills by Kyla Roehig and Bowman cut the Ohio State lead to 25-24. The Buckeyes, with a Meyer kill and a Minnesota error returned the lead to three at 27-24. Kills by Florian and Main made it 28-25. Minnesota with three straight points tied the game at 28. The run started with a Nelson solo block and two Ohio State errors. A Buckeye block by Britenriker and Main set match point at 29-28. OSU’s Britenriker ended the match with a kill for a 30-28 game three win to complete the sweep. Ohio State hit .204 for the game to Minnesota’s .163.
Ohio State hit .257 for the match to .202 for Minnesota. The Buckeyes enjoyed a 60-49 margin in kills while each team had two ace serves. OSU gave up seven service errors to three for Minnesota. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 54-50 edge in digs with Minnesota’s Paula Gentil recording a match-high 15. At the net, the Buckeyes out blocked the Gophers, 10 to nine with OSU’s Britenriker recording a match-high five assist blocks. Minnesota’s Bowman had a match-high 40 assists in the match while OSU’s Main recorded 37.
LAST WEEK AGAINST ILLINOIS
No. 19 Ohio State defeated Illinois, 3-0 (30-24, 30-27, 30-26) Friday night in Huff Hall. OSU’s Ami Stevens scored a team-high 15.5 points for the Buckeyes with Felicia Jones adding 13. Stevens collected a team-high 14 kills and added three assist blocks while Jones recorded 13 kills. For Illinois, Rachel VanMeter had a match-high 19 points with 15 kills, three ace serves and two assist blocks while Rasa Virsilaite had 12.5 points with eight kills, three solo and three assist blocks.
Illinois held a 12-7 lead in game one before Ohio State closed to three at 21-18. An Illini service error, an ace serve by Ashley Kiel and an Illinois attack error tied the game at 21. A VanMeter kill and one from Jones tied the game at 22. A Brittany Dahms ace serve and an Illinois error put Ohio State ahead, 24-22. An Illinois block by Meghan Macdonald and VanMeter cut the lead to 24-23. A Marisa Main kill and a Buckeye error moved the score to 25-24. Kills by Main and Stevens and an Illinois error put Ohio State ahead, 28-24. Back-to-back kills by Stevens closed the game at 30-24 for Ohio State. The Buckeyes hit .222 for the game to .122 for Illinois.
In a close game two, Ohio State held a 22-20 lead when kills from Jones and Main gave the Buckeyes a four-point lead at 24-20. At 27-23 Illinois, with kills from VanMeter, Vickie Brown and Virsilaite and an OSU error tied the game at 27. Ohio State closed out the game with kills from Stevens, Nicole Britenriker and Jones to win the game, 30-27, and take a 2-0 lead in the match. OSU hit .143 to .026 for the Illini.
Illinois took an early 10-6 lead in game three. The Illini held a five-point lead at 15-10 before OSU, with kills from Meyer and Main and two Illinois errors cut the lead to 15-14. A VanMeter kill and two ace serves pushed the lead to four at 18-14. With Ohio State trailing 21-18, a Jones kill, a block by Main and Meyer and an Illini error tied the game at 21. Four times Illinois took the lead only to see Ohio State tie the game four times. The last tie came at 26 with a Britenriker kill. Two Illinois errors and two Britenriker kills ended the game at 30-26. Ohio State hit .333 for the game to .179 for Illinois.
For the match Ohio State hit .230 for the match to .111 for Illinois. The Buckeyes had a 53 to 41 advantage in kills while Illinois had a 3-2 edge in ace serves. The Illini gave up six service errors to five for OSU. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 53-43 margin in digs with Beth Vrdsky of Illinois recording a match-high 15. At the net, Illinois produced a 12 to nine margin in team blocks. OSU’s Meyer (six assist blocks) and Illini Virsilaite (three solos, three assists) shared match-high honors with six total blocks each. Buckeye setter Main recorded a match-high 40 assists while Lizzie Bazzetta had 35 for Illinois.
LAST WEEK AGAINST PURDUE
No. 19 Ohio State upset No. 14 Purdue, 3-2 (30-24, 30-24, 24-30, 22-30, 15-11) in West Lafayette Saturday night. Buckeye Danielle Meyer scored a match-high 23.5 points as all six starters for Ohio State reached double-figure points in the match. Meyer had 16 kills, two ace serves and equaled her career-high of nine total blocks with two solos and seven assists. Purdue’s Danita Merlau posted a team-high 20 points for the Boilermakers with 20 kills.
Tied at 15 in game one, blocks by Nicole Britenriker and Marisa Main and Britenriker and Ami Stevens and kills from Meyer and Stevens opened a 19-15 Ohio State lead. Purdue would close to 25-23 before kills from Stevens and Meyer made it 27-23. A Purdue error and a Stevens’ kill set game point at 29-24. A Buckeye error cut the margin to 29-24 before an Ashley Kiel kill ended the game at 30-24. Ohio State hit .457 in the game to .186 for Purdue.
Purdue took an early 10-7 lead in game two. At 15-11, Purdue, kills from Meyer and Brittany Dahms, a solo block from Main and a Main-Meyer block tied the game at 15. The Boilermakers responded with a four-point run to take a 19-15 lead. Ohio State, with a Main-Meyer block, two Meyer ace serves and a Purdue error tied the game at 19. OSU continued the run with two kills from Stevens and one from Meyer to take a 22-19 lead. The Boilermakers cut the margin to one at 22-21 with a Buckeye error and a Samantha Mader kill. A Britenriker kill, an ace serve from Main and a Purdue error opened a 25-21 Ohio State lead. At 26-24, the Buckeyes closed out the game with a four-point run starting with a Purdue error. A Britenriker ace serve and a Boilermaker error set game point at 29-24. The Buckeyes won the game with a Kiel-Meyer block at 30-24. Ohio State hit .321 for the game to .000 for Purdue.
In game three, Purdue broke a 1-1 tie with a Merlau kill and never trailed in the game winning, 30-24. The Boilermakers hit .395 in the game to .286 for Ohio State.
Game four saw an Elizabeth Jacques kill break a 1-1 tie for Purdue and again never trailed the rest of the game, winning, 30-22, to tie the match at two games each. Purdue hit .444 in the game to .226 for the Buckeyes.
The fifth game had Purdue break a 7-7 tie with back-to-back kills by Stephanie Lynch to take a 9-7 lead. A Britenriker kill and a Kiel-Britenriker block tied the game at nine. Ohio State took an 11-9 lead with a kill from Kiel and an ace serve by Main. Purdue’s Lynch cut the lead to one at 11-10 with a kill. The Buckeyes, with a kill from Stevens and two from Felicia Jones reached match point at 14-10. Merlau stopped the first match point with a kill at 14-11 but her attack error ended the game in favor of Ohio State, 15-11, to win the match, 3-2. Ohio State hit .421 in the game to .316 for Purdue.
Ohio State hit .338 for the match to .268 for Purdue. The Boilermakers had a 75-71 margin in kills and an eight to five edge in ace serves. Purdue gave up 14 service error to 11 for Ohio State. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 51-48 margin in digs with Purdue’s Anne Mastandrea recording a match-high 20. At the net, Ohio State equaled their season-high of 14 team blocks set at Iowa while Purdue recorded three. OSU’s Meyer had a match-high nine total blocks with two solos and sevens assists while Main equaled her career-high of six total blocks with a solo and five assists. Purdue setter Renata Dargan posted a match-high 60 assists while OSU’s Main recorded 57.
SENIORS CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON HOME CAREER SATURDAY
Rebecca Kastein, Amanda Miller and Jackie Schardt will be honored after Saturday’s match against Minnesota as departing seniors. In four years the seniors have an 80-39 (.672) overall record and are 46-30 (.605) in the Big Ten. They have made two NCAA appearances, advancing to the regional semifinals in 2002 and the regional championship match in 2004.
STEVENS LEADS OSU IN KILLS LAST WEEKEND
Ami Stevens had 14 kills at Illinois and 19 at Purdue to lead the Buckeyes in kills in both matches last weekend. She hit .229 against the Illini adding 10 digs, three assist blocks and two assists in the match. At Purdue, Stevens hit .326 and added seven digs, one assist block and an assist against the Boilermakers. For the season, she ranks second on the squad in kills per game at 3.56 and is the team leader in digs per game at 2.88.
MEYER HAS BLOCK PARTY WEEKEND
Danielle Meyer recorded a combined 15 blocks in eight games last weekend. She had six assist blocks at Illinois, adding seven kills, nine digs and an assist. At Purdue, Meyer equaled her career-high of nine total blocks with two solos and seven assists. She contributed 16 kills (.333), eight digs, two ace serves and four assists against the Boilermakers. Meyer has a team-high 4.67 kills per game average and ranks second on the squad in digs per game at 2.53. She is the team leader in blocks per game at 1.03 with 12 solo and 84 assists. In Big Ten Conference statistics, Meyer ranks 10th at 1.15 blocks per game.
MEYER MOVES UP IN OSU CAREER BLOCKING
Danielle Meyer, with 15 total blocks last weekend, has moved up in the Ohio State career rankings. Her 13 assist blocks has moved her to 15th on the OSU career list. She moved past Stacey Gordon (2001-04) with 195. She needs three assist blocks to pass No. 14 Shelly Draeger (1999-02) who has 207. In career total blocks Meyer now has 227 and has moved to 17th on the OSU career list. She passed Draeger with 220 and Jenny Collins (1982-85) with 214. She needs two blocks to pass No. 16 Audrey DiPronio (1988-90) with 228. Meyer ranks fourth on the OSU blocks per game list at 1.07
JONES POSTING DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL MATCHES
Felicia Jones continues to improve as she had double-figure kills in both matches last weekend. Her 13 kills (.241) at Illinois is a career-high as she added three digs and an assist. At Purdue Jones recorded 12 kills (.333) and a dig. She has had three consecutive double-figure kill matches and has had 10 or more points in her last four matches.
BRITENRIKER PROVIDING KILLS AND DIGS
Nicole Britenriker continues to provide offense and defense for the Buckeyes. Last weekend she combined for 18 kills, 13 digs and seven blocks. She had 11 kills (.444) at Illinois adding six digs and three assist blocks. At Purdue, Britenriker had seven kills (.214), seven digs and four total blocks (one solo, three assists). In the Big Ten Conference league statistics Britenriker ranks fifth in hitting percentage at .364. She is hitting .291 overall and is second on the squad in blocking with a .81 blocks per game average.
MAIN EQUALS HER CAREER HIGH FOR TOTAL BLOCKS AT PURDUE
Marisa Main had six total blocks at Purdue Saturday to equal her career high set at Penn State in 2004. She posted a solo block and five assists against the Boilermakers adding seven kills (.333), 10 digs, two ace serves and 57 assists. Main had four assist blocks at Illinois and contributed eight kills (.467), four digs and 40 assists against the Illini. In assist per game, she is averaging 12.60 overall and 13.03 in conference play, ranking third in the league. Main ranks second in hitting percentage in both conference only statistics at .391 and overall numbers at .375.
KIEL RECORDS DOUBLE-FIGURE DIGS AT PURDUE
Ashley Kiel had 10 digs at Purdue for her 10th double-figure digs match of the season. She added nine kills (.538), four assist blocks and two assists against the Boilermakers. At Illinois, she had nine digs, two assist blocks, an ace serve and three assists. Kiel leads Ohio State in ace serves with 33 and a .35 per game average. She ranks third on the squad in digs per game at 2.42.
DAHMS HANDLES THE LIBERO DUTIES
Brittany Dahms started at libero in both matches last weekend. She had 10 digs, an ace serve and as assist at Illinois and recorded eight digs, four assists and a kill at Purdue. Dahms is averaging 2.17 digs per game and is one of five Buckeyes who average two or more digs per game. She has started at libero in 18 matches this season and two started at defensive specialist.
OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE STATISTICS
Three Buckeyes are ranked in the conference only Big Ten statistics released by the Big Ten Conference. Danielle Meyer ranks fourth in kills per game with a 4.47 average, seventh in ace serves at .29 per game and 10th in blocking at 1.15 per game. Marisa Main ranks second in hitting percentage at .391 with Nicole Britenriker fifth at .364. Main ranks third in assists per game with a 13.03 average. In team statistics, the Buckeyes rank first in kills (17.07), assists (15.66). OSU is second in hitting percentage (.266), second in service aces (1.42), eighth in digs (15.42) and ninth in blocks (2.19) per game.
OSU 17TH IN CSTV/AVCA COACHES POLL
The CSTV (College Sports Television/AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll released this week by the AVCA has Ohio State ranked 17th nationally this week, moving up two spots from last week.. The Buckeyes received 548 points. The Buckeyes had 426 points last week and were ranked 19th. OSU finished the 2004 season with a 30-4 overall record and was ranked sixth in the final 2004 poll. The Buckeyes are one of five Big Ten squads ranked in the top-19 of the poll. Others include Penn State at second, Wisconsin 15th, Purdue 18th and Minnesota 19th. Additionally, Northwestern received votes.
HEAD COACH Jim Stone
Jim Stone is in his 24th season at Ohio State. He has a 489-268 record with the Buckeyes and is 274-156 in Big Ten play. His squads have won Big Ten Championships in 1989, 1991 and 1994 and finished tied for second in 2004 being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. He was the 1991 Volleyball Monthly National Coach of the Year and the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1989, 1991, 1994 and 2004. Under Stone, Ohio State has participated in the NCAA championship in 13 of the last 16 years, advancing to the national semifinals in 1991 and 1994. Stone’s coaching career record includes three years at Wyoming (1979-1981). His 26-year career record is 539-310.
MAIN NAMED THE SPORTS IMPORTS/AVCA DIVISION I NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK, Oct. 24, 2004
Marisa Main has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week and the Big Ten Player of the Week. Main earned her second-consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week honor and her first National Player of the week as she posted back-to-back triple-doubles in wins at No. 12 Minnesota and Iowa last weekend. She had 12 kills, 37 assists and 13 digs in an upset sweep at Minnesota and 10 kills, 60 assists and 10 digs in a 3-1 victory at Iowa. Main, who has now posted three straight triple-doubles, has four this season and seven in her career. Running the offense, Main had three players with double-figure kills at Minnesota and five at Iowa. For the two matches, she had a .858 percentage in her assists with 97 of 113 leading to kills. She was 37 of 45 (.822) against Minnesota and 60 of 68 (.882) at Iowa. Main’s 97 assists on the weekend gives her 2,690 in her two-year career at Ohio State and has moved to sixth on the OSU career list passing Marlene O’Brien (1983-86) with 2,621.
BRITENRIKER NAMED BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK, Oct. 24, 2004
Nicole Britenriker earned her first-ever Defensive Player of the Week award and is the first Buckeye to ever earn the Defensive award, which was implemented this season. Last weekend, the OSU sophomore had nine kills, five assist blocks, and career-highs of six assists and 11 digs in a 3-0 upset at Minnesota. The following night, she had 17 kills while hitting a career-high .609 (17 kills, 3 errors, 23 attempts) at Iowa, adding five assists blocks while setting a new career-high of 14 digs. Britenriker also posted her first career double-figure dig matches in back-to-back contests.
For the weekend, Britenriker averaged 3.71 kills and hit at a .413 clip. Her 25 combined digs and 3.57 per game average were both Buckeye team-highs. Her 10 assist blocks on the weekend for a 1.43 per game average was good for second on the squad.
MAIN NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK, Oct. 17, 2004
Setter Marisa Main was named the Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week by the Big Ten Conference office Monday. She directed the Buckeye offense to a 3-1 (26-30, 30-18, 30-18, 30-14) win over Michigan State Friday and a 3-0 (30-27, 30-27, 32-30) victory over Michigan Saturday in home matches.
Main had seven kills and 56 assists against Michigan State Friday. She added an ace serve, three digs and equaled her season-high of four total blocks (one solo and three assists) against the Spartans. She produced her second triple-double of the season against Michigan with 11 kills, 47 assists and 10 digs. She added two assists against the Wolverines and hit a season-high .786 with 11 kills in 14 attempts with no errors. Main previously recorded a triple-double this season at Cleveland State when she had 14 kills, 54 assists and 14 digs against the Vikings. She also had three as a freshman at Xavier.
For the two matches, Main was the Buckeyes’ top hitter at .500 (18-3-30) and totaled 103 assists for an average of 14.71 per game. She ran a balanced offense for Ohio State by having four players with double-figure kills against both Michigan and Michigan State.
In Big Ten Conference statistics for league matches, Main ranks second in assists per game at 13.50 and is sixth in hitting percentage at .368
BUCKEYES HAVE FOUR TELEVISED MATCHES
Ohio State is scheduled to appear in four televised matches this season. The Buckeyes will appear twice in the eight regional broadcasts scheduled by Comcast SportsNet Chicago. OSU will host Purdue Friday, Sept. 23 in a match that will be delayed telecast Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. ET. Ohio State’s Friday, Oct. 21 match at Minnesota will be delayed telecast Saturday, Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes have two additional televised matches this season. OSU will host Wisconsin Saturday, Oct. 29 in match with will be delayed telecast by ESPN2 Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. ET and will play at Penn State, at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 2 in a live CSTV (College Sports Television) broadcast.
MAIN AND STEVENS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
The Big Ten Conference announced that Ohio State setter Marisa Main (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) and outside hitter Ami Stevens (So., Centerburg, Ohio) have been named to the 2005 Preseason All-Big Ten Volleyball Team by a vote of the conference coaches. The Buckeyes were picked to finish fourth in the coaches’ preseason poll. Penn State was picked to finish first with Minnesota second and Wisconsin third.
JOBST AND DIPRONIO JOIN THE OSU ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Outside hitter Gabriele Jobst (1991-94) and setter Audrey DiPronio (1988-90) were inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall Of Fame, Friday, Sept. 16 and were honored at halftime of the Ohio State-San Diego State football game on Saturday, Sept. 17. Previous women’s volleyball players in the Hall of Fame include Karen Alsbrook (1977-79), Lisa Bettio (1982-85), Laura Davis (1991-94), Holly O’Leary (1987-90), Mary Ormsby (1977-80) Vanessa Wouters (1996-97) and Leisa Wissler (1988-91).
STEVENS SPENDS THE SUMMER WITH US JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM
Outside hitter Ami Stevens was selected to the 12-player United State Junior National Team that traveled to Turkey to play in the FIVB Junior Women’s U-20 Volleyball World Championship, July 23-28. The squad finished 1-4 in pool play. She had been in training at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. since July 8. Stevens was also selected to the team in 2004.
MEET THE BUCKEYES
#1 Rebecca Kastein (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-8, Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) – 2005 played in 17 matches, starting five matches as a defensive specialist and four at libero – season-high 13 digs at Cleveland State 2004 started 22 matches at libero and three at defensive specialist in 2004 – averaged 3.27 digs per game with 18 matches with double-figure digs – career-high 29 digs at Minnesota in the NCAA Regional Championship match.
#2 Brittany Dahms (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-5, So., Bryon, Ill.) – 2005 played in 24 matches with two starts at defensive specialist and 18 at libero – season-high 25 digs at Cleveland State 2004 started seven matches at libero and three as a defensive specialist – averaged 2.23 digs per game with a career-high 19 against Michigan – double-figure digs in 10 matches.
#3 Anna Tengnas (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-5, Jr., Hyletbruk, Sweden) – 2005 has played in 12 matches with two starts at libero 2004 played in 16 matches with three starts at libero – averaged 1.43 digs per game in 2004 with a season-high of nine against Dayton and North Carolina.
#4 Megan Blake (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-3, Jr., West Jefferson, Ohio) – 2005 played in one match 2004 did not play – named to the 2005 Buckeye Power Club for strength and conditioning.
#5 Nicole Britenriker (Middle blocker, 5-11, So., Cincinnati, Ohio) – 2005 played in 25 matches with 20 starts – career-high 18 kills against Illinois – career-high .609 hitting percentage at Iowa – career-high 25 digs at Indiana – career-high seven assist blocks at Northwestern – 13 matches with double-figure kills and three double-figure dig matches – named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for her play at No. 12 Wisconsin and at Iowa 2004 played in 22 matches with one start – USA National experience includes the Youth National Team in 2001 and 2003 and the Junior National Team in 2004.
#6 Danielle Meyer (Middle Blocker, 6-1, So., Cincinnati, Ohio) – 2005 started all 25 matches – career-high 29 kills at Cleveland State – career-high 31 points at Bowling Green – career-high 19 digs at Indiana – tied her career-high nine blocks at Iowa (1-8) and at Purdue (2-7) – equaled her career-high of four aces at Northwestern – 21 matches with double-figure kills – nine matches with 21 or more kills – 10 matches with double-figure digs – named to the Buckeye Classic All-Tournament Team – named to the Bowling Green Invitational All-Tournament Team 2004 started all 34 matches – averaged 2.91 kills, .75 digs and 1.10 blocks per game – career-high nine blocks against Illinois – USA National experience includes the Youth National Team in 2003.
#7 Ami Stevens (Outside Hitter, 6-1, So., Centerburg, Ohio) – 2005 started and played in 23 matches – career-highs of 26 kills at Bowling Green – career-high 28.5 points at Northwestern – season-high .422 (25-6-45) hitting percentage at Northwestern – season-high 22 digs against Brigham Young – double-figure kills in 17 matches – double-figure digs in 11 matches – Ohio State Athlete of the Week for her play at Wisconsin and Northwestern – 2005 Preseason All-Big Ten Selection – named to the Buckeye Classic All-Tournament Team – named to the Bowling Green Invitational All-Tournament Team 2004 started all 34 matches – named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team – averaged 2.78 kills, 3.02 digs and .43 blocks per game – career-high 17 kills against Northwestern and vs. Tennessee in the NCAA Regional Semifinals – career-high 27 digs vs. Tennessee – double-figure kills in 18 matches – double-figure digs in 16 matches – USA National experience includes the Junior National Team in 2004 and 2005.
#8 Briana McCarthy (Outside hitter, 6-2, Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) 2005 has not played 2004 started 26 matches – averaged 1.33 kills, .58 digs and .88 blocks per game in 2003 started 26 matches at setter and two at outside hitter in – averaged 11.53 assists per game with a career-high 66 assists against Temple.
#9 Felicia Jones (Outside Hitter, 5-11, Jr., Concord, Ontario/Southwest Missouri State-West Plains) 2005 played in 19 matches, starting 10 – career-high four digs at Penn State – career-high 13 kills at Illinois – double-figure kills in last three matches – hit a career-high .421 at Penn State 2003-04 played two years at Southwest Missouri State-West Plains Junior College – first team American Volleyball Coaches Association Junior College All-American and a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American in 2004 – averaged 4.12 kills, 3.68 digs and .33 blocks per game in 2004 – a second-team AVCA and NJCAA JC All-American – career-highs of 23 kills against Southern Idaho in 2003 and 27 digs against Tennessee in 2004.
#11 Amanda Miller (Outside hitter, 5-11, Sr., Littleton, Colo.) – 2005 played in 24 matches, starting 17 – hit a season-high .632 against Michigan State – season-high 15 kills against Northwestern – career-high eight digs at Iowa and against Cleveland State – double-figure kills in seven matches 2004 played in 27 matches 2003 had 16 starts.
#13 Marisa Main (Setter, 5-9, Jr., Louisville, Ky./Xavier) – 2005 started all 25 matches – named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week and the Big Ten Player of the Week for her play at No. 12 Wisconsin and at Iowa – named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her play against Michigan State and Michigan – season-high 70 assists against Purdue – season-highs of 14 kills at Cleveland State – career-high 22 digs against Purdue – has five triple-doubles this season – 14 kills, 54 assists, 14 digs at Cleveland State – 11 kills, 47 assists and 10 digs against Michigan – 12 kills, 37 assists and 13 digs at Minnesota – 10 kills, 60 assists and 10 digs at Iowa – 12 kills, 42 assists and 15 digs against Northwestern- hit a season-high .786 against Michigan – seven matches with double-figure kills and ten matches with double-figure digs – twice named the Ohio State Athlete of the Week – 2005 Preseason All-Big Ten Selection 2004 second-team AVCA All-American – first team AVCA Mideast All-Region – All-Big Ten – started 34 matches in 2004 averaging 14.88 assists, 2.35 digs and .46 blocks per game – career-high 85 assists against Tennessee in the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Minneapolis – Ohio State season assist leader with 1,785 – Big Ten statistical champion at 14.68 assists per game and finished second nationally in NCAA statistics at 14.88 – double-figure digs in 13 matches 2003 played at Xavier University – named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference and All-Rookie teams.
#14 Caitlin Slevin (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-5, Fr., St. Joseph, Mich.) 2005 has not played / high school team was 2004 and 2005 district champions – honorable mention all-conference in 2005 – also played setter.
#15 Ashley Kiel (Outside Hitter, 5-11, Jr., Allenton, Wis./Northern Michigan) 2005 played in 25 matches, starting 23 – season-high 17 kills against Purdue – hit a season-high .538 at Purdue (9-2-13) – season-high 20 digs at Indiana – 8 matches with double-figure kills and ten matches with double-figure digs 2003-04 played two seasons at Division II Northern Michigan – 2004 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference Selection – averaged 2.58 kills, 3.24 digs and 1.10 blocks per game in 2004 – career-high 23 kills at Ashland in 2004 – career-high 26 digs at Hillsdale in 2004 – second team GLIAC All-Conference selection in 2003 – named the 2003 AVCA Great Lakes Region Freshman of the Year – 2003 Great Lakes All-Region honorable mention selection.
#16 Jackie Schardt (Setter, 5-10, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) 2005 has played in 16 matches – season-high 13 assists and three assist blocks against Chicago State – season-high four digs against Northwestern 2004 played in six matches 2003 had nine starts at middle blocker 2002 career-high 62 assists at Michigan State.
