No. 13 Seed Women’s Volleyball Faces Marshall in the First Round of the NCAA Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 30, 2005
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 19th-ranked Ohio State (21-8 overall) women’s volleyball team will host first and second round matches this weekend in St. John Arena. Ohio State, seeded 13th in the NCAA Championship, will host Marshall (26-5) at 7:30 Friday in first round action. In the first match, Ohio (31-2) faces Alabama (23-10) at 5 p.m. Saturday’s second round match will pair the Friday winners at 7 p.m. The Buckeyes are coming off Big Ten Conference road wins at Michigan, 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-24) and at Michigan State, 3-2 (30-28, 30-22, 29-31, 26-30, 15-9).
OHIO STATE IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Buckeyes have played in the NCAA Championship 13 times since 1989. OSU has advanced to regional play 10 times and has twice reached the NCAA National Semifinals in 1991 and 1994. Ohio State has a 20-13 (.606) record in the NCAA Championship. Last year the Buckeyes hosted first and second round matches in St. John Arena. OSU defeated Dayton, 3-0 (30-25, 32-30, 30-22) in the first round and won, 3-0 (30-25, 30-20, 30-20) over Ohio in the second round. The Buckeyes advanced to the Minneapolis Regional at Minnesota where the OSU defeated Tennessee, 3-2 (29-31, 27-30, 30-16, 30-26, 15-12) in the semifinals and lost to Minnesota, 2-3 (32-30, 32-34, 30-27, 28-30, 8-15).
MAIN AND MEYER HONORED AS ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS
The Big Ten Conference announced today that setter Marisa Main (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) and middle blocker Danielle Meyer (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) have been named to the 13-player All-Conference Team that was selected by a vote of the Big Ten coaches. The 5-9 Main helped Ohio State to a 21-8 regular season record and a 14-6 mark in the Big Ten, finishing tied for third. She started all 20 conference matches and averaged 12.78 assists per game ranking third in the league. Main ranked second in the Big Ten in hitting percentage at .394 averaging 2.08 kills per game. She averaged 2.30 digs and .70 blocks per game in league play. She was named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season and was honored as the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week in matches at Wisconsin and at Iowa. Main produced five triple-doubles (kills, assists, digs) this season with four of them in Big Ten matches. A 2005 Preseason All-Big Ten selection, Main was an All-Big Ten selection in 2004 when she was named a second-team AVCA All-American.
The 6-1 Meyer finished fourth in the Big Ten in kills per game at 4.11. She was also the Ohio State team leader in ace serves (.26) and blocks (1.14) per game and was second in digs (2.48). She was named to the Buckeye Classic and the Bowling Green Invitational All-Tournament Team. Meyer produced double-figure kills in 24 matches this season and had 11 matches with double-figure digs.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are coached by Jim Stone. Ohio State is 21-8 overall and 14-6 in the Big Ten finishing in a two-way tie for third. The Buckeyes defeated Michigan, 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-24) and Michigan State, 3-2 (30-28, 30-22, 29-31, 26-30, 15-9) in road matches last week. Danielle Meyer (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) leads the Buckeyes in kills per game with a 4.51 per game average. Ami Stevens (So., Centerburg, Ohio) ranks second at 3.54. Setter Marisa Main (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) is the top percentage hitter at .375 with Meyer second at .280. Main has a 12.49 assist per game average. Ashley Kiel (Jr., Allenton, Wis.) has a team-high 35 ace serves (.33 per game) with Meyer second with 29 (.27). Defensively, Stevens has a team-high 2.90 digs per game average with Meyer second at 2.49. At the net, Meyer is averaging a team-leading 1.04 blocks per game with 15 solos and 96 assists. Nicole Britenriker (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) ranks second in blocking with a .91 average on 10 solos and 87 assists. The Buckeyes are averaging 16.74 kills and 15.29 assists and are hitting .257. OSU averages 1.32 aces, 15.18 digs and 2.16 blocks per game. Opponents average 14.117 kills and 12.540 assists and are hitting .217. They average 1.04 aces, 12.82 digs and 2.53 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT MARSHALL
The Thundering Heard is coached by Mitch Jacobs, the Conference-USA Coach of the Year. Marshall has a 26-5 overall record and was 15-1 in C-USA. The Thundering Heard won three straight 3-2 matches to win the C-USA Tournament and gain an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Marshall has a 12-match winning streak. Kelly-Anne Billingy, the C-USA Player of the Year, has a team-high 5.61 kills per game average with Stephanie Cahill, a third-team C-USA All-Conference selection, second at 3.29. The top percentage hitter on the squad at .365 is Nickie Sanlin, a second-team C-USA All-Conference selection. Billingy ranks second in hitting at .350. At setter, Katie Stein averages 13.90 assists per game and was the C-USA Setter of the Year. Stein has a team-high 58 ace serves (.56) with Cahill second with 51 (.49). Defensively, Maggie Arias has a team-high 4.10 digs per game average with Cahill second at 3.12. At the net, Amber Sims leads the team in blocking with a 1.15 per game average with 18 solos and 99 assists. Sanlin ranks second at .84 with 18 solos and 63 assists. Marshall averages 16.60 kills and 15.32 assists per game and is hitting .280. The Thundering Heard averages 2.03 aces, 15.75 digs and 2.43 blocks per game. Opponents average 11.99 kills and 10.88 assists while hitting .154. They average 1.31 aces, 13.03 digs and 1.89 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-MARSHALL SERIES
Ohio State has a 2-1 record against Marshall. The Buckeyes won 2-0 (15-6, 15-5) in Cincinnati in 1981 and 3-0 (15-1, 15-3, 15-1) in Columbus in 1998. The third match was won by OSU, 3-0 (15-13, 15-5, 15-12) at Marshall in 2000 but was ruled a forfeit.
A LOOK AT OHIO
The Bobcats are coached by Geoff Carston, the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. Ohio has a 31-2 overall record and was 16-0 in the MAC. Ohio won the MAC Tournament to earn the automatic bid from the conference. The Bobcats have won 23 consecutive matches. Leading Ohio in kills per game at 3.86 is Julia Winkfield, the MAC Player of the Year. Stephanie Blackburn, a first-team All-MAC selection, ranks second at 3.72. Winkfield is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .381 with second-team All-MAC selection Melissa Griffin second at .338. Setter Savanah Parra, a second-team All-MAC selection averages 15.01 assists per game. Parra has a team-high 38 ace serves (.37 per game) with Blackburn second with 36 (.33 per game). Defensively, Michaele Blackburn leads the team in digs at 5.17 per game. Stephanie Blackburn ranks second at 3.73. At the net, Melissa Griffin has a team-high .96 blocks per game with 23 solos and 81 assists. She was a second-team All-MAC selection. Ranking second was Winkfield at .83 with 15 solos and 70 assists. Ohio is averaging 18.06 kills and 16.87 assists per game while hitting .299. The Bobcats average 1.60 aces, 18.05 digs and 2.33 blocks per game. Ohio opponents average 13.30 kills and 12.35 assists per game and are hitting .164. Opponent average .85 aces, 14.67 digs and 1.89 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-OHIO SERIES
Ohio State leads the series, 14-0, with the Bobcats. The Buckeyes have won eight matches in Columbus. Twelve of the matches were played before 2000. In 2001 at the Buckeye Invitational, OSU won 3-1 (28-30, 30-13, 30-19, 30-24) and defeated the Bobcats, 3-0 (30-25, 30-20, 30-20), in Columbus, in the second round of the NCAA Championship last season.
A LOOK AT ALABAMA
The Crimson Tide is coached by Judy Green. Alabama is 23-10 overall and was 9-7 in the Southeastern Conference. They were an at-large selection to the NCAA Championship after losing, 3-0 to Florida in the SEC Tournament championship match. Bridget Fuentez, a second-team All-SEC selection, leads the team with a 3.71 kills per game. Crystal Hudson ranks second at 3.17. Setter Brigitte Slack has an 11.83 assist per game average. Amy Pauly (.37) and Jessica Yearout (.32) each share team-high honors with 38 aces each. Defensively, Yearout is the team leader in digs per game with a 4.44 per game. Sarah Snider, an All-SEC Freshmen team selection, ranks second at 2.90. At the net, Hudson averages .87 blocks per game with 19 solos and 85 assists. Ranking second is Slack at .49 with eight solos and 50 assists. Alabama is averaging 15.82 kills and 14.60 assists while hitting .242. The Crimson Tide averages 1.68 aces, 15.66 digs and 2.02 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.25 kills and 12.36 assists and hit .183. Alabama opponents average 1.27 aces, 14.76 digs and 2.21 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-ALABAMA SERIES
Ohio State has a 3-0 series record against Alabama. All three matches were played at neutral sites. The last meeting came in 1997 at the Outback Challenge at Georgia. Ohio State won, 3-0 (15-1, 15-5, 15-2).
LAST WEEK AGAINST MICHIGAN
No. 19 Ohio State defeated Michigan, 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-24) Friday night in Cliff Keen Arena. OSU’s Nicole Britenriker contributed a match-high 17.5 points in the match with Danielle Meyer and Ami Stevens adding 14 each. Britenriker had a co-team-high of 13 kills (.429) adding an ace serve, a solo block and five assist blocks. Meyer contributed 12 kills (.476), an ace serve and two assist blocks while Stevens had 13 kills (.500) and two assist blocks. Leading Michigan in scoring was Katie Bruzdzinski with 15.5 points with 15 kills (.344) and an assist block. Erin Cobler had 15 points with 14 kills (.375) and two assist blocks while Lyndsay Miller had 12 points with 11 kills (.444) and two assist blocks.
Michigan opened game one with a 7-3 lead. The Buckeyes then scored the next five points to take an 8-7 lead. The run began with a Britenriker kill. An OSU block by Ashley Kiel and Felicia Jones was followed by another Britenriker kill and a Marisa Main ace serve to tie the game at seven. Ohio State took an 8-7 lead with a kill by Kiel. Michigan tied the game with a Candace Gay kill and regained the lead with a Gay-Cobler block at 9-8. With the Wolverines leading 11-10, a kill from Stevens tied the game at 11. Two Michigan errors and a kill from Stevens opened up a 14-11 Buckeye lead. Michigan responded with kills from Cobler, Bruzdzinski and Miller to tie the game at 14. OSU took a 15-14 lead on a Meyer kill. Colber tied the game with a kill at 15. Back-to-back OSU kills by Main gave OSU a 17-15 lead that they would hold until a Gay kill and a Mara Martin ace serve tied the game at 27. A Britenriker kill and a Michigan error gave OSU a 29-27 lead serving for the game. Cobler stopped the game point with a kill but another Britenriker kill ended the game for OSU at 30-28. Ohio State hit .356 for the game to .333 for Michigan.
Ohio State opened game two with a Meyer kill and with a Michigan error took a 2-0 lead. With Michigan trailing 5-3, a Sarah Draves kill and an OSU error tied the game at five. Tied at eight, two Wolverine errors put Ohio State ahead, 10-8. The Buckeyes took a six-point lead at 23-17 only to see Michigan have a 5-2 run to cut the lead to three at 25-22. The Buckeyes closed out the game with a five-point run starting with a kill from Stevens. A Meyer-Stevens block and a Michigan error gave OSU a 28-22 lead. Britenriker reached game point with an ace serve and a Meyer kill won the game at 30-22. The Buckeyes hit .389 in the game to .238 for Michigan.
Michigan opened game three with a 3-0 lead starting with a Martin kill. A Buckeye error and a Kerry Hance ace serve completed the run. At 11-9 Michigan, a kill from Stevens and a Wolverine error tied the game at 11. Michigan took a 12-11 lead with a Gay kill. A Meyer kill and her ace serve gave OSU a 13-12 lead. Bruzdzinski then tied the game at 13 with a kill. A Michigan error, a Jones kill and a Kiel-Britenriker block gave OSU a 16-13 lead. After a UM time out, a Britenriker-Jones block and a Michigan error made the Buckeye lead, 18-13. The Wolverines cut the Buckeye lead to two at 21-19 before a Meyer kill and two Michigan errors put the lead at 24-19. At 26-22, OSU, a Kiel kill and back-to-back blocks with Kiel and Britenriker gave OSU match point at 29-22. A Buckeye service error and a Michigan block by Miller and Beth Karpiak stopped two match points cutting the lead to 29-24. The Buckeyes closed out the match with a kill from Stevens for a 30-24 win. The Buckeyes hit .519 for the game to .179 for the Wolverines.
Ohio State hit .407 for the match to .254 for Michigan. Each squad posted 55 kills and three ace serves in the match while Michigan gave up five service errors to four for Ohio State. Defensively the Buckeyes had a 37-36 edge in digs with Michigan’s Stesha Selsky collecting a match-high 24. At the net, the Buckeyes had a nine to six margin in team blocks with OSU’s Britenriker recording a match-high six with a solo and five assists. Michigan setter Martin had a match-high 48 assists while OSU’s Main had 46.
LAST WEEK AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE
No. 19 Ohio State overcame a Michigan State rally in games three and four to close out the regular season with a 3-2 (30-28, 30-22, 29-31, 26-30, 15-9) victory over the Spartans. Nicole Britenriker scored a team-high 19.5 points for Ohio State with 15 kills (.212) and a career-high eight total blocks with one solo and seven assists. Spartan Brooke Langston had a match-high 20.5 points for Michigan State with 18 kills, a solo block and three assists.
Michigan State held 12-6 and 19-14 leads in game one. A three-point Buckeye run of a Danielle Meyer-Marisa Main block, a Felicia Jones kill and another Main-Meyer block cut the margin to 19-17. At 21-18, kills by Main and Jones and a Spartan error tied the game at 21. At 24-all, kills from Britenriker and Ami Stevens gave OSU a 26-24 lead. The Spartans tied the game at 27 but kills from Stevens and Main set game point at 29-27. A Katie Johnson kill stopped the game point at 29-28. A Michigan State error ended the game at 30-28. Michigan State hit .171 in the game to .115 for OSU.
The Spartans held a 5-3 lead in game two before two Britenriker kills tied the game at five. The blocking combination of Britenriker and Ashley Kiel scored three consecutive points to give OSU an 8-5 lead. At 10-7, OSU, Spartan kills from Johnson and Langston cut the margin to one at 10-9. A kill from Stevens and three Michigan State errors open the lead to 14-9. At 14-11, Buckeye kills from Stevens and Jones and a Jones solo block and two Spartan errors took the lead to eight at 19-11. At 24-15, a six-point Spartan run cut the lead to three at 24-21. Two Michigan State errors and a kill by Stevens made the Buckeye lead, 27-21. A Spartan error and another kill from Stevens set game point at 29-21. A Langston kill stopped the game point at 29-22. The Buckeyes, with a Meyer kill, won the game, 30-22. Ohio State hit .156 for the game to .054 for the Spartans.
In a close game three, OSU broke a 16-16 tie with two kills from Stevens and one from Britenriker and a Spartan error to hold a 20-16 lead. Leading 26-22, two kills from Megan Wallin made it 26-24. After a Britenriker kill, Michigan State with kills from Ashley Schatzle and Wallin and an OSU error tied the game at 27. OSU, with kills from Britenriker and Stevens reached game point at 29-27. The Spartans with a Johnson kill and a block by Langston and Johnson tied the game at 29. A Langston kill and a Nicole Colaluca ace serve won the game for Michigan State at 31-29. The Spartans hit .350 in the game to .220 for Ohio State.
Ohio State overcame a Spartan 24-21 lead in game four to tie it on a solo block by Meyer. OSU took a 25-24 lead with a Jones kill. A Buckeye error tied the game at 25. OSU went ahead, 26-25, with a Meyer kill. The Spartans then scored five consecutive points to win the game, 30-26. The run included three kills by Wallin including the game winner, a Schatzle kill and a Wallin-Mickey Davis block. Ohio State hit .375 for the game to .318 for Michigan State.
Game five began with a Spartan hitting error and with a Britenriker-Jones block gave OSU a 2-0 lead. At 6-4, OSU, a Kiel service ace gave OSU a 7-4 lead. A Langston kill cut the margin to 7-5. A Meyer-Main block and a Spartan error put the Buckeyes ahead, 9-5. Leading 11-7, a Main kill put the lead to five at 12-7. A Schatzle kill cut the margin to 12-8 and with a Britenriker kill and a Britenriker-Kiel block reached match point at 14-8. A Wallin kill stopped the match point cutting the margin to 14-9. The Spartans ended the match as they began it with a service error giving the Buckeyes a 15-9 win in game five and taking the match, 3-2. OSU hit .375 for the game to .158 for Michigan State.
For the match, Michigan State out hit Ohio State, .221 to .220. The Spartans had a 72-71 edge in kills in the match while each squad recorded three ace serves. Michigan State gave up 14 service errors to 10 for Ohio State. Defensively, the Spartans had a 63-58 margin in digs with MSU’s Colaluca recording a match-high 25. At the net, Ohio State had a 15.5 to nine advantage in team blocks. Britenriker produced a match-high eight blocks with one solo and seven assists while Kiel contributed seven with a solo and six assists. Davis had a match-high 57 assists for the Spartans while OSU’s main recorded 52.
BRITENRIKER SETS CAREER-HIGH IN BLOCKS
Nicole Britenriker recorded one solo and seven assist blocks at Michigan State for a career-high eight total blocks. Her previous best was seven assists at Northwestern this season. Britenriker added 15 kills (.212) and 12 digs in the match and tied her career-high of 19.5 points set at Iowa earlier this season. At Michigan State she had 13 kills (.429), an ace serve, one solo block and five assist blocks against the Spartans. Her .330 hitting percentage in Big Ten matches ranks seventh in the league.
STEVENS HITS A SEASON-HIGH .500 AT MICHIGAN
Ami Stevens hit a season-high .500 at Michigan last week with 13 kill in 26 attempts with no errors. Her previous best this season had been .422 (25-6-45) at Northwestern. Stevens added seven digs and two assist blocks at Michigan. At Michigan State she posted a team-high 18 kills (.255) and added 12 digs. In the Big Ten Conference only statistics, Stevens is ranked 10th with a 3.44 kills per game average. She has a 3.54 kills per game average overall.
MEYER RANKS FOURTH IN BIG TEN KILLS PER GAME AT 4.11
Danielle Meyer finished the Big Ten Conference season ranked fourth in kills per game at 4.11. She has a 4.51 kills per game average for the season ranking third in the Big Ten for all matches. Last week Meyer had 12 kills (.476), an ace serve, eight digs and two assist blocks at Michigan. At Michigan State she had 11 kills, six digs, a solo block and four assists against the Spartans. Meyer is the Buckeye team leader in points (5.37), kills (.4.51) and blocks (1.04) per game.
JONES EQUALS HER CAREER HIGH IN KILLS AT MICHIGAN STATE
Felicia Jones recorded 13 kills at Michigan State to equal her career-high set at Illinois this season. It marked her fifth double-figure kill match in the last seven. She added a solo block and two assist blocks against the Spartans. At Michigan Jones recorded six kill and added two assist blocks.
MAIN PRODUCES A SEASON-HIGH 16 POINTS AT MICHIGAN STATE
Marisa Main closed out the regular season with a season-high 16 points at Michigan State. She had 12 kills (.364), two ace serves and four assist blocks in the match and added eight digs. At Michigan, Main had five kills, an ace serve, an assist block and three digs. In Big Ten Conference only statistics, Main ranks second in hitting percentage at .398 and is third is assists at 12.78.
KIEL COLLECTS A SEASON-HIGH SEVEN TOTAL BLOCKS AT MICHIGAN STATE
Ashley Kiel recorded a season-high seven total blocks at Michigan State with a solo and six assists. Her previous high was six assist blocks against Iowa. Against the Spartans she added two kills, five assists, an ace serve and 13 digs. At Michigan Kiel had six kills (.556), four assists, eight digs and four assist blocks. She has 255 digs on the season, ranking third on the squad with a 2.38 digs per game average.
MEYER, STEVENS AND MAIN RECEIVE ACADEMIC HONORS
Three Ohio State student-athletes have been honored by ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selections. Danielle Meyer was named to the second team while Ami Stevens and Marisa Main were third team selections. To be considered for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore in academic standing, own a grade-point average of 3.2 and must be a starter or key reserve for their team. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon on the national level. CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) has been selecting Academic All-America teams since 1952.
OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE STATISTICS
Four Buckeyes are ranked in the conference only Big Ten final statistics released by the Big Ten Conference. Danielle Meyer ranks fourth in kills per game with a 4.11 average. Marisa Main ranks second in hitting percentage at .398 with Nicole Britenriker seventh at .330. Main ranks third in assists per game with a 12.78 average while Ami Stevens ranks 10th in kills per game at 3.44. In team statistics, the Buckeyes rank first in kills (16.81) and assists (15.42) and is second in hitting percentage (.262) OSU is fourth in service aces (1.30), eighth in digs (15.12) and eighth in blocks (2.34) per game.
OSU 19TH 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 19th nationally this week for the second week. The Buckeyes received 466 points. The Buckeyes had 456 points 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-21 of the poll. Others include Penn State at second, Wisconsin 13th, Minnesota 17th and Purdue 21st.
HEAD COACH Jim Stone
Jim Stone is in his 24th season at Ohio State. He has a 492-269 record with the Buckeyes and is 277-157 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 14 of the last 17 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 542-311.
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.
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 27 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 15 matches with four 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 29 matches with 24 starts – ranked seventh in the Big Ten in hitting percentage at .330 – career-high 18 kills against Illinois – career-high .609 hitting percentage at Iowa – career-high 25 digs at Indiana – career-high eight total blocks (1-7) at Michigan State – 16 matches with double-figure kills and five 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 All-Big Ten – a second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection – started all 29 matches – ranked fourth in the Big Ten in kills per game at 4.11 – 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 – 24 matches with double-figure kills – nine matches with 21 or more kills – 11 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 a third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection – started and played in 27 matches – career-highs of 26 kills at Bowling Green – career-high 28.5 points at Northwestern – season-high .500 (13-0-26) hitting percentage at Michigan – ranked 10th in the Big Ten in kills per game at 3.44 – season-high 22 digs against Brigham Young – double-figure kills in 19 matches – double-figure digs in 15 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 23 matches, starting 14 – career-high four digs at Penn State – career-high 13 kills at Illinois and at Michigan State – double-figure kills in last five of the last seven 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 26 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 All-Big Ten – a third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection – started all 29 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-high of 14 kills at Cleveland State – career-high 22 digs against Purdue – season-high 16 points at Michigan State – 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 – eight matches with double-figure kills and 11 matches with double-figure digs – finished second in hitting percentage in the Big Ten at .398 and was third in assists per game at 12.78 – 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 29 matches, starting 27 – season-high 17 kills against Purdue – hit a season-high .538 at Purdue (9-2-13) – season-high 20 digs at Indiana – season-high seven total blocks (1-6) at Michigan State – six matches with double-figure kills and 11 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 18 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.
