No. 19 Women’s Volleyball Faces Illinois Friday and No. 14 Purdue Saturday in road matches – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 8, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 19th-ranked Ohio State (16-7 overall, 9-5 Big Ten) women’s volleyball continues on the road this week with matches at Illinois (13-12, 4-10) and No. 14 Purdue (21-4, 10-4). The Buckeyes will play at Illinois, Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. and complete the road trip with an 8 p.m. match at Purdue Saturday, Nov. 12. Last week Ohio State lost at No. 3 Penn State, 0-3 (29-31, 9-30, 26-30) and won at Indiana, 3-1 (30-23, 30-17, 29-31, 30-18).
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 16-7 overall and 9-5 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lost at No. 3 Penn State, 0-3 (29-31, 9-30, 26-30) and won, 3-1 (30-23, 30-17, 29-31, 30-18) at Indiana. Danielle Meyer (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) leads the Buckeyes in kills per game with a 4.84 per game average. Ami Stevens (So., Centerburg, Ohio) ranks second at 3.50. Setter Marisa Main (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) is the top percentage hitter at .373 with Meyer second at .294. Main has a 12.65 assist per game average. Ashley Kiel (Jr., Allenton, Wis.) has a team-high 32 ace serves (.38 per game) with Meyer second with 25 (.29). Defensively, Stevens has a team-high 2.96 digs per game average with Meyer second at 2.56. At the net, Meyer is averaging a team-leading .95 blocks per game with 10 solos and 71 assists. Nicole Britenriker (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) ranks second in blocking with a .80 average on six solos and 62 assists. The Buckeyes are averaging 17.02 kills and 15.47 assists and are hitting .256. OSU averages 1.45 aces, 15.60 digs and 1.96 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.89 kills and 12.34 assists and are hitting .217. They average .99 aces, 12.98 digs and 2.64 blocks per game. A LOOK AT ILLINOIS
The Illini are coached by Don Hardin. Illinois has a 13-12 overall record and is 4-10 in the Big Ten Conference. Last week the Illini lost matches at No. 10 Wisconsin, 2-3 (22-30, 30-23, 24-30, 30-26, 10-15) and at Northwestern, 1-3 (21-30, 30-25, 26-30, 25-30). Rachel VanMeter leads Illinois in kills per game with a 5.67 average with Kayani Turner second at 2.56. Vicki Brown is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .292. At setter, Stephanie Obermeier has a 9.57 assist per game average with Lizzie Bazzetta at 7.70. Rasa Virsilaite leads the team in ace serves with 25 (.29 per game) with Van Meter second with 23 (.24). Defensively, Beth Vrdsky has a team-high 4.12 digs per game with Bazzetta second at 2.13. At the net, Brown leads the team with a 1.12 blocks per game average with 12 solos and 96 assists. Meghan Maconald ranks second in blocks at .98 with 10 solos and 84 assists. Illinois averages 15.03 kills and 14.10 assists per game while hitting .229. The Illini average 1.33 aces, 13.19 digs and 2.35 blocks per game. Opponents average 14.48 kills and 13.31 assists while hitting .223. Illini opponents average 1.64 aces, 13.30 digs and 2.11 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-ILLINOIS SERIES
Ohio State has a 30-28 lead in the series with Illinois. In Champaign, the Illini have a 14-12 record over the Buckeyes. Illinois has won the last two meetings in Huff Hall. Last season the Illini won 3-0 (30-26, 30-22, 30-24) in Champaign while Ohio State won 3-2 (30-24, 29-31, 30-28, 27-30, 15-8) in Columbus. Earlier this season in Columbus, Illinois won 3-2 (27-30, 21-30, 32-30, 30-24, 20-18).
THE LAST TIME AGAINST ILLINOIS (Sept. 24, 2005)
No. 19 Ohio State could not hold a 2-0 lead as Illinois rallied to win 3-2 (27-30, 21-30, 32-30, 30-24, 20-18) Saturday night in front of 954 fans in St. John Arena. OSU’s Danielle Meyer posted a team-high 27 points with 24 kills (.308), an ace serve and four assist blocks. Nicole Britenriker added 18 points with 18 kills (.355). Illini Rachel VanMeter matched Meyers’ 27 points with 25 kills (.183) and four assist blocks while Meghan Macdonald (14 kills, .444, two ace serves, 6 assist blocks) and Kayani Turner (18 kills, .515, one solo block) each contributed 19 points.
Ohio State opened game one with a 4-0 lead. The Buckeyes lead 11-7 when kills by VanMeter and Vicki Brown, a Brown-Stephanie Obermeier block and a solo block by Brown tied the game at 11. OSU regained the lead with a Marisa Main kill, her solo block and a Meyer kill to take a 14-11 lead. Illinois would close to within one at 27-26, but two Britenriker kills set game point at 29-26. A VanMeter kill made it 29-27 but an Illini service error ended the game at 30-27. The Buckeyes hit .243 to .229.
Tied at four-all, seven consecutive kills by the Buckeyes opened an 11-4 lead. OSU held the lead and ended the game with an Ami Stevens service ace at 30-21. Illinois hit .423 for the game to OSU’s .350.
Ohio State held a four-point (18-14) lead midway in game three. Illini kills from Macdonald, Turner and Lizzie Bazzetta cut the lead to 18-17. Two Britenriker kills and one from Turner moved the score to 20-18. Back-to-back kills by Brown and an OSU error gave Illinois a 21-20 lead. The score would be tied five times and Ohio State had match points at 29-28 and 30-29 before two kills from VanMeter gave Illinois game point at 31-30. A Buckeye error ended the game for a 32-30 Illini victory. Illinois hit .370 in the game to .320 for Ohio State.
Illinois took a 2-0 lead in game four off two OSU errors and never trailed. Ohio State trailed by as many as eight (20-12) but could only close to within five at 28-23. Service errors by both teams moved the score to 29-24 and an Obermeier kill ended the game at 30-24 to tie the match at two games each. Illinois hit .529 for the game to .290 for Ohio State.
Ohio State held a 6-4 lead in game five before two OSU errors and a Bazzetta ace serve put Illinois ahead, 7-6. An Illini error and an ace serve from Rebecca Kastein with a Turner kill, tied the game at eight. A Brown kill, along with an OSU error put Illinois ahead, 10-8. Errors by both teams and an Obermeier kill made it 12-9 Illinois. An OSU block from Main and Meyer and a VanMeter kill made it 13-10, Illini. Buckeye kills from Meyer and Stevens cut the lead to one at 13-12. A VanMeter kill set match point for Illinois at 14-12. A Stevens’ kill and an Illinois error tied the game at 14. Illinois went up 15-14 with a Turner kill. A Meyer kill tied the game at 15. A Buckeye error made it 16-15, Illinois. A kill from Ashley Kiel tied the game at 16. Illinois took a 17-16 lead with a Turner kill. Meyer tied the game at 17 with a kill. A VanMeter kill put Illinois ahead, 18-17. OSU tied the game at 18 with an Illinois error. A Buckeye hitting error put Illinois ahead at 19-18 and a block by VanMeter and Macdonald closed out the game at 20-18 on their seventh match point attempt to win the match, 3-2. Illinois hit .150 for the game to .062 for Ohio State.
Illinois hit .354 for the game to .263 for the Buckeyes. OSU had an 85-76 advantage in kills and a 13 to three margin in ace serves. Illinois gave up 13 service errors to 10 for OSU. Defensively, Ohio State had a 58-52 advantage in digs with Stevens collecting a match-high 15. At the net, Illinois posted 11 team blocks to four for the Buckeyes. Macdonald had a match-high six assist blocks for the Illini. Obermeier recorded 65 assists for the Illini while Main had 61 for Ohio State.
A LOOK AT PURDUE
The Boilermakers are coached by Dave Shondell. No. 14 Purdue has a 21-4 overall record and is 10-4 in the Big Ten. Last week they lost at Northwestern, 2-3 (30-28, 30-20, 26-30, 27-30, 12-15) and won at No. 10 Wisconsin, 3-1 (30-23, 26-30, 30-28, 30-23). Danita Merlau has a team-high 3.59 kills per game average with Samantha Mader second at 3.03. Setter Renata Dargan is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .353 and has a 13.20 assists per game average. Brittany Dildine leads the team with 34 ace serves (.39 per game) with Dargan second with 22 (.26). Defensively, Anne Mastandrea has a team-high 5.16 digs per game average with Kelli Miller second at 3.29. At the net, Stephanie Lynch leads the team in blocking with a 1.39 per game average on 20 solos and 97 assist blocks. Elizabeth Jacques ranks second at 1.21 with 12 solos and 80 assists. Purdue is averaging 16.69 kills and 15.23 assists per game while hitting .259. The Boilermakers average 1.56 aces, 16.97 digs and 2.94 blocks per game. Purdue opponents average 14.47 kills and 13.62 assists per game while hitting .168. Opponent average .95 aces, 16.84 digs and 2.07 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE-PURDUE SERIES
Ohio State has a 36-29 lead in the series with Purdue. In West Lafayette, the Boilermakers have a 14-12 lead in matches. Ohio State has won the last four matches in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. Last year, Ohio State won 3-0 (30-23, 30-26, 30-24) in West Lafayette and 3-0 (36-34, 30-23, 30-28) in Columbus. Earlier this season, the Buckeyes won 3-1 (30-25, 30-26, 28-30, 30-23) in St. John Arena.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST PURDUE (Sept. 23, 2005)
No. 19 Ohio State opened Big Ten Conference play with a 3-1 (30-25, 30-25, 28-30, 30-23) victory over previously undefeated Purdue Friday night in St. John Arena in front to 967 fans. OSU’s Danielle Meyer paced the Buckeyes with a match-high 29 points with Ami Stevens adding 20.5. Meyer had a match-high 26 kills (.467), adding an ace serve and four assist blocks for her points while Stevens recorded 18 kills (.333) with two ace serves and an assist block. Leading the Boilermakers was Samantha Mader with 20 points and Danita Merlau with 16. Mader had a team-high 17 kills (.452) with two solos and two assists with Merlau recording 14 kills (.250), a solo block and two assist blocks.
Ohio State took a quick 10-3 lead in game one. Purdue responded with a 6-2 run to cut the Buckeye lead to 12-9. Ohio State held a 22-20 lead when a Stevens kill and a block by Meyer and Amanda Miller took the lead to four at 24-20. Purdue, with kills from Mader, Elizabeth Jacques and Merlau cut the lead to 24-23. Kills from Meyer and Merlau made it 25-24. A Purdue error, an OSU ace serve from Meyer and two Meyer kills set game point at 29-24. A Buckeye error cut the lead to 29-25 but a kill from Nicole Britenriker ended the game at 30-25, OSU. The Buckeyes hit .293 in the game to .263 for Purdue.
Tied at eight in game two, a Buckeye hitting error and a solo block by Mader gave Purdue a 10-8 lead. The Boilermakers held a 12-10 lead when OSU out scored Purdue 7-1 to open a 17-13 lead. The run saw three kills from Britenriker and kills from Meyer, Ashley Kiel and Marisa Main (Jr., Louisville, Ky.). At 20-17, Purdue scored five straight points to take a 22-20 lead with two kills from Merlau, one from Jacques and block from Merlau and Jacques and Renata Dargan and Jacques. After a Kiel kill made it 22-21, a Jacques kill and an OSU error opened a three point Purdue lead at 24-21. OSU, with two kills from Kiel and kills from Britenriker and Main and a Purdue error regained the lead at 26-24. A Purdue kill from Kelli Miller cut the lead to 26-25, but a Kiel kill and two from Stevens set game point at 29-25. An OSU service error made it 29-26 but a Britenriker kill ended the game at 30-26, OSU. The Buckeyes hit .442 in the game to .308 for Purdue.
Ohio State opened game three with a 5-2 lead. Purdue responded with a 7-0 run to take a 9-5 lead that they would not lose. The Buckeyes, trailing 24-19, made a 5-1 run to cut the lead to 25-24. Kills from Purdue’s Merlau and OSU’s Meyer moved the score to 26-25. Two Buckeye errors and a Mader kill set game point for Purdue at 29-25. OSU, with kills from Meyer, Miller and Britenriker cut the lead to 29-28 but a Mader kill ended the game at 30-28, Purdue. The Boilermakers hit .326 in the game to .222 for Ohio State.
OSU opened game four with a 7-2 run including three kills from Stevens and single kills from Meyer, Britenriker and Main. OSU took the lead to eight at 13-5 with a Meyer kill. Purdue cut the lead to 13-9 off two OSU errors, a Jacques-Dargan block and a Melanie Ukovich ace serve. Ohio State with kills from Miller, Kiel, Main and Meyer built and 18-10 lead. At 19-11, two kills from Stephanie Lynch and one from Mader cut the lead to five at 19-14. At 21-15, Purdue produced a 5-1 run off kills from Miller and Mader and two OSU errors to cut the Buckeye lead to three at 22-19. Ohio State scored the next six points with three kills from Kiel, one from Main and two blocks from Kiel and Britenriker. A Merlau kill and an OSU error stopped the run at 28-21. A Britenriker kill set match point at 29-21. Purdue, with kills from Merlau and Lynch stopped two match points to cut the lead to 29-23. Britenriker’s third game-winning kill ended the game at 30-23 for a 3-1 Ohio State victory. OSU hit .347 for the game to .163 for Purdue.
For the match, Ohio State hit .326 to .264 for Purdue. OSU had an 86-60 margin in kills and produced a 6-4 edge in ace serves. Purdue gave up seven service errors to six for OSU. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 77 to 54 advantage in digs with OSU’s Main recording a career-high 22 digs. At the net, Purdue had an 11 to seven advantage in team blocks with Jacques recording a match-high five assist blocks. For the Buckeyes, Main recorded 70 assists in the match to 49 for Dargan.
LAST WEEK AGAINST PENN STATE
No. 19 Ohio State women’s volleyball team lost to third-ranked Penn State, 3-0 (31-29, 30-9, 30-26) Wednesday night in Rec Hall. OSU’s Nicole Britenriker scored a team-high 11 points with Felicia Jones adding 11. Britenriker had a match-high 10 kills with two assist blocks with Jones adding nine kills and two assist blocks. Penn State’s Nicole Fawcett scored a match-high 18.5 points for the Nittany Lions with Melissa Walbridge and Kate Price adding 11.5 each. Fawcett scored a match-high 17 kills and added three assist blocks. Walbridge had six kills, an ace serve, a solo block and seven assists while Price recorded nine kills, two solo blocks and one assist block.
Penn State opened game one with a 4-0 run. The Nittany Lions held the lead but Ohio State kept it close and trailed 27-24 when a kill by Jones and a Penn State error cut the lead to one at 27-26. An OSU service error put the Penn State lead at 28-26. Another Jones kill made it 28-27. Penn State reached game point at 29-27 with a Walbridge kill. A Nittany Lion error and a kill by Ami Stevens stopped two game points to tie the game at 29-29. After a Penn State time out, a Price kill and a Kris Brown ace serve closed out the game at 31-29. Penn State hit .209 to Ohio State’s .250.
Penn State took a 2-0 lead in game two and never trailed in winning, 30-9. Penn State hit .435 for the game to -.162 for Ohio State.
Game three saw three lead changes and six ties early in the game. The Nittany Lions built up a seven-point lead at 20-13 and held a 26-21 margin when a four-point Ohio State scoring run made it 26-25. The run opened with kills by Britenriker and Jones. A Penn State error made it 26-24 as the Nittany Lions called time out. A Buckeye block by Ashley Kiel and Britenriker cut the lead to one at 26-25. A Fawcett kill and a Penn State error moved the score to 27-26. Penn State, with two Ohio State errors and a Cassy Salyer kill won the game, 30-26. The Nittany Lions hit .333 for the game to .216 for Ohio State.
For the match, Penn State hit .306 to .117 for the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions had a 47-42 advantage in kills and out served Ohio State, six to two. The Buckeyes gave up seven service errors to six for Penn State. Defensively, Penn State had a 46-40 margin in digs with Kaleena Walters recording a match-high 20 digs for the Nittany Lions. Penn State had a 13 to five margin in team blocks. Walbridge recorded a match-high eight total blocks with one solo and seven assists. PSU setter Sam Tortorello collected a match-high 40 assists while OSU’s Marisa Main recorded 31.
LAST WEEK AGAINST INDIANA
No. 19 Ohio State defeated Indiana, 3-1 (30-23, 30-17, 29-31, 30-18) Saturday night at the University Gym in Bloomington, Ind. OSU’s Danielle Meyer scored a match-high 23 points for the Buckeyes with Nicole Britenriker adding 18. Meyer had a match-high 21 kills (.486), adding four assist blocks and a career-high 19 digs. Britenriker had 15 kills (.458) with two solo blocks and two assist blocks adding a career-high 25 digs. Indiana’s Rachel Gerling scored 17 points for the Hoosiers with Lauren Ditteon adding 12.5. Gerling scored a team-high 15 kills adding an ace serve and two assist blocks while Ditteon had 10 kills, an ace serve and three assist blocks.
Ohio State opened game one with four consecutive points off kills from Felicia Jones, Marisa Main and Meyer and an Indiana error. The Hoosiers closed to within one several times but could not close the gap. At 14-13, OSU kills from Ami Stevens and Main and a Britenriker-Main block put Ohio State ahead, 17-13. The Buckeyes reached game point a 29-23 with a Meyer kill and won the game, 30-23, from an Indiana error. Ohio State hit .220 for the game to .021 for the Hoosiers.
From a 2-2 tie in game two, Ohio State opened an 8-2 lead with a six point run that started with three Indiana errors and a Britenriker solo block. After an Indiana time out, kills by Stevens and Main completed the run. OSU built up a 15-point lead at 24-9 and won the game, 30-17 with a Meyer kill. The Buckeyes hit .357 in the game to .022 for Indiana.
Indiana broke a 9-9 tie in game three with three OSU errors to take a 12-9 lead. The Hoosiers expanded the lead to six at 27-21 and reached game point at 29-25 with an Erica Short kill. The Buckeyes stopped four game points with a Britenriker kill (29-26), a Jackie Schardt ace serve (29-27), an Indiana error (29-28) and tied the game at 29 with a kill from Jones. Indiana, with an Annie Moddrell kill took a 30-29 lead and won the game, 31-29 with a kill from Ditteon. Ohio State hit .209 for the game to .205 for the Hoosiers.
Ohio State with a kill and ace serve from Stevens broke an 11-11 tie to take the lead (13-11) in game four. At 15-14, OSU, a five-point Buckeye run began with an Amanda Miller kill. After a Hoosier error, two kills from Meyer and one from Stevens completed the run for a 20-14 lead. The Buckeye expanded the lead and reached match point at 29-17 with a Britenriker-Stevens block. An OSU error stopped the first match point (29-18) but Britenriker’s kill ended the game at 30-18 for a 3-1 Ohio State victory. The Buckeyes hit .389 for the game to .140 for Indiana.
For the match, Ohio State hit .288 to Indiana’s .097. The Buckeye enjoyed a 73-51 advantage in kills and had a four to two margin in ace serves. Indiana gave up eight service errors to five for Ohio State. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 94-58 advantage in digs with OSU’s Britenriker recording a career/match-high 24. At the net, Ohio State had an eight to six margin in team blocks with OSU’s Britenriker (2 solos, 2 assists) and Meyer (4 assists) sharing match-high honors with four total blocks. OSU’s Main posted a match-high 55 assists in the match while Indiana’s Laura Holm had a team-high 20 assists with Jessica Batliner adding 18.
BRITENRIKER HAS CAREER-HIGH 25 DIGS AT INDIANA
Nicole Britenriker produced a career-high 25 digs at Indiana Saturday. Her previous high had been 14 at Iowa. It was her third double-figure dig match in the last six. She added 15 kills (.458), three assists, two assist blocks and a career-high two solo blocks against the Hoosiers. Britenriker had a team-high 10 kills at Penn State adding two assists, three digs and two assist blocks.
MAIN CONTINUES TO PRODUCE OFFENSE
Marisa Main leads Ohio State in hitting percentage at .373 and ranks fourth in kills with a 2.01 average. She ranks second in the Big Ten overall hitting percentage statistics and is second in conference only statistics at .390. Main had 31 assists at Penn State, adding seven kills, five digs and an assist block. Against Indiana she had 55 assists with seven kills, 10 digs, two assist blocks and an ace serve.
STEVENS LEADS TEAM IN DIGS
Ami Stevens leads Ohio State in digs with 225 with a team-high 2.96 per game average. She had seven digs, eight kills and an ace serve at Penn State last week and collected nine digs, 11 kills, three assist blocks and two ace serves at Indiana. Stevens has 587 career digs and ranks fourth at 2.99 per game on the Ohio State career digs per game list.
MEYER HAS A CAREER-HIGH 19 DIGS AT INDIANA
Danielle Meyer recorded a career-high 19 digs at Indiana last week. Her previous best was 17 at Bowling Green. Meyer added 21 kills and four assist blocks against the Hoosiers. She had six kills, eight digs and three assist blocks at Penn State. In Big Ten Conference only statistics, Meyer ranks fourth in kills per game at 4.47.
MEYER MOVES UP IN CAREER BLOCKS
Danielle Meyer, with seven assist blocks last week has moved to a tie for 16th on the Ohio State career assist blocks list and is not 19th in career total blocks. Her three assist blocks at Penn State and three at Indiana give her 192 for her career and moves her into a tie with Holly O’Leary (1987-90) for 16th. She passed Audrey DiPronio (1988-90) with 191 and Laura Davis (1991-94) with 187. She needs four assist blocks to pass No. 15 Stacey Gordon (2001-04) who had 195. With 212 total blocks (20 solos, 192 assists) Meyer moved past Lisa Vitali (1986-89) and Laura Davis (1991-94) with 206 into 19th place. She needs three total blocks to pass No. 18 Jenny Collins (1982-85) with 214.
JONES PRODUCES WHEN CALLED ON
Felicia Jones came off the bench at Penn State to record a career-high nine kills while hitting a career-high .421. She added a career-high four digs and equaled her career-high of two assist blocks against the Nittany Lions. Jones drew her eighth start of the season against Indiana and improved her career-high kills to 12 against the Hoosiers. Jones has played in 17 matches this season. She came to Ohio State as a junior college transfer from Southwest Missouri State-West Plains.
KIEL HAS A SEASON-HIGH 20 DIGS AT INDIANA
Ashley Kiel collected a season-high 20 digs at Indiana Saturday. Her previous best was 16 this season against Pittsburgh. At Northern Michigan, her career best was 26 at Hillsdale. Kiel added five kills, four assists and an assist block against the Hoosiers. She had nine digs, two kills, two assist blocks, two assists and an ace serve at Penn State. Kiel has a team-high 32 ace serves for the Buckeyes for a .38 per game average.
TENGNAS STARTS AT LIBERO AGAINST PENN STATE AND INDIANA
Anna Tengnas played the libero position last week in the matches at Penn State and Indiana. She has played in 10 matches this season but had not played libero this year. Tengnas had 3 starts at libero last season, playing in 16 matches. She had 17 starts at libero as a freshman. She had four digs and an assist at Penn State last Wednesday and added three digs and an assist at Indiana.
OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE STATISTICS
Five 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. Marisa Main ranks second in hitting percentage at .390 with Nicole Britenriker fifth at .367. Main ranks second in assists per game with a 13.18 average. In service aces per game, Meyer, Ami Stevens and Ashley Kiel are tied for seventh at .29. In team statistics, the Buckeyes rank first in kills (15.78), assists (17.31) and aces (1.51) per game. OSU is second in hitting percentage (.263), seventh in digs (15.80) and 10th in blocks (2.09) 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 for the third consecutive week. The Buckeyes received 426 points. The Buckeyes had 451 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-20 of the poll. Others include Penn State at third, Wisconsin 13th, Purdue 14th and Minnesota 17th.
HEAD COACH Jim Stone
Jim Stone is in his 24th season at Ohio State. He has a 487-268 record with the Buckeyes and is 272-156 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 537-310.
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 22 matches with two starts at defensive specialist and 16 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 10 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 23 matches with 18 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 – 12 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 23 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 (1-8) at Iowa – equaled her career-high of four aces at Northwestern – 20 matches with double-figure kills including nine of the last 11 – 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 21 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 15 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 17 matches, starting eight – career-high four digs at Indiana – career-high 12 kills at Indiana – 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 23 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 23 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 eight 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 23 matches, starting 21 – season-high 17 kills against Purdue – season-high 20 digs at Indiana – seven matches with double-figure digs and eight 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 15 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.
