No. 24 Women’s Volleyball Hosts Michigan State and Michigan – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 24 Ohio State (13-5, Big Ten 3-5) women’s volleyball team has home matches this weekend against Michigan State (13-5, 4-4) and Michigan (16-5, 3-5). The Buckeyes face the Spartans Friday at 7 p.m. and the Wolverines Sunday at 2 p.m. Last week Ohio State lost road matches at Illinois, 0-3 (20-30, 24-30, 21-30) and at Northwestern, 2-3 (28-30, 30-24, 30-26, 27-30, 10-15).
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Jim Stone is in his 25th season with the 24th-ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State has a 13-5 overall record and is 3-5 in the Big Ten. Last week Ohio State lost road matches at Illinois, 0-3 (20-30, 24-30, 21-30) and at Northwestern, 2-3 (28-30, 30-24, 30-26, 27-30, 10-15).
Leading Ohio State in kills per game is Danielle Meyer (6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) with a 4.72 average. Anna Szerszen (Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) ranks second at 4.26 with Briana McCarthy (Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) third at 2.70. OSU’s top percentage hitter is McCarthy at .357. Setter Marisa Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) is averaging 12.70 assists per game. Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) is averaging a team-high .38 aces per game with 25. Meyer and McCarthy are tied for second at .35 with 23 each. Defensively, Stevens leads the team with a 3.67 digs per game average. Meyer ranks second at 2.51 with Ashley Kiel (Sr., Allenton, Wis.) third at 2.11. At the net Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) has a team-high 1.13 blocks per game average. She has five solos and 64 assist blocks. Meghan Simons (Fr. Carroll, Ohio) ranks second at .94 with 29 assists with McCarthy third at .70 with two solos and 44 assists. As a team, OSU is averaging 16.15 kills and 14.88 assists per game while hitting .278. The Buckeyes average 1.80 aces, 14.62 digs and 2.25 blocks per game. Opponents average 12.88 kills and 11.76 assists per game while hitting .177. OSU opponents average 1.06 aces, 12.83 digs and 2.45 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT MICHIGAN STATE
Head coach Cathy George is in her second season with the Spartans. Michigan State is 13-5 overall and is 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans had 3-0 victories at Michigan (30-27, 30-28, 30-26) and at home against Iowa (30-21, 30-20, 30-25).
Michigan State’s Katie Johnson leads the team with a 4.95 kills per game average with Ashley Schatzle second at 4.54. Jessica Hohl is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .348. Setter Allison Ianni is averaging 13.35 assists per game. Miken Trogdon has a team-high 16 ace serves (.26 per game) with Tracy Bellwood second with 14 (.52). Defensively, Nicole Colaluca has a team-high 4.97 digs per game average with Trogdon second at 2.26. At the net, Hohl is the top blocker on the squad with a .97 per game average with four solos and 56 assists. Ranking second is Ianni at .87 with seven solos and 47 assists. Michigan State is averaging 17.53 kills and 16.08 assists while hitting .298. The Spartans average 1.32 aces, 14.82 digs and 2.50 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.32 kills and 12.27 assists while hitting .208. Spartan opponents average 1.05 aces, 11.50 digs and 2.07 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Ohio State leads the series with Michigan State, 35-24 and has won the last four meetings. In matches played in Columbus, the Buckeyes have an 18-7 margin over the Spartans. Last season, at home, Ohio State won 3-1 (26-30, 30-18, 30-18, 30-14) and 3-2 (30-28, 30-22, 29-31, 26-30, 15-9) at Michigan State.
A LOOK AT MICHIGAN
Head coach Mark Rosen is in his eighth season with the Wolverines. Michigan is 16-5 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten Conference. Last week the Wolverines lost at home to Michigan State, 0-3 (27-30, 28-30, 26-30) and defeated Iowa 3-0 (30-27, 30-21, 30-19).
Michigan’s Katie Bruzdzinski has a team-high 4.53 kills per game average with Lyndsay Miller second at 3.84. Leading Michigan in hitting percentage is Beth Karpiak at .322. Setter Stesha Selsky is averaging 13.03 assist per game. Bruzdzinski has a team-high .40 aces per game with 28 ace serves. Liz Raschke ranks second at .31 with 20. Defensively, Selsky leads the team with a 4.22 digs per game average. Kerry Hance ranks second at 3.97. At the net, Megan Bowman leads the team with a 1.20 blocks per game average with 19 solos and 58 assists. Karpiak ranks second at 1.11 with 16 solos and 62 assists. Michigan is averaging 16.56 kills and 15.36 assists while hitting .240. The Wolverines average 1.60 aces, 18.30 digs and 2.66 blocks per game. Opponents average 12.71 kills and 11.83 assists while hitting .135. Michigan opponents average 1.20 aces, 15.87 digs and 2.61 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. MICHIGAN
Ohio State enjoys a 43-12 lead in the series with Michigan. The Buckeyes have won the last four meetings with the Wolverines. Last season Ohio State won 3-0 matches against Michigan in Columbus (30-27, 30-27, 32-30) and in Ann Arbor (30-28, 30-22, 30-24).
SZERSZEN NOW WITH 10 STRAIGHT DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL MATCHES
Ana Szerszen has extended her double-figure kill streak to 10 matches with 10 kills at Illinois and 19 at Northwestern. She added three digs and equaled her career-high of three assist blocks against the Illini. At Northwestern, Szerszen added two ace serves, an assist block and a career-high 17 digs. In her 10 starts since arriving from France, she is averaging 4.76 points, 4.26 kills, .26 aces, 1.79 digs and .45 blocks per game.
McCARTHY HAS 10TH DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL MATCH OF THE SEASON
Briana McCarthy had 13 kills at Northwestern for her 10th double-figure kill match of the season. She added nine digs, three assist blocks and two ace serves against the Wildcats. At Illinois, McCarthy had six kills, an ace serve and one dig. She has been a regular in all 18 matches with 16 starts, averaging 3.41 points, 2.70 kills, .35 aces, 1.27 digs and .70 blocks per game.
MEYER HAS STREAK OF 13 MATCHES WITH DOUBLE-FIGURE KILLS
Danielle Meyer, with 10 kills at Illinois and Northwestern has extended her streak of double-figure kill matches to 13 and 17 of 18 on the season. At Illinois, she added 10 digs and an assist block. Meyer had seven digs, a season-high seven assist blocks and two ace serves at Northwestern. In her 18 starts, she is averaging 5.42 points, 4.72 kills, .35 aces, 2.51 digs and .62 blocks per game.
MEYER MOVES TO 10TH IN OHIO STATE CAREER TOTAL BLOCKS
Danielle Meyer, with an assist block at Illinois and seven at Northwestern, now has 285 career total blocks for Ohio State and now ranks 10th. She has 30 solos and 255 assists. Meyer passed Gabriele Jobst (1991-94) with 277 (17-260). She needs eight total blocks to move past No. 9 Margie Meyers (1984-87) with 292 (77 solos, 215 assists).
MAIN JUST MISSES A TRIPLE-DOUBLE AT NORTHWESTERN
Marisa Main was one kill short of a triple-double at Northwestern with nine kills, 56 assists and 15 digs. She added an ace serve and an assist block in the match. At Illinois, Main had five kills, 25 assists, nine digs and two assist blocks. In her 18 starts, she is averaging 12.70 assists, 1.33 kills, 2.00 digs and .45 blocks per game.
JONES HAS A SEASON-HIGH 12 KILLS AT NORTHWESTERN
Felicia Jones (Sr., Concord, Ont.), with 12 kills at Northwestern, set her season-high against the Wildcats. Her previous best this season was nine against Wisconsin. Jones added a dig and an assist block in the match. At Illinois, she had five kills and two assist blocks. Jones has played in all 16 matches and has eight starts including the last seven matches. She is averaging 1.97 points, 1.68 kills, and .57 blocks per game.
STEVENS RETURNS TO OUTSIDE HITTER AT NORTHWESTERN
Ami Stevens started at outside hitter at Northwestern after nine starts at libero. At outside hitter, she produced 11 kills, 20 digs and equaled her career-high of seven assist blocks. At Illinois, playing as the libero, Stevens had five digs and an ace serve. She has played in all 18 matches with nine starts and is averaging 2.03 points, 1.45 kills, .38 aces and 3.67 digs per game.
STEVENS MOVES TO 20TH IN CAREER DIGS AT 899
Ami Stevens had 25 digs last weekend and now has 899 career digs and has moved to 20th on the Ohio State career digs list. She posted five digs at Illinois and 20 at Northwestern. Stevens moved past Anne Botica (1998-01) with 893 and Katie Virtue (1999-01) with 885. Stevens needs two digs to past No. 19 Shelly Draeger (1999-02) with 900 and 11 to pass No. 18 Margie Meyer (1984-87) with 909.
KIEL SWITCHES TO LIBERO AT NORTHWESTERN
Ashley Kiel made her sixth start at libero in the Northwestern game. She produced a season-high 15 digs against the Wildcats. She played at defensive specialist at Illinois, collecting four digs. Kiel has played in 18 matches with two starts. She is averaging 2.11 digs per game and has nine ace serves.
OSU RANKED 24TH IN THE CSTV/AVCA COACHES POLL
The CSTV (College Sports Television/AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) 2006 Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll has Ohio State ranked 24th this week. OSU was ranked 16th last week and began the season at 23rd. The Buckeyes are one of five Big Ten squads ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Poll. Others include Penn State second, Wisconsin 11th, Purdue 14th and Minnesota 17th.
BUCKEYES HAVE TWO-.500-PLUS HITTING MATCHES
Ohio State hit a .513 percentage against Iona and a .521 against Lehigh. The .521 mark ranks third and the .513 mark ranks fourth on the Ohio State match records list. At the Towson Invitational, the Buckeyes hit .489 against Robert Morris which now ranks seventh.
BUCKEYE HAVE SECOND 0-2 COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY IN THREE YEARS
Ohio State’s come-from-behind victory over Wisconsin was the second time in three years that the Buckeyes rallied to win after trailing 0-2 in a match. In 2004 in the NCAA regional semifinals at Minnesota, the Buckeyes lost the first two games, 29-31, 27-30, to Tennessee before winning the next three games, 30-16, 30-26, 15-12 to advance to the regional championship match against Minnesota. Ohio State lost that match, 2-3.
MEYER NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK (AUG. 28, 2006)
Women’s volleyball Danielle Meyer was selected the Big Ten Player of the Week by the conference office. She was key in Ohio State’s 3-0 season start, winning the Towson Invitational last weekend. Meyer posted a match high 15 kills while hitting .565 in the 3-0 (30-15, 30-20, 30-17) win over Robert Morris. She added two ace serves, five digs and an assist block in the match. Against Houston, in the 3-2 (30-32, 30-18, 28-30, 30-15, 15-12) win, Meyer had a career-high 30 kills while hitting .283. She added two ace serves, four digs and four assist blocks. In the 3-1 (28-30, 30-27, 30-27, 30-22) victory over Towson, Meyer set a new career-high with 32 kills while hitting .373. She added an ace serve, a season-high 16 digs and two solo blocks in the match. Meyer closed out the Towson match with double-figure kills in game three (12) and four (10).
For the three matches, Meyer averaged 6.42 kills, 7.21 points and 2.08 digs per game while hitting .366. She added five ace serves and seven total blocks with two solo and five assists.
THREE NAMED TO BIG TEN PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Three Ohio State players named to the 12-player 2006 Preseason All-Big Ten Volleyball Team, announced by the conference office. Setter Marisa Main and outside hitter Ami Stevens earned their second-straight preseason selection with middle blocker Danielle Meyer earning her first selection.
Main is a two-time All-Big Ten selection and was named to the 2005 Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Last season, she averaged 12.78 assists, 2.08 kills and 2.30 digs per game while hitting .388 in conference play. Main is a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association second-team All-American selection.
Stevens was a 2005 Preseason All-Big Ten selection. Last season she averaged 3.44 kills and 2.71 digs while hitting .230 in conference play. She has played for USA Volleyball the last three years as a member of the United States Junior National team in 2004 and 2005 and with the USA National A-2 Team in 2006.
Meyer was a 2005 All-Big Ten selection. She averaged 4.11 kill, 2.48 digs and 1.14 blocks per game while hitting .260 in conference play. Meyer was a 2005 AVCA third-team All-American.
OHIO STATE PICKED TO FINISHED FOURTH IN THE BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
Ohio State, by a vote of the Big Ten conference coaches, was picked to finish fourth in the league by a vote of the conference coaches. The Buckeyes finished in a tie for third with Minnesota in 2005. The Gophers were picked to finish third, with Wisconsin second and three-time defending Big Ten Champion Penn State chosen to repeat.
OSU HAS THREE TELEVISED MATCHES
Ohio State will have three matches televised as part of a 14-match lineup announced by the Big Ten Conference Thursday. The Buckeyes will appear in two national and one regional cable telecasts. OSU’s television schedule will open with a live telecast at Penn State, Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on College Sports Television (CSTV). The Buckeyes will then appear in the first of three Big Ten-ESPN2 matches at Purdue, Friday, Sept. 29. The Purdue match will be shown, Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Ohio State’s third televised match will be at Minnesota, Friday, Oct. 27 on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (CSN Chicago). The Minnesota match will be broadcast Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. ET.
The Big Ten Conference will have six national and eight regional televised matches this season. CSTV and ESPN will have three matches each and CSN Chicago with broadcast eight contests including a wildcard match the final weekend of the season.
For more than a decade, the Big Ten has been a leader in collegiate volleyball television exposure. The conference enters its 12th-consecutive year of partnership with ESPN2 in which at least three matches will be telecast.
HEAD COACH JIM STONE
Jim Stone enters his 25th season at Ohio State. He has a 506-275 record with the Buckeyes and is 280-162 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 28-year career record is 556-317.
MEET THE BUCKEYES
#1 Meghan Simons (Middle Blocker, 6-3, Fr., Carroll, Ohio) – 2006 played in 11 matches, starting 10 – nine kills against Robert Morris and Houston – hit a career-high .667 (9-1-12) against Houston – season-high five assist blocks at Towson.
#2 Brittany Dahms (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-5, Jr., Bryon, Ill.) – 2006 played in two matches – missed the first 10 matches of the season – two digs at Penn State – 2005 played in 29 matches with two starts at defensive specialist and 22 at libero – named to the Academic All-Big Ten squad – 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, Sr., Hyletbruk, Sweden) – 2006 played in 16 matches – season-high 11 digs against Arizona State – 2005 has played in 15 matches with four starts at libero – named to the Academic All-Big Ten squad – 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.
#5 Lindsay Schad (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-4, Fr., St. Louis, Mo.) – 2006 played in seven matches, starting three at libero – double-figure digs against Houston with 12 and Towson with 13.
#6 Danielle Meyer (Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter, 6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) – 2006 started 18 matches – became the 16th player to reach 1,000 kills against IPFW – has 1,160 career kills, ranking 14th – named the Most Outstanding Player of the Sports Imports Classic – named the Most Valuable Player of the Towson Invitational – named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her play at the Towson Invitational – career-high 32 kills at Towson – season-high 17 digs at Iowa – back-to-back 30-plus kill matches against Houston (30) and Towson (32) – added her third 30-kill match at Iowa – preseason All-Big Ten selection – career-high five aces against Tennessee Tech – double-figure kills in 17 matches, double-figure digs in eight matches 2005 a third-team AVCA All-American – All-Big Ten – a second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection – named to the Academic All-Big Ten squad – started all 31 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 – 25 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/Libero, 6-1, Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) – 2006 played in 18 matches, starting nine with nine starts at libero – season-high 14 kills against Iona – double-figure kills in seven matches – double-figure digs in 11 matches including six of the last seven – season-high 26 digs at Iowa and against Wisconsin – 20 or more digs in five of the last seven matches – equaled her career-high of seven assist blocks at Northwestern – preseason All-Big Ten Selection – 2005 a third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection – started and played in 29 matches – named to the Academic All-Big Ten squad – 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 20 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, Sr./Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) 2006 played in all 18 matches with 16 starts – career-high 22 kills at Purdue – double-figure kills in 10 matches including six of the last seven – season-high 10 digs at Iowa – season-high five assists at Purdue – career-high 25 points at Purdue – 2005 did not play – named to the Academic All-Big Ten squad – 2004 started 26 matches – averaged 1.33 kills, .58 digs and .88 blocks per game – 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, Sr., Concord, Ontario/Southwest Missouri State-West Plains) 2006 played in 16 matches, starting eight – season-high 12 kills at Northwestern – career-high six assist blocks at Indiana – 2005 played in 25 matches, starting 16 – career-high four digs at Penn State – career-high 13 kills at Illinois and at Michigan State – hit a career-high .421 (9-1-19) at Penn State – career-high 15 points at Michigan State – career-high four blocks (1-3) against Marshall 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 Ashley Hughes (Setter, 5-11, Fr., Carroll, Ohio) – 2006 played in four matches – career-high six assists at Youngstown State – career-high two digs against Lehigh.
#12 Kristen Dozier (Middle Blocker, 6-2, Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) – 2006 played and started in 17 matches – career-high 11 kills against Iona – career-high 13 assist blocks against Houston to set an OSU match record for assist blocks and tied the OSU record for total blocks – hit a career-high .750 (10-1-12) against Lehigh – career-high five digs against Houston – career-high three ace serves against Iona – double-figure kills in three matches.
#13 Marisa Main (Setter, 5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky./Xavier) – 2006 started all 18 matches – season-high nine kills at Purdue and at Northwestern – season-high 71 assists at Iowa – season-high 12 digs at Towson – double-figure digs in three matches – season-high six assist blocks against Houston – honored as the Best Setter in the Sports Imports Classic – preseason All-Big Ten selection – 2005 An AVCA second-team All-American – All-Big Ten – a third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection – started all 31 matches – named to the Academic All-Big Ten squad – 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 13 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 payed at Xavier University – named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference and All-Rookie teams.
#14 Anna Szerszen (Outside Hitter, 6-3, Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) – 2006 Played and started in 10 matches – career-high 25 kills at Iowa – double-figure kills in 10 matches – career-high .440 hitting percentage against IPFW – career-high 17 digs at Northwestern – has three 20-plus kill matches including 23 at Purdue and 20 against Minnesota – arrived in Columbus, September 8 after playing for France in the European Junior National Championship.
#15 Ashley Kiel (Outside Hitter, 5-11, Sr., Allenton, Wis./Northern Michigan) 2006 played in 18 matches, starting six at libero and two as a defensive specialist – season-high 12 digs against Arizona State – season-high four ace serves against Iona, part of a string of 18 consecutive points she served in game one – double-figure digs in three matches – 2005 played in 31 matches, starting 29 and had one start at libero – season-high 17 kills against Purdue – hit a career-high .600 (7-1-10) against Marshall – season-high 20 digs at Indiana – season-high seven total blocks (1-6) at Michigan State – six matches with double-figure kills and 12 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.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK
ILLINOIS 3, OHIO STATE 0
The 16th ranked Ohio State (13-4, 3-4 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team fell 0-3 (20-30, 24-30, 21-30) at Illinois (12-5, 3-4) Friday night in Huff Hall. OSU’s Anna Szerszen had a team-high 11.5 points with Danielle Meyer adding 10.5. Szerszen had 10 kills with three assist blocks while Meyer added 10 kills and one assist block. Kayani Turner of Illinois had a match-high 20 points with Meghan Macdonald adding 16.5 Turner posted a match-high 19 kills with two assist blocks while Macdonald had 10 kills, one ace serve, one solo block and nine assist blocks.
Trailing 15-13, two Briana McCarthy kills tied the game at 15. An Ami Stevens ace serve and a Szerszen-Kristen Dozier block gave Ohio State a 17-15 lead. A Turner kill and a Macdonald-Turner block tied the game at 17. Illinois continued the run by scoring the next eight points to open a 25-17 lead. A Vicki Brown kill ended the game at 30-20 for the Illini. Illinois hit .237 for the game to -.056 for Ohio State.
Tied at 2-2, Illinois broke the tie with a kill by Turner, an ace serve by Ashley Edinger and an OSU error to take a 5-2 lead. Illinois took the lead to eight at 12-4 going on to win the game, 30-24, with a Macdonald ace serve to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Illini hit .350 for the game to .191 for the Buckeyes.
An Illinois error opened game three to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead. An Amy Palash kill, a Brown-Lizzie Bazzetta block and an OSU error made it 3-1 Illini. Ohio State would close to within one point at 4-3 and 5-4 but could not cut the lead. At 25-21, Illinois scored the final five points to win the game on an OSU error, 30-21. The Illini hit .345 for the game to .081 for Ohio State.
For the match, Illinois hit .308 to .083 for Ohio State. The Illini had a 50-37 advantage in kills and a four to two edge in ace serves. Illinois gave up eight service errors to seven for the Buckeyes. Defensively, the Illini had a 46-32 margin in digs with Edinger recording a match-high 11. At the net, Illinois had a 12.5 to six advantage in team blocks. Macdonald posted a match-high 10 blocks with a solo and nine assists. Bazzetta had 42 assists for Illinois while Marisa Main had 25 for Ohio State.
NORTHWESTERN 3, OHIO STATE 2
The 16th ranked Ohio State (13-5, 3-5 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team could not hold a 2-1 lead against Northwestern (9-8, 3-5) and lost 2-3 (28-30, 30-24, 30-26, 27-30, 10-15) to the Wildcats Saturday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena. OSU’s Anna Szerszen scored a team-high 21.5 points for the Buckeyes with five other players having 10.5 points or more. Szerszen had a match-high 19 kills adding two ace serves and one assist block. Northwestern’s Lindsay Anderson had a match-high 22 points in the match with Brittney Aldridge adding 21.5. Anderson recorded 15 kills, four ace serves and six assist blocks in the match while Aldridge had a team-high 16 kills, a solo block and nine assist blocks.
Ohio State held an early 9-3 lead in game one that had 14 ties and six lead changes. OSU last held a lead at 27-26 from a Wildcat error. Aldridge tied the game at 27 with a kill and Northwestern took a 28-27 lead with a Julie Purcell kill. Szerszen, with a kill tied the game at 28. Northwestern reach game point with a Courtnie Paulus kill at 29-28. The Wildcats won the game, 30-28, with a Chelsy Hyser kill. The Wildcats hit .234 for the game to .213 for Ohio State.
Northwestern had a 7-4 lead in game two before a 7-1 Buckeye run gave Ohio State an 11-8 lead. The run began with a Briana McCarthy kill and three Northwestern errors to take a 8-7 lead. A McCarthy ace serve and an Aldridge kill made it 9-8, OSU. A Wildcat error and a Danielle Meyer kill made the Buckeye lead, 11-8. The Buckeyes expanded the lead to six at 16-10 only to have Northwestern cut the lead to one at 19-18 with an Aldridge kill. At 26-23, two Szerszen kill and one from Felicia Jones set game point at 29-23. An OSU error made it 29-24. A Wildcat error then ended the game at 30-24, OSU, to tie the match at one game each. Ohio State hit .224 for the game to .102 for Northwestern.
Ohio State opened game three with a 5-0 lead with a kill from Jones and two each from McCarthy and Szerszen. At 8-1, Northwestern had an 8-1 run to tie the game at nine. At 17-all, a McCarthy kill, a Wildcat error, an ace and kill by Szerszen and another Wildcat error opened a 22-17 Buckeye lead. A Szerszen kill set game point at 29-25, Buckeyes. A Wildcat block by Stephanie Jurivich and Hyser made it 29-26. A Wildcat error gave OSU a 30-26 win in the game and a 2-1 lead in the match. OSU hit .106 for the game to .018 for Northwestern.
Northwestern held a 3-0 lead to open game four. Down, 6-4, Ohio State tied the game at six with a McCarthy kill and a Meyer-Marisa Main block. Two Wildcat errors gave OSU a two-point lead at 8-6. A Buckeye error and an Anderson-Aldridge block tied the game at eight. The sixth tie of the game made it 19-all with a Main kill. A Cassie McLaughlin kill returned the lead to Northwestern at 20-19. The Wildcats took the lead to four at 25-21, 26-22 and 27-23. Buckeye kills by Meyer and Main and a Meyer-Szerszen block cut the lead to one at 27-26. Errors by both teams moved the score to 28-27. An Anderson kill set game point for Northwestern at 29-27. A Wildcat block by McLaughlin-Aldridge block won the game at 30-27 to tie the match at two games each. The Wildcats hit .261 for the game to .170 for Ohio State.
Game five began close and was tied at seven all. A solo block by Aldridge and her kill opened a 9-7 lead. A Jones kill cut the Wildcat lead to one at 9-8. A Buckeye error, a McLaughlin-Aldridge block and a McLaughlin kill gave Northwestern a 12-8 lead. At 13-9, an Anderson ace serve set match point for Northwestern at 14-9. Ami Stevens stopped the match point with a kill at 14-10. Northwestern won the game with an Aldridge kill at 15-10 to win the match, 3-2. The Wildcats hit .625 for the game to .286 for Ohio State.
Ohio State hit .190 for the game to .183 for Northwestern. Each squad had 74 kills in the match and had seven ace serves each. Anderson recorded a match-high four ace serves for the Wildcats. Northwestern had nine service errors to seven for Ohio State. Defensively, Ohio State had a 90-88 margin in digs. Wildcat Kate Nobilio collected a match-high 25. At the net, the Wildcats had an 18 to 10 advantage in team blocks. Northwestern’s Aldridge recorded a match-high 10 blocks with a solo and nine assists. Wildcat setter Jurivich had 63 assists in the match while OSU’s Main had 56.
