#24 Women’s Volleyball Travels to #12 Minnesota and #14 Wisconsin – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 24, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 24 Ohio State (15-5, Big Ten 5-5) women’s volleyball team begins the second half of the Big Ten schedule by traveling to No. 12 Minnesota (15-5, 9-1) Friday at 7 p.m.. and at No. 14 Wisconsin (15-5, 7-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday’s match with the Gophers is the Big Ten Match of the Week, delayed telecast by Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Dave Loane and Ohio State All-American Audrey DiPronio Flaugh will call the match. Sunday’s match will be delayed telecast by FoxSports North, Monday at 9 p.m. ET. Craig Coshun and Andrea Nilsen will call the action. Last week Ohio State, in home matches defeated Michigan State, 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-22) and Michigan, 3-2 (27-30, 30-14, 22-30, 30-26, 15-9).
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Jim Stone is in his 25th season with the 24th-ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State has a 15-5 overall record and is 5-5 in the Big Ten. Last week Ohio State, in home matches defeated Michigan State, 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-22) and Michigan, 3-2 (27-30, 30-14, 22-30, 30-26, 15-9).
Leading Ohio State in kills per game is Danielle Meyer (6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) with a 4.59 average. Anna Szerszen (Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) ranks second at 4.48 with Briana McCarthy (Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) third at 2.76. OSU’s top percentage hitter is McCarthy at .365. Setter Marisa Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) is averaging 12.76 assists per game. Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) is averaging a team-high .38 aces per game with 28. McCarthy ranks second at .34 with 25 and Meyer third at .33 with 24. Defensively, Stevens leads the team with a 3.80 digs per game average. Meyer ranks second at 2.47 with Main third at 2.12. At the net Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) has a team-high 1.9 blocks per game average. She has six solos and 69 assist blocks. Meghan Simons (Fr. Carroll, Ohio) ranks second at .94 with 29 assists with McCarthy third at .77 with five solos and 52 assists. As a team, OSU is averaging 16.19 kills and 14.89 assists per game while hitting .282. The Buckeyes average 1.72 aces, 14.59 digs and 2.33 blocks per game. Opponents average 12.86 kills and 11.74 assists per game while hitting .178. OSU opponents average 1.04 aces, 12.77 digs and 2.46 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT MINNESOTA
Head coach Mike Hebert is in his 12th season with the 12th-ranked Golden Gophers. Minnesota is 15-5 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten. The Gophers have won five straight matches and 13 of their last 14. Last week they defeated No. 11 Wisconsin, 3-0 (30-20, 30-25, 30-28) at home and won 3-0 (30-19, 30-23, 30-24) at Iowa.
Kyla Roehrig leads Minnesota in kills per game with a 3.49 average. Meredith Nelson ranks second at 3.25. Jessy Jones is the top percentage hitter at .305. Setter Rachel Hartmann is averaging 13.19 assists per game. Meghan Cumpston leads the team in aces per game at .36 with 26. Christine Tan ranks second at .27 with 20. Defensively, Malama Peniata has a team-high 5.74 digs per game with Kelly Bowman ranking second at 3.32. At the net, Jones leads the team with a 1.50 blocks per game average with 17 solos and 88 assists. Nelson ranks second at .90 with seven solos and 55 assists. Minnesota is averaging 16.21 kills and 14.95 assists per game and is hitting .244. The Gophers average 1.45 aces, 15.79 digs and 3.05 blocks per game. Opponents average 14.16 kills and 13.26 assists while hitting .169. Minnesota opponents average 1.26 aces, 15.21 digs and 2.08 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. MINNESOTA
Ohio State has a 29-28 lead in the series with the Gophers. In Minneapolis, Minnesota is 14-11. Last season Ohio State won 3-0 (30-28, 30-26, 30-28) in the Sports Pavilion to stop a four match losing streak in the facility and lost 0-3 (19-30, 25-30, 23-30) in Columbus. Earlier this season, in Columbus, Minnesota won, 3-1 (23-30, 30-27, 30-21, 30-28).
A LOOK AT WISCONSIN
Head coach Pete Waite is in his eighth season with the 14th-ranked Badgers. Wisconsin is 15-5 overall and is 7-3 in the Big Ten. Last week they lost at No. 17 Minnesota, 0-3 (20-30, 25-30, 28-30) and won at Iowa, 3-1 (30-19, 26-30, 30-24, 30-21).
Leading Wisconsin in kills per game is Brittney Dolgner with a 4.03 average. Maria Carlini ranks second at 3.45. Amy Bladow is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .293. Setter Jackie Simpson is averaging 13.00 assists per game. Dolgner leads the team in aces per game at .24 with 16. Jocelyn Wack ranks second at .22 with 15. Wack is the team leader in digs per game at 4.72. Dolgner ranks second at 2.43. At the net, Taylor Reineke has a team-high 1.69 blocks per game with 11 solos and 104 assists. Bladow ranks second in blocking at 1.31 with 13 solos and 72 assists. Wisconsin is averaging 16.29 kills and 15.25 assists per game while hitting .257. The Badgers average 1.25 aces, 16.06 digs and 3.51 blocks per game. Wisconsin opponents average 13.82 kills and 13.01 assists per game while hitting .157. Badger opponents average 1.00 aces, 14.79 digs and 2.38 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. WISCONSIN
Ohio State has a 28-25 lead in the series with Wisconsin. The Badgers have a 13-12 advantage in matches played in Madison. Last season Ohio State lost 0-3 (25-30, 18-30, 20-30) at Wisconsin and 0-3 (24-30, 28-30, 24-30) in Columbus. Earlier this season, the Buckeyes defeated the Badgers, 3-2 (28-30, 25-30, 30-27, 30-28, 15-12) in Columbus.
SZERSZEN NAMED CO-BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Anna Szerszen has been named the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week for her play in Ohio State wins over Michigan State and Michigan. She shares the honor with Penn State’s Megan Hodge.
In Sunday’s 3-2 come-from-behind win over Michigan, Szerszen recorded career highs of 27 kills, two solo blocks and tied her career high of three total blocks. She added 11 digs in the match. Down 2-1 in the match to Michigan, Szerszen had a game-high nine kills in game four while hitting .421. She then had a game-high four kills, hitting .600 in the deciding fifth game. She totaled 17 kills and 18 points against Michigan State prior to the match versus the Wolverines. For the two matches, Szerszen averaged 5.94 points, 5.50 kills, 1.75 digs and hit .278.
SZERSZEN HAS CAREER DAY AGAINST MICHIGAN
Ana Szerszen set four career-highs and tied another against Michigan Sunday. She had career-highs of 27 kills, 62 attempts, two solo blocks and 29.5 points and tied her career-high of three total blocks for the third time. She added 11 digs in the match. Szerszen hit .258 in the match to help OSU rally for a 3-2 win over the Wolverines. Against Michigan State, She had a match-high 18 points with 17 kills and an ace serve. Szerszen hit .314 in the match, adding three digs and an assist. She has had double-figure kills in all 12 matches she has played in since arriving from France including four matches with 20 or more kills. On the season she is averaging 4.97 points, 4.48 kills, .24 aces, 1.78 digs and is hitting .184.
MEYER TIES FOR SEVENTH IN OSU CAREER ASSIST BLOCKS
Danielle Meyer, with five assist blocks last week, has moved into a tie for seventh on the Ohio State career assist block list with 260. She is tied with Gabriele Jobst (1991-94). Meyer had four assist blocks against Michigan, adding a solo block, 15 kills and 13 digs. She had one assist block against Michigan State, picking up 13 kills, four digs and an ace serve in the match. Meyer has started all 20 matches this season and leads the team in points per game at 5.27 and kills at 4.59. She is averaging .33 aces, 2.47 digs and .63 blocks per game. Meyer has had double-figure kills in 19 of 20 matches and has six matches with 24 or more kills this season.
McCARTHY HAS SOLID BLOCKING WEEKEND
Briana McCarthy established new season-highs in blocks last weekend. She had a season-high two solo blocks and added three assist blocks against Michigan State. Against Michigan, she had a season-high five assist blocks and added a solo block for a season-high six total blocks against the Wolverines. McCarthy added 12 kills, two ace serves and two digs against Michigan State and had 14 kills and three digs against Michigan. For the two matches, she hit a combined .429, hitting .391 against Michigan State and .462 against Michigan. McCarthy has played in all 20 matches and is averaging 3.51 points, 2.76 kills, .34 aces, 1.20 digs, .77 blocks per game and is hitting .365.
McCARTHY NOW 12TH IN OSU CAREER ASSIST BLOCKS, 13TH IN TOTAL BLOCKS
Briana McCarthy, with eight assist blocks last weekend, now has 229 career assists and has moved to 12th on the OSU career list. She has passed Katie Virtue (1999-02) with 227 and Kristi Neuman (1983-86) with 222. She needs two assists to pass No. 11 Sara Daniel (1991-94) with 230. In total blocks her 11 (3-8) gives her 261 career blocks (32-229) and moves her ahead of Sara Daniel (1991-94) into 13th on the list. Daniel (20-230) had been tied with McCarthy for 13th.
JONES HITS A SEASON-HIGH .538 AGAINST MICHIGAN
Felicia Jones (Sr., Concord, Ont.), hit a season-high .538 (8-1-13) against Michigan Sunday. She had eight kills, a solo block and six assist blocks in the match. Her six assist blocks equaled her career high and her seven total blocks is a career-high. Against Michigan State, she had eight kills, hit .375 and added a solo block and four assists. Jones has played in 18 matches this season with 10 starts including the last nine matches. She is averaging 2.11 points, 1.73 kills and .71 blocks per game.
MAIN HAS SEASON-HIGH 18 DIGS AGAINST MICHIGAN
Marisa Main posted a season-high 18 digs in the Michigan match. She added seven kills, an ace serve and an assist block while hitting .357. Main had 63 assists in the match. Against Michigan State, she had 43 assists, adding five kills and seven digs while hitting .400. Main has started all 20 matches and is averaging 12.76 assists, 1.45 kills, 2.12 digs and .42 blocks per game. For her career, she has 4,134 assists at Ohio State and ranks fourth all-time. Main needs 51 assists to move to third on the list, passing Audrey DiPronio (1988-90) with 4,184.
DOZIER LEADS OSU IN BLOCKING
Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) has a team-high 1.09 blocks per game average for the Buckeyes with six solos and 69 assists. Dozier had a solo block and five assists against Michigan for the weekend, adding four kills and a dig in the match. She had two kills and a dig against Michigan State. Dozier has started and played in 19 matches this season. She is averaging 2.31 points, 1.51 kills and 1.09 blocks per game while hitting .306.
STEVENS RETURNS TO THE LIBERO POSITION
Ami Stevens, after starting at outside hitter at Northwestern, returned to the libero position last weekend with 11 starts at libero in the last 12 matches. She started at outside hitter in the other nine matches. Stevens had 23 digs against Michigan State and handled 24 of 25 (.960) reception attempts in the match. She had 16 digs and three ace serves against Michigan and played 34 of 35 (.971) reception attempts in the match. Stevens has a team-high 3.80 digs per game average and has 28 ace serves for a .38 per game average. She has a .967 reception attempt percentage with 13 errors in 394 attempts. Stevens has had 13 matches with double-figure digs and six matches with 20 or more.
STEVENS MOVES TO 16TH IN OSU CAREER DIGS
Ami Stevens, with 39 digs last weekend, has moved to 16th on the Ohio State career digs list with 938. She moved up four spots, passing Rebecca Kastein (2002-05) with 916, Lisa Bettio (1982-85) with 911, Margie Meyers (1984-87) with 909 and Shelly Draeger (1999-02) with 900. Stevens needs three digs to pass No. 15 Tricia Stragliotto (1993-95) with 940, five to pass No. 14 Marlene O’Brien (1983-86) with 942 and eight to pass No. 13 Rosie Snow (1996-99) with 945.
KIEL HAS PERFECT WEEKEND IN RECEPTION ATTEMPTS
Ashley Kiel handled 45 reception attempts last weekend with no errors against Michigan State and Michigan. Kiel handled 20 receptions against the Spartans and 25 against the Wolverines. She also had two digs against Michigan State and six against Michigan. Kiel has played in all 20 matches this season, three times as a starter and six matches as the libero. She is averaging 1.99 digs and has a .967 reception percentage with 394 attempts and 13 errors.
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 24th 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, Minnesota 12th, Purdue 13th and Wisconsin 14th.
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 508-275 record with the Buckeyes and is 282-162 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 558-317.
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 18 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 20 matches – became the 16th player to reach 1,000 kills against IPFW – has 1,188 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 19 matches, double-figure digs in nine 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 20 matches, starting nine with 11 starts at libero – season-high 14 kills against Iona – double-figure kills in seven matches – double-figure digs in 13 matches including eight of the last nine – season-high 26 digs at Iowa and against Wisconsin – 20 or more digs in six of the last nine 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 20 matches with 17 starts – career-high 22 kills at Purdue – double-figure kills in 12 matches including eight of the last nine – 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 18 matches, starting 10 – season-high 12 kills at Northwestern – career-high six assist blocks at Indiana and against Michigan – career-high seven total blocks (1-6) against Michigan – hit a career-high .538 (8-1-13) against Michigan – 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 19 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 20 matches – season-high nine kills at Purdue and at Northwestern – season-high 71 assists at Iowa – season-high 18 digs against Michigan – double-figure digs in five 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 played 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 12 matches – career-high 27 kills against Michigan – double-figure kills in 12 matches – career-high .440 hitting percentage against IPFW – career-high 17 digs at Northwestern – has four 20-plus kill matches including 25 at Iowa, 23 at Purdue and 20 against Minnesota – named the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week for her play against Michigan State and Michigan at home – 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 20 matches, starting six at libero and three as a defensive specialist – season-high 15 digs at Northwestern – season-high four ace serves against Iona, part of a string of 18 consecutive points she served in game one – double-figure digs in five 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
OHIO STATE 3, MICHIGAN STATE 0
The 24th ranked Ohio State (14-5, 4-5 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team, behind a match-high 18 points by Anna Szerszen, defeated Michigan State (13-6, 4-5), 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-22) Friday night in St. John Arena. Szerszen posted a match-high 17 kills and added an ace serve. Briana McCarthy added 17.5 points for OSU with 12 kills, two ace serves, two solo blocks and three assists. Michigan State’s Katie Johnson had 12.5 points and Vanessa King, 12 for the Spartans. Johnson had 10 kills, an ace serve, a solo block and one assist while King had 10 kills, a solo block and two assists.
Tied at seven in game one, a Heather McDaniel kill, an OSU error and an Ashley Schatzle-Jessica Hohl block opened a 10-7 lead for Michigan State. The Spartans took the lead to four at 15-11 before three Michigan State errors cut the lead to 15-14. The Spartans held a 19-17 lead when a Danielle Meyer kill and one by Szerszen tied the game at 19. After six ties moved the score to 25-25, a Meyer kill and two Spartan errors gave Ohio State a 28-25 lead. Spartan kills by Schatzle and Hohl cut the Buckeye lead to 28-27. OSU reached game point at 29-27 with a Meyer kill. A Buckeye error moved the score to 29-28. Ohio State won the game, 30-28, with a Marisa Main kill to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Buckeyes hit .204 for the match to .119 for Michigan State.
Ohio State broke a 4-4 tie with back-to-back assist blocks by McCarthy and Felicia Jones. After a Johnson kill cut the lead to 6-5, a kill by Jones and a McCarthy ace serve made it 8-5, Ohio State. At 12-10, an OSU error cut the lead to one. A 5-0 Buckeye run with kills from Szerszen, Meyer, Jones and McCarthy and a Spartan error opened a 17-11 Ohio State lead. Back-to-back Spartan kills by McDonald and an OSU error cut the Buckeye lead to 17-14. Michigan State would come no closer in the game. At 28-22, a Meyer kill set game point at 29-22 and her ace serve closed out the game at 30-22. The Buckeyes hit .378 for the game to .294 for Michigan State.
The Buckeyes built an early 8-4 lead in game three only to have a McDaniel-King block and two OSU errors cut the lead to one at 8-7. At 10-9, a Schatzle kill tied the game at 10. A Buckeye kill by Szerszen and a solo block by McCarthy gave Ohio State a 12-10 lead. At 19-16, OSU, Spartan kills by Allison Ianni and Johnson cut the lead to one at 19-18. Buckeye kills by Szerszen and McCarthy were followed by a solo block by Johnson for the Spartans to make it 21-19. Two McCarthy kills and one from Meyer made it 24-19. A Schatzle kill cut the lead to four at 24-20. OSU kills by McCarthy and Meyer and a block by McCarthy and Jones made it 27-20. Spartan kills by Schatzle and King cut the lead to five at 27-22. A Jones kill made it 28-22. A Michigan State error set match point at 29-22. OSU won the game, 30-22, with a Jones kill to win the match, 3-0. Ohio State hit .444 for the game to .242 for Michigan State.
Ohio State hit .328 for the match to .211 for Michigan State. The Buckeyes had a 57-43 advantage in kills and a four to two margin in ace serves. Ohio State gave up seven service errors to five for the Spartans. Defensively, Ohio State had a 44-42 edge in digs with Buckeye Ami Stevens recording a match-high 23. At the net, both team posted seven team blocks. OSU’s Jones and McCarthy had five total blocks each with Jones recording a solo and four assists and McCarthy, two solos and three assists. OSU’s Main had a match-high 43 assists in the contest while MSU’s Ianni had 33.
OHIO STATE 3, MICHIGAN 2
The 24th ranked Ohio State (15-5, 5-5 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team, for the second time this season, rallied to win, 3-2, after trailing Michigan (16-7, 3-7), 2-1 in the match. The Buckeyes did it earlier this month, at home, against Wisconsin. OSU’s Anna Szerszen had a match/career-high 29.5 points in the match with Danielle Meyer adding 18 for the Buckeyes. Szerszen had a career-high 27 kills, adding two solos blocks and one assist. Meyer had 15 kills, a solo block and four assists. Michigan’s Lyndsay Miller scored a team-high 24.5 points with Katie Bruzdzinski adding 14. Miller had 19 kills, an ace serve, a solo block and seven assists. Bruzdzinski had 13 kills and two assist blocks.
Michigan took a 3-0 lead in game one with kills from Bruzdzinski and Stesha Selsky and an OSU error. The Wolverines expanded the lead to 8-3 before a five point Buckeye run tied the game at eight. The run included kills by Marisa Main and Felicia Jones, a block by Jones and two Michigan errors. A Miller kill, a Beth Karpiak-Selsky block and an OSU error gave Michigan an 11-8 lead. The Wolverines would expand the lead to five at 18-13. Ohio State would close to within two at 25-23, but at 28-26, an OSU error set game point at 29-28. A Szerszen kill made it 29-27 but Karpiak closed out the game with a kill for a 30-27 win. Michigan hit .217 for the game to .205 for Ohio State.
Ohio State took a 6-0 lead in game two with the help of four Michigan errors, a Meyer kill and a Briana McCarthy-Kristen Dozier block. At 9-4, the Buckeyes scored seven straight points to open a 16-4 lead. At 29-24, a solo block by Meyer ended the game at 30-14, tying the match at one game each. Ohio State hit .433 to .049 for Michigan.
Michigan began game three with a 7-1 run, highlighted by three Wolverine blocks and a Miller kill. Trailing 18-11, Ohio State had a 6-1 run to trail by two at 19-17. Three Meyer kills, two by McCarthy and a McCarthy-Jones block were in the run. Two OSU errors and a Miller ace serve gave Michigan a 22-17 lead. A Szerszen kill and a Wolverine error cut the lead to three at 22-19. Michigan, at 24-21, scored five straight points to reach game point at 29-21. The run included two kills by Erin Penn, a Megan Bower ace serve and a Penn-Miller block. OSU made it 29-22 with a Szerszen kill. Penn ended the game at 30-22 with a kill to give Michigan a 2-1 lead in the match. The Wolverines hit .261 for the game to .067 for Ohio State.
Tied at two in game four, two ace serves from Megan Bower and a Penn-Miller block gave Michigan a 5-2 lead. OSU continued to trail and at 12-11, a McCarthy kill tied the game at 12. Tied at 15, Wolverine kills by Karpiak and Veronica Rood and an OSU error put Michigan ahead, 18-15. A Szerszen kill and a Wolverine error made it 18-17. At 20-19, Michigan, kills by Bruzdzinski and Miller made it 22-19. Buckeye kills by McCarthy and Meyer cut the Michigan lead to one at 22-21. At 24-23, Michigan, a Miller kill gave the Wolverines a two-point lead at 25-23. Ohio State then scored the next five points with two kills by Szerszen and Meyer and a Szerszen solo block to lead 28-25. An OSU error made it 28-26. A Szerszen kill set game point at 29-26. A Wolverine error ended the game at 30-26, OSU, to tie the match at two games each. Ohio State hit .419 in the game to .222 for Michigan.
Tied at two in game five, a Penn kill and an OSU error gave Michigan a 4-2 lead. Buckeye kills by Jones and Szerszen tied the game at four. Michigan took a 5-4 lead with a Penn-Miller block. A Michigan error, a Main kill and an ace serve by Ami Stevens opened a 7-5 Buckeye lead. Two kills each by Michigan’s Miller and Ohio State’s Szerszen moved the score to 9-7. OSU blocks by Meyer-Dozier and McCarthy-Dozier and a Michigan error put Ohio State ahead, 12-7. A Selsky kill and an OSU error moved the score to 12-9. Buckeye kills from Szerszen and Meyer set match point for Ohio State at 14-9. The Buckeyes won the game with a McCarthy-Jones block, winning the match, 3-2. Ohio State hit .400 for the game to .062 for Michigan.
For the match, Ohio State hit .296 to Michigan’s .170. Ohio State had a 75-59 advantage in kills while the Wolverines had a 5-4 edge in ace serves. The Wolverines gave up 11 service errors to seven for Ohio State. Defensively, Ohio State had a 71-56 margin in digs. OSU’s Main had a match-high 18 digs in the match. At the net, the Buckeyes had a 17-13 advantage in team blocks. Michigan’s Miller recorded a match-high eight blocks with a solo and seven assists. OSU setter Main had a match-high 63 assists while Michigan’s Selsky recorded 45.
