No. 14 Women’s Volleyball Hosts #13 Wisconsin and #24 Minnesota – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 3, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 14 Ohio State (12-2, Big Ten 2-2) women’s volleyball team returns home to St. John Arena after two weeks on the road to face No. 13 Wisconsin (12-2, 4-0) Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 24 Minnesota (10-4, 4-0) Sunday at 2 p.m. Last week on the road, the Buckeyes lost 2-3 (26-30, 30-27, 31-29, 32-34, 7-15) at No. 11 Purdue and won, 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-23, 30-25) at Indiana.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Jim Stone is in his 25th season with the 14th-ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State has a 12-2 overall record and is 2-2 in the Big Ten. Last week on the road, the Buckeyes lost 2-3 (26-30, 30-27, 31-29, 32-34, 7-15) at No. 11 Purdue and won, 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-23, 30-25) at Indiana.
Leading Ohio State in kills per game is Danielle Meyer (6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) with a 5.23 average. Anna Szerszen (Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) ranks second at 4.36 with Briana McCarthy (Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) third at 2.63. OSU’s top percentage hitter is Marisa Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) at .433. McCarthy ranks second at .384. Setter Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) is averaging 13.04 assists per game. Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) is averaging a team-high .45 aces per game with 22. Meyer ranks second at .40 with 19 and McCarthy is third at .37 with 18. Defensively, Stevens leads the team with a 3.43 digs per game average. Meyer ranks second at 2.52 with Ashley Kiel (Sr., Allenton, Wis.) third at 2.08. At the net Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) has a team-high 1.14 blocks per game average. She has five solos and 51 assist blocks. Meghan Simons (Fr. Carroll, Ohio) ranks second at .94 with 29 assists with McCarthy third at .78 with two solos and 36 assists. As a team, OSU is averaging 16.78 kills and 15.45 assists per game while hitting .317. The Buckeyes average 2.06 aces, 14.41 digs and 2.34 blocks per game. Opponents average 12.04 kills and 11.08 assists per game while hitting .162. OSU opponents average .92 aces, 11.908 digs and 2.08 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT WISCONSIN
Head coach Pete Waite is in his eighth season with the 14th-ranked Badgers. Wisconsin is 12-2 overall and is 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Badgers have won six straight matches including 3-0 home wins last week against Michigan State (30-22, 30-25, 30-26) and No. 24 Michigan (30-24, 30-19, 30-16). Maria Carlini leads Wisconsin in kills per game with a 3.64 average. Brittney Dolgner ranks second at 3.43. Amy Bladow is the top percentage hitter at .341. At setter, Jackie Simpson is averaging 12.96 assists per game. Dolgner has a team-high .28 aces per game average with 13 ace serves. Jocelyn Wack ranks second at .26 with 12. Defensively, Wack leads the team with a 4.62 digs per game average. Carlini ranks second at 2.68. At the net, Taylor Reineke has a team-high 1.74 blocks per game average with eight solos and 74 assists. Amy Bladow ranks second at 1.41 with eight solos and 54 assists with Audra Jeffers third at 1.06 with six solos and 44 assists. Wisconsin is averaging 16.04 kills and 14.89 assists per game while hitting .271. The Badgers average 1.26 aces, 15.55 digs and 3.70 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.55 kills and 12.77 assists per game while hitting .141. Badger opponents average 1.00 aces, 15.04 digs and 1.98 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. WISCONSIN
Ohio State has a 27-25 lead in the series with Wisconsin. In Columbus, the Buckeyes have 13-10 advantage over the Badgers. Last season Ohio State lost 0-3 (25-30, 18-30, 20-30) in Madison and 0-3 (24-30, 28-30, 24-30) in Columbus.
A LOOK AT MINNESOTA
Head coach Dr. Mike Hebert is in his 10th season with the 24th-ranked Golden Gophers. Minnesota has a 10-4 overall record and is 4-0 in the Big Ten prior to playing Penn State Friday. The Gophers have won eight straight matches including home wins over No. 24 Michigan, 3-0 (32-30, 30-28, 30-24) and Michigan State, 3-2 (28-30, 30-25, 30-25, 26-30, 15-12). Leading Minnesota in kills per game is Kyla Roehrig with a 3.75 average. Meredith Nelson ranks second at 3.14 and Jessy Jones third at 3.04. Jones leads the team in hitting percentage at .315. Setter Rachel Hartmann is averaging 13.12 assists per game for Minnesota. Meghan Cumpston leads the team with a .37 aces per game average on 19 ace serves. Christine Tan (15 aces) and Kelly Bowman (12) are tied for second at .29. Defensively, Malama Peniata is averaging a team-high 6.10 digs per game. Bowman ranks second at 3.10. At the net, Jones leads the team with a 1.57 blocks per game average with 10 solos and 67 assists. Bowman ranks second at 1.02 with two solos and 40 assists. Minnesota is averaging 15.81 kills and 14.69 assists per game while hitting .246. They average 1.37 aces, 15.04 digs and 3.02 blocks per game. Gopher opponents average 14.50 kills and 13.54 assists while hitting .180. Opponents average 1.17 aces, 15.02 digs and 1.90 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. MINNESOTA
Ohio State leads the series with Minnesota, 29-27. The Buckeyes have a 16-7 record over the Gophers in matches played in Columbus. Last season, Ohio State won 3-0 (30-28, 30-26, 30-28) in Minneapolis and lost 0-3 (19-30, 25-30, 23-30) in Columbus.
McCARTHY HAS CAREER-HIGH 22 KILLS AT INDIANA
Briana McCarthy produced a career-high 22 kills at Indiana Saturday. Her previous best was 12 in two matches. She hit .581 against the Hoosiers, adding an ace serve, three digs and four assist blocks in the match. At Purdue, McCarthy had 10 kills (.207), adding a season-high five assists, and ace serve, seven digs and three assist blocks. In her 14 starts this season, she is averaging 2.63 kills, 1.27 digs, 78 blocks and .37 aces per game while hitting .384.
McCARTHY NOW 15TH IN ASSIST AND TOTAL CAREER BLOCKS
Briana McCarthy, with four assist blocks at Indiana and three at Purdue, has 242 career total blocks (29 solos, 213 assists) and has moved to 15th on the OSU career assist and total blocks list. She passed Shelly Draeger (1999-02) with 207 in assist blocks and Holly O’Leary (1987-90) with 237 (45-192) total blocks. McCarthy now needs three assist blocks to pass No. 14 Margie Meyers (1984-87) with 215. In total blocks, she needs three blocks to pass No. 14 Katie Virtue (1999-02) with 244 (17-227).
MEYER HAS 27 KILLS AGAINST PURDUE
Danielle Meyer had a match-high 27 kills at Purdue Friday. It was her fifth match this season with 24 or more kills. Meyer added three ace serves, eight digs and two assist blocks in the match. At Indiana she had 15 kills, six digs and three assist blocks. In her 14 starts this season, Meyer is averaging 5.23 kills, 2.52 digs, .56 blocks and .40 aces per game while hitting 315.
MEYER NOW TIED FOR NINTH IN CAREER ASSIST BLOCKS
With five assist blocks last weekend, Danielle Meyer now has 242 career assist blocks and has moved into a tie for ninth on the Ohio State career list with Jen Flynn (1996-99). She needs five assist blocks to move Sherri Rinker (1984-87) with 246 to move into eighth on the list.
SZERSZEN CONTINUES DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL STREAK
Ana Szerszen has recorded double-figure kills in all six matches she has played in since arriving from France. She had 23 kills at Purdue, adding two ace serves, seven digs and two assists blocks. Her 26.0 points against the Boilermakers was a career-high. At Indiana, she had 13 kills, three ace serves, eight digs and an assist block. Szerszen is averaging 4.36 kills, 1.68 digs and .32 aces per game while hitting .215 in her six matches this season.
MAIN HAS A SEASON-HIGH NINE KILLS AT PURDUE
Marisa Main recorded nine kills for her season high at Purdue. She previously recorded eight in three matches this season. Main added 54 assists in the match with nine digs and an ace serve. At Indiana, she had eight kills, eight digs, 56 assists and one ace serve. For the season, Main is averaging 13.04 assists, 1.57 kills, 1.88 digs and .45 blocks per game while hitting .394.
DOZIER HAS DOUBLE-FIGURE KILLS AT INDIANA
Kristen Dozier produced her third double-figure kill match of the season at Indiana with 10. She hit .529 in the match, adding an ace serve, one digs, a solo block and three assist blocks. Dozier had two kills, an ace serve, three digs and an assist block at Purdue. In her 14 starts, she is averaging 1.80 kills and 1.14 blocks while hitting .328.
JONES NETS CAREER-HIGH SIX BLOCKS AT INDIANA
Felicia Jones (Sr., Concord, Ont.) had a career-high six assist blocks at Indiana. Her previous high was four in two matches. Jones added four kills and two digs in the match. At Purdue, she equaled her season-high of six kills, adding four assist blocks and a dig. Jones has started the last three matches and has four starts on the season. She has played in 12 matches and is averaging 1.43 kills and .57 blocks per game.
STEVENS, THE TEAM LEADER IN DIGS
Ami Stevens leads Ohio State in digs per game with a 3.43 average. She had 23 digs at Purdue for her second 20-plus dig match of the season. She added an ace serve, three digs and handled 70 of 75 (.933) reception attempts in the match. At Indiana, Stevens had 18 digs, four assists, two ace serves and handled 58 reception attempts without an error. She has started the last six matches at libero after starting in the first eight matches of the season at outside hitter. Stevens has a team-high 168 digs and leads the team with 22 ace serves (.45 per game). She has handled 476 reception attempts with 18 errors (.962).
STEVENS MOVES TO THIRD IN CAREER DIGS PER GAME
Ami Stevens has a career digs per game average of 3.02 and has moved to third on the Ohio State career list. She passed Tricia Stragliotto (1993-95) at 2.99 and Leisa Wissler (1988-91) at 3.01. Lisa Vitali (1986-99) ranks second at 3.12.
KIEL RANKS THIRD ON THE SQUAD IN DIGS
Ashley Kiel, playing a defensive specialist, ranks third on the team in digs per game at 2.08. She had seven digs at Purdue, adding a kill and two assists. At Indiana, Kiel had nine kills and three assists. She has played in all 14 matches this season and had five starts at libero early in the season.
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.
OSU RANKED 14TH 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 14th this week. OSU was ranked 13th 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, Purdue ninth, Wisconsin 13th and Minnesota 24th. Additionally, Michigan and Illinois are listed as receiving votes.
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 504-271 record with the Buckeyes and is 278-158 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 554-313.
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 12 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 (Outside Hitter, 6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) – 2006 started 14 matches – became the 16th player to reach 1,000 kills against IPFW – has 1,104 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 11 matches, double-figure digs in five 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, 6-1, Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) – 2006 played in 14 matches, starting eight matches with six starts at libero – season-high 14 kills against Iona – double-figure kills in six matches – double-figure digs in eight matches including the last three – season-high 26 digs at Iowa – 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 started all 16 matches – career-high 22 kills at Purdue – double-figure kills in seven matches including the last three – 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 12 matches, starting four – season-high six kills at Youngstown State, at Iowa and at Purdue – 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 started 14 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 14 matches – season-high nine kills at Purdue – season-high 71 assists at Iowa – season-high 12 digs at Towson – 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 six matches – career-high 25 kills at Iowa – double-figure kills in six matches – career-high .440 hitting percentage against IPFW – career-high 10 digs at Iowa – has two 20-plus kill matches including 23 at Purdue – 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 14 matches, starting five at libero – 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.
#16 Michelle Hammond (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-9, Fr., Columbus, Ohio) – 2006 played in four matches – recorded a kill against Houston – season-high six assists against Lehigh.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK
PURDUE 3, OHIO STATE 2
The 13th ranked Ohio State (11-2, 1-2 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team could not hold a 2-1 lead at No. 11 Purdue (13-1, 3-0) Friday night, dropping a 2-3 (26-30, 30-27, 31-29, 32-34-7-15. OSU was unable to score on two match points in game four in the loss. Ohio State’s Danielle Meyer and Purdue’s Danita Merlau each scored a match-high 31 points in the match. Meyer collected a match-high 27 kills with three ace serves and two assist blocks. Merlau recorded 23 kills, six ace serves and four assist blocks.
Game one saw Purdue open an early five-point lead at 14-9. Ohio State cut the lead to three at 17-14 where a Marisa Main kill and two Purdue errors tied the game at 17. Purdue regained the lead off two OSU errors to lead 19-17. A Briana McCarthy kill and two ace serves by Meyer gave Ohio State a 20-19 lead. An OSU error tied the game at 20. A Purdue error, a McCarthy-Kirsten Dozier block and an Ami Stevens ace serve gave Ohio State a 23-20. At 25-22, OSU, two Purdue kills by Merlau, one by Carrie Gurnell and an OSU error tied the game at 25. Purdue regained the lead with a Kelli Miller ace serve and a Merlau-Stephanie Lynch block at 27-25. A Main kill cut the Purdue lead to one at 27-26. A Merlau kill and a Carrie Gurnell-Elizabeth Jacques block set game point at 29-26. Purdue won the game with a kill by Samantha Mader, 30-26. The Boilermakers hit .250 for the game to .025 for the Buckeyes.
Tied at two in the second game, Ohio State scored six straight points to open an 8-2 lead. The run began with a Main kill, a Purdue error and two kills by Meyer. After a Purdue timeout, another Meyer kill and one from Anna Szerszen made it 8-2. After a Purdue kill by Lynch, a Boilermaker error and OSU kills by Main and Meyer expanded the lead to eight at 11-3. At 16-9, OSU, a kill by Mader, an OSU error and an ace serve by Brittany Dildine cut the lead to four at 16-12. At 17-13, a Meyer kill and a Felicia Jones-Meyer block made it 19-13. With Ohio State leading, 23-16, Purdue scored the next six points to close within one at 23-22. Merlau accounted for two kills and two ace serves in the run. At 25-24, a Kelli Miller kill tied the game at 25. Kills by Meyer and Lynch made it 26-all. An OSU error gave Purdue a 27-26 lead. Two Boilermaker errors returned the lead to OSU at 28-27. A Meyer-Jones block set game point at 29-27. Ohio State won the game, 30-27 with a McCarthy kill to tie the match at one game each. Ohio State hit .295 in the game to .289 for Purdue.
Game three saw Ohio State break a 4-4 tied with a three point run including kills by Szerszen and Main and a Boilermaker error to take a 7-4 lead. At 9-7, kills by Meyer and Main and a Purdue error took the lead to five at 12-7. A Jacques kill made it 12-8 but a set error by Purdue and a Main ace serve made the lead six at 14-8. At 20-14, Purdue had a 7-2 run to cut the lead to one at 22-21. A Meyer ace and kill and a Szerszen-Jones block took the lead to 25-21, OSU. At 26-22, a Lynch kill and a Lynch-Emily William block cut the lead to two at 26-24. At 28-26, a Myer kill set game point for the Buckeyes at 29-26. A Merlau kill and then her ace serve stopped the first two game points at 29-28 as OSU called time out. A Mader kill tied the game at 29. A kill by Meyer made it 30-29 for OSU’s third game point. The Buckeyes closed out the game with a Jones kill to win, 31-29 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. Purdue hit .409 for the game to .370 for Ohio State
Ohio State took an early lead in game four with two Szerszen kills at 7-5. At 11-9, Purdue with two kills by Merlau and one from Dildine gave the Boilermakers a 12-11 lead. Szerszen responded with three straight kills to give OSU a 14-12 lead. At 17-15, OSU, A Buckeye error and a Merlau ace serve tied the game at 17. OSU regained the lead with a Purdue error and kills by Szerszen and McCarthy opened a 20-17 lead for OSU. At 20-18, kills by McCarthy and Meyer and a Boilermaker error made it 23-18, OSU. Ohio State expanded the lead to six with a Main kill at 25-19. Purdue rallied with six straight points to tie the game at 25. Tied at 28, an OSU error set game point for Purdue at 29-28. Meyer’s kill tied the game at 29. An OSU error made it 30-29 Purdue, serving a second game point. A Meyer kill and a Purdue error gave OSU a 31-30 lead, serving match point. Purdue responded with a Mader kill to tie the game at 31. A Szerszen kill game OSU its second match point at 32-31. A Lynch kill, a Dildine ace serve and an OSU error ended the game at 34-32 for Purdue tying the match at two games each. Ohio State hit .232 for the game to .196 for Purdue.
Ohio State kills by Szerszen and Meyer gave OSU a 2-1 lead in game five. Purdue, with an eight to one run opened a 9-3 lead. A kill and ace by Szerszen cut the margin to 9-5. Purdue held an 11-7 lead where a Mader kill and three OSU errors ended the game at 15-7. Purdue hit .417 for the game to -.143 for Ohio State.
Purdue hit .293 for the match to .200 for OSU. The Buckeyes had a 78-74 edge in kills while Purdue had an 11-9 margin in ace serves. OSU gave up 13 service errors to eight for Purdue. Defensively, Purdue had an 85-65 margin in digs with Dildine collecting a match-high 27. At the net, the Boilermakers had a 14 to six advantage in team blocks. Purdue’s Lynch had a match-high eight blocks with two solos and six assists. OSU setter Main had a match-high 54 assists in the match with Sam Gray and Lindsay Shondell recording 31 assists each for Purdue.
OHIO STATE 3, INDIANA 1
The 13th ranked Ohio State (12-2, 2-2 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team overcame a 1-0 Indiana (10-6, 1-3) lead to win 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-23, 30-25) Saturday night. OSU’s Briana McCarthy scored a career-high 24.5 points in the match with a career-high 22 kills (.581), one ace serve and four assist blocks. Indiana’s Erica Short posted 24.5 points in the match. She had a team-high 23 kills (.340) and three assist blocks.
In game one, Indian took an early 5-4 lead and never trailed. The Hoosiers took the lead to four at 11-7 and 14-10 only to see OSU cut the lead to one several times, the last at 18-17. Indiana built the lead to six at 28-22 and reached game point with an Allison Regas kill. The Hoosiers won the game, 30-25 with a Gabrielle Allison kill. Indiana hit .361 for the game to .250 for Ohio State.
Ohio State opened game two with a Briana McCarthy-Felicia Jones block for a 1-0 lead. Indiana took a 2-1 lead and held the margin until a Marisa Main kill tied the game at six. Tied at eight, an Anna Szerszen kill and two Hoosiers errors opened an 11-8 Ohio State lead. Leading 13-10, a Kristen Dozier solo block, a Szerszen kill and an Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) ace serve took the lead to 16-10. At 18-12, three Dozier kills and one by Szerszen gave the Buckeyes a 10-point lead at 22-12. A Main ace serve expanded the lead to 11 at 25-14. Indiana then scored six straight points to cut the lead to 25-20. Two kills by Erica Short, one by Regas and a Regas-Annie Moddrell block contributed to the run along with two OSU errors. Indiana did cut the lead to four at 26-22, but an Indiana error and two McCarthy kills set game point at 29-23. Two Buckeye errors took the score to 29-25 before a Dozier kill ended the game at 30-25, OSU, to tie the match at one game each. Indiana hit .343 for the game while Ohio State hit .306.
Tied at two, an Erica Short-Moddrell block gave Indiana a 3-2 lead. Three IU errors and a Szerszen kill gave OSU a 6-3 lead. At three-one Hoosier run cut the lead to one at 7-6. Ohio State then scored seven straight points to open a 14-6 lead. At 18-10, a Danielle Meyer kill and a Stevens’s ace serve took the lead to 10 at 20-10. OSU would take the lead to 12, twice before a seven to one Hoosier run cut the lead to six at 28-22. A Meyer kill set game point at 29-22. A Regas kill held off the game point at 29-23. A Szerszen-Dozier block ended the game at 30-23, OSU, to give the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead in the match. For the game, Ohio State hit .344 to .235 for the Hoosiers.
Indiana opened game four with a 4-1 lead before a McCarthy kill and ace serve and an IU error tied the game at four. At 5-4, Indiana, a Hoosier error, a Szerszen ace serve, two Main kills and one by Meyer gave Ohio State a 9-5 lead. The Hoosiers, with a 5-1 run tied the game at 10. At 14-14, kills by McCarthy and Meyer and an IU error gave OSU a three-point lead at 17-14. At 19-16, Hoosier kills by Ditteon and Short cut the OSU lead to one at 19-18. Ohio State then scored seven consecutive points to take an eight-point lead at 26-18. Two kills each by McCarthy and Szerszen and a Jones-McCarthy block contributed to the run. Indiana countered with a seven-two run to cut the lead to three at 28-25. A McCarthy kill set match point at 29-25 and a Hoosier error ended the game at 30-25 for a 3-1 Ohio State win. The Buckeyes hit .304 for the game to .209 for Indiana.
Ohio State hit .299 for the match to .284 for Indiana. The Buckeyes had a 72-61 advantage in kills and an eight to one margin in ace serves with Szerszen recording a match-high three. Indiana gave up 11 service error to six for OSU. Defensively, Ohio State had a 57-39 advantage in digs with OSU’s Stevens recording a match-high 18. At the net, the Hoosiers had a 14.5 to 10 margin in team blocks. IU’s Moddrell recorded a match-high 10 blocks with two solos and eight assists. OSU setter Main had a match-high 56 assists while IU’s Regas had 41.
