Women’s Volleyball Plays Washington in the NCAA Regional Semifinal – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 5, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State (25-7 overall) women’s volleyball team has advanced to the Seattle Regional of the NCAA Championship semifinals, Friday, Dec. 8. The Buckeyes, seeded 11th, will face NCAA defending national champion and sixth seed Washington (27-4) at 7:30 p.m. PT in the second semifinal. Third-seeded Penn State (31-2) faces 14th-seeded Purdue (23-10) in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. PT. The semifinal winners return Saturday at 6 p.m. PT to play for a berth in the NCAA National Championship semifinals, Thursday, Dec. 14 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. Last week in Louisville, Ky., the Buckeyes defeated Belmont, 3-0 (30-22, 30-16, 30-22) in the first round and Middle Tennessee, 3-1 (23-30, 30-19, 30-17, 30-22) in the second round.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Jim Stone is in his 25th season with the 16th-ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State has a 25-7 overall record and is 13-7 in the Big Ten, finishing in fourth place. Last week in Louisville, Ky., the Buckeyes defeated Belmont, 3-0 (30-22, 30-16, 30-22) in the first round and Middle Tennessee, 3-1 (23-30, 30-19, 30-17, 30-22) in the second round.
Leading Ohio State in kills per game is Anna Szerszen (Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) at 4.35 with Danielle Meyer (6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) second at 4.26 averages. Briana McCarthy (Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) ranks third at 2.70. OSU’s top percentage hitter is Marisa Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) at .364. Setter Main is averaging 12.95 assists per game. Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) is averaging a team-high .33 aces per game with 37. McCarthy and Meyer are tied for second at .27 with 30 each. Defensively, Stevens leads the team with a 3.68 digs per game average. Ashley Kiel (Sr., Allenton, Wis.) ranks second at 2.58 with Main third at 2.31. At the net Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) has a team-high 1.08 blocks per game average. She has seven solos and 73 assist blocks. Meghan Simons (Fr. Carroll, Ohio) ranks second at .94 with 29 assists. McCarthy ranks third at .85 with 11 solos and 83 assists. As a team, OSU is averaging 16.43 kills and 15.11 assists per game while hitting .287. The Buckeyes average 1.55 aces, 15.12 digs and 2.50 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.38 kills and 12.36 assists per game while hitting .180. OSU opponents average .95 aces, 13.26 digs and 2.45 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT WASHINGTON
Head coach Jim McLaughlin is in his sixth season with the Huskies. Third ranked (AVCA) Washington is 27-4 overall. The Huskies advanced to the regional with 3-1 victories over Colorado State (26-30, 30-26, 30-24, 30-22) and Colorado (30-15, 22-30, 30-26, 30-24) in matches played at Colorado. At home, Washington has a 29-match winning streak.
Christal Morrison leads the Huskies in kills per game with a 4.74 average. Stevie Mussie ranks second at 3.85. Jessica Swarbrick is the top percentage hitter at .400. Setter Courtney Thompson is averaging 14.73 assists per game. Morrison has a team-high 28 ace serves (.26 per game) with Thompson (.25) and Ashley Aratani (.26) tied for second with 27 each. Defensively, Tamari Miyashiro leads the team with a 5.58 digs per game average. Morrison ranks second at 3.17. At the net, Swarbrick has a team-high 1.44 blocks per game average with six solos and 149 assists. Alesha Deesing ranks second at 1.09 (8-110) and Janine Sandell is third at 1.05 (6-98). Washington is averaging 17.19 kills and 16.22 assists and is hitting .286. The Huskies average 1.55 aces, 17.11 digs and 2.93 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.37 kills and 12.80 assists and are hitting .151. Washington opponents average .88 aces, 15.54 digs and 2.56 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. WASHINGTON
Ohio State leads the series with the Huskies, 2-1. The squads spilt neutral site matches and in the last meeting, in 1993, defeated Washington, 3-1 (15-11, 13-15, 15-1, 15-12) at the Michigan Volleyball Classic.
A LOOK AT PENN STATE
Head coach Russ Rose is in his 28th season with the Nittany Lions. Fifth-ranked (AVCA) Penn State is 31-2 overall. The Nittany Lions reached the regional with 3-0 home wins over Long Island (30-16, 30-27, 30-15) and Hofstra (30-20, 30-12, 30-19).
Megan Hodge leads the Nittany Lions in kills per game with a 4.81 average. Nicole Fawcett ranks second at 4.24. Christa Harmotto is the top percentage hitter at .407. Setter Alisha Glass has a 12.42 assists per game average. Roberta Holehouse has a team-high .46 aces per game with 49 aces. Megan Hodge ranks second at .36 with 38 aces. Holehouse leads the team in digs per game at 3.76. Hodge ranks second at 2.60. At the net, Harmotto has a team-high 1.60 blocks per game. She has 19 solos and 147 assists. Melissa Walbridge ranks second at 1.59 (22-148) and Glass is third at 1.15 (11-111). Penn State is averaging 16.71 kills and 15.39 assists while hitting .323. The Nittany Lions average 1.91 aces, 14.87 digs and 3.71 blocks per game. Opponents average 11.85 kills and 11.21 assists per game while hitting .115. Nittany Lion opponents average .99 aces, 12.66 digs and 1.97 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. PENN STATE
Penn State has a 28-14 lead in the series with the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions have a 2-1 edge in matches played at neutral sites. Penn State is 12-9 in matches played at Penn State and 14-4 at Ohio State. This season, the squad split Big Ten Conference matches with Penn State winning, 3-0 (30-21, 31-29, 30-16) at State College and the Buckeyes winning, 3-0 (30-19, 30-26, 30-21) in Columbus. The teams have played twice in the NCAA Championship. In 1991, Ohio State won 3-2 (12-15, 15-9, 11-15, 15-5, 15-11) in regional semifinal play at Nebraska. Penn State won 3-0 (15-4, 15-4, 15-10) in regional semifinal play at Penn State.
A LOOK AT PURDUE
Head coach Dave Shondell is in his fourth season with the Boilermakers. Purdue, ranked 18th (AVCA), is 23-10 overall. The Boilermakers advanced to the regional with 3-0 home victories over St. Louis (30-21, 30-20, 32-30) and Kentucky (30-21, 30-28, 30-26).
Danita Merlau leads the Boilermakers with a 3.82 kills per game average. Samantha Mader ranks second at 3.09. Setter Sam Gray is averaging 9.21 assists per game. In aces per game, Brittany Dildine leads the team at .40 with 48 aces. Gray ranks second at .35 with 42. Defensively, Kelli Miller has a team-high 4.08 digs per game average with Dildine second at 3.80. At the net, Stephanie Lynch leads the team with a 1.16 blocks per game average with 27 solos and 110 assists. Ranking second is Elizabeth Jacques at .95 with 15 solos and 75 assists. Purdue is averaging 15.54 kills and 14.29 assists while hitting .241. The Boilermakers average 1.77 aces, 14.95 digs and 2.55 blocks per game. Opponents average 15.34 kills and 14.02 assists while hitting .232. Purdue opponents average 1.18 aces, 14.52 digs and 2.32 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. PURDUE
Ohio State has a 38-30 lead in the series with Boilermakers. The Buckeyes have a 7-6 edge in matches played at neutral sites. Ohio State is 18-10 in matches played in Columbus while Purdue is 14-13 in West Lafayette. In Big Ten Conference matches this season, Purdue won 3-2 (30-26, 27-30, 29-31, 34-32, 15-7) in West Lafayette and Ohio State won 3-0 (30-18, 31-29, 31-29) in Columbus.
MAIN HOMECOMING A SUCCESS
Marisa Main had a successful homecoming, returning to Louisville for the first and second round of the NCAA Championship. She had not played in her home town since leaving for Xavier for her freshman season. Main directed Ohio State to two victories to advance the Buckeyes to the regional semifinals. She had 45 assists against Belmont, adding a season-high 11 kills (.667), six digs, an ace serve and an assist block. Against Middle Tennessee, she had 55 assists, adding eight kills, seven digs, two ace serves and an assist block. For the season, Main is averaging 12.95 assists, 1.57 kills, 2.31 digs and .42 blocks per game.
MAIN NEARS OSU CAREER HITTING PERCENTAGE RECORD
Marisa Main, who hit a combined .455 (19-4-33) last weekend has a career attack percentage of .365 [.3645104] (555-138-1,144) with Ohio State. She stands second behind OSU career leader Sara Daniel (1991-94) at .366 [.3663522] (615-149-1,272). Main ranks third in OSU career assists (4,627) and second in assists per game (13.45). She ranks 22nd in career digs per game (2.33) and 23rd in assist blocks (158).
MEYER BACK IN THE MIDDLE PRODUCES 10-0 RUN
Danielle Meyer, a third-team All-American middle blocker in 2005, played the first 22 matches this season at outside hitter. The Buckeyes were 15-7 during that span while Meyer averaged 4.41 kills, 2.41 digs and .65 blocks per game while hitting .257. She moved back to middle blocker and has helped the Buckeyes to a 10-0 run. In those 10 matches, Meyer is averaging 3.90 kills, .90 digs and 1.29 blocks per game while hitting .477. For the team, during the 10-0 run that includes victories over then No. 3 Penn State and No. 14 Purdue, The Buckeyes are hitting .332 (.269 previous 22 matches) and are averaging 17.94 kills (15.85), 16.77 digs (14.48) and 2.84 blocks (2.37) per game. Last week Meyer had 10 kills (.455) against Belmont, adding five digs, an ace serve, two solo blocks and two assists. She had 13 kills against Middle Tennessee, adding four digs, three assist blocks and an ace serve. For the season, Meyer is averaging 4.26 kills, .27 aces, 2.98 digs and .83 blocks per game.
SZERSZEN HAS 23 DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL MATCHES
Ana Szerszen, since arriving from France in early September has started every match she has played in. She has produced double-figure kills in 23 of 24 matches and leads Ohio State with a 4.35 kills per game average. Szerszen had 11 kills, six digs and two ace serves against Belmont last weekend. She came back the next night with a team-high 16 kills and seven digs against the Blue Raiders. Szerszen added a career-high five blocks equaling her career highs of two solos and three assist blocks. On the season, she is averaging 1.95 digs and .47 blocks per game.
McCARTHY POSTS A SEASON-HIGH SEVEN BLOCKS AGAINST MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Briana McCarthy came up big at the net against the Blue Raiders collecting a season-high seven blocks with two solos and five assists. She added 11 kills and four digs while hitting .450 for the match. In the Belmont match, McCarthy recorded a match-high 12 kills while hitting .458. She added two assist blocks, two digs and an ace serve. For the season, she has started 26 of 32 matches and ranks third on the squad in kills per game at 2.70 while hitting .346. McCarthy is averaging .27 aces, 1.15 digs and .85 blocks per game.
McCARTHY NOW 13TH IN OSU CAREER SOLO BLOCKS
Briana McCarthy, with two solos blocks against Middle Tennessee has moved to 13th on the OSU career solo blocks list with 38. She passed four players including three tied with 37. They are Stacey Gordon (2001-04), Audrey DiPronio (1988-90) and Lisa Bettio (1982-85). She had been tied with Andrea Pankova (1995-97) with 36. She is now three solos behind teammate Danielle Meyer with 41.
JONES HAS SOLID HITTING WEEKEND AT .690
Felicia Jones (Sr., Concord, Ont.), a former outside hitter playing middle blocker was on fire last weekend as she hit a combined .690 in the two matches with out an error. She hit .647 (11-0-17) against Belmont, adding two digs, a solo block and an assist block. She equaled her career high of .750 (9-0-12) in the Middle Tennessee match, adding a dig and six assist blocks. The six assist blocks equaled her career high for the third time. Jones has played in 30 of 32 matches and has 22 starts including the last 21 matches. All 21 starts have been at middle blocker. For the season Jones is averaging a .320 hitting percentage and averages 1.91 kills and .83 blocks per game.
STEVENS PLAYS A DUAL ROLE LAST WEEKEND
Ami Stevens played libero against Belmont and was a starter at outside hitter in the Middle Tennessee match last weekend. She had a match-high 18 digs against the Bruins and handled 15 reception attempts without an error and added an assist in the match. Against Middle Tennessee, Stevens had 12 kills, six digs, two ace serves, two assist blocks and handled 25 reception attempts without an error. For the season, she has started 18 matches and played libero in 14. Stevens leads the lead in digs per game at 3.68 and is averaging 1.64 kills, .33 aces and .33 blocks per game. She has a .967 reception percentage and has handled 996 attempts.
STEVENS MOVES TO 10TH IN OSU CAREER DIGS
Ami Stevens, with 24 digs last week, has 1,065 career digs with the Buckeyes and has moved to 10th on the OSU career list. She has passed Gabriele Jobst (1992-94) with 1,052 and Kristi Neuman (1983-86) with 1,045. Stevens needs 13 digs to move to ninth on the career list and would pass Carrie Leonard (1991-94) with 1,077. In digs per game, Stevens ranks second on the career list at 3.18 digs per game.
KIEL HAS DUAL ROLE WEEKEND
Ashley Kiel, with Ami Stevens at libero against Belmont, had her fifth start of the season at outside hitter. She had five kills, two ace serves, nine digs, two assist blocks and handled 33 of 25 reception attempts in the match. Against Middle Tennessee, Kiel return to libero for the 15th match of the season, collecting a season-high 22 digs against the Blue Raiders and handled 34 of 38 reception attempts. She has played in all 32 matches this season and ranks second on the team in digs per game at 2.58. Kiel has a .965 reception percentage and has handled 826 attempts.
TENGNAS SUBS AS DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Anna Tengnas (Sr., Hyltebruk, Sweden) played in both matches last weekend as a defensive specialist, replacing Briana McCarthy in the back row. She had six digs against both Belmont and Middle Tennessee. Tengnas has played in 30 matches this season with two starts. She is averaging 1.21 digs per game.
OSU RANKED 16TH 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 16th this week. OSU was ranked 18th 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 fifth, Minnesota ninth, Wisconsin 10th and Purdue 18th.
MAIN AND MEYER NAMED ALL-BIG TEN, SZERSZEN ON ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
By a vote of the Big Ten coaches, Ohio State’s Marisa Main and Danielle Meyer have been named to the 14-player All-Big Ten Team while Anna Szerszen was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Main becomes a three-time All-Big Ten selection while Meyer is a two-time selection.
BIG TEN HAS SEVEN TEAMS IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced that seven Big Ten teams were among the 64-team field selected for the 2006 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Big Ten champion Penn State earned the conference’s automatic berth after an 18-2 season in Big Ten play, while Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin all earned at-large invitations. Five Big Ten squads earned top-16 seeds, with the Nittany Lions earning the third seed overall. Minnesota is seeded eighth, followed by No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 Ohio State and No. 14 Purdue. Penn State is one of just three teams (Stanford, UC Santa Barbara) to have earned bids to all 26 championships.
MEYER NAMED TO THE ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN SECOND TEAM
Danielle Meyer has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Second Team. She is the only Big Ten athlete to be honored on the team.
Meyer, a first team All-District selection, is majoring in Textile and Clothing.
STEVENS NAMED TO THE ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Ami Stevens has been named to the second team of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.
Stevens, a third team All-District selection last season, is majoring in Sport and Leisure.
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.
BUCKEYES 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.
SZERSZEN NAMED CO-BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Oct. 23, 2006)
Anna Szerszen was 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 the 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.
HEAD COACH Jim Stone
Jim Stone enters his 25th season at Ohio State. He has a 518-277 record with the Buckeyes and is 290-162 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 15 of the last 18 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 568-319.
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 – 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 30 matches, starting at Michigan and against Middle Tennessee – season-high 11 digs against Arizona State – had 10 digs as a defensive specialist at Michigan 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 32 matches, the first 22 at outside hitter and the last 10 at middle blocker – an All-Big Ten selection – named to the ESPN The Magazine second team Academic All-American team – became the 16th player to reach 1,000 kills against IPFW – has 1,322 career kills, ranking 10th – 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 – named to the first team of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team – preseason All-Big Ten selection – career-high five aces against Tennessee Tech – double-figure kills in 27 matches, double-figure digs in nine matches – career-high three solo blocks against Iowa 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 32 matches, starting 18 with 14 starts at libero – season-high 14 kills against Iona – double-figure kills in 12 matches – double-figure digs in 19 matches – season-high 26 digs at Iowa and against Wisconsin – 20 or more digs in six matches – equaled her career-high of seven assist blocks at Northwestern – a second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All District selection – 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 32 matches with 26 starts – career-high 22 kills at Purdue – double-figure kills in 17 matches – 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 30 matches, starting 22 – season-high 12 kills at Northwestern – career-high six assist blocks at Indiana, against Michigan and Middle Tennessee – career-high seven total blocks (1-6) against Michigan – career-high two solo blocks against Iowa, at Michigan State and against Northwestern – hit a career-high .750 (9-0-12) against Northwestern and against Middle Tennessee – 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 seven 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 in 22 matches starting in 21 – 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 32 matches – an All-Big Ten selection – season-high 11 kills against Belmont – season-high 71 assists at Iowa – season-high 18 digs against Michigan – double-figure digs in nine 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 24 matches – named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team – career-high 27 kills against Michigan – double-figure kills in 23 matches – career-high .440 hitting percentage against IPFW – career-high 17 digs at Northwestern – four double-figure dig matches – 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 32 matches, starting 15 at libero, four as a defensive specialist and one at outside hitter (Belmont – season-high 22 digs against Middle Tennessee – season-high four ace serves against Iona, part of a string of 18 consecutive points she served in game one – double-figure digs in 12 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, BELMONT 0
The 11th seeded Ohio State (24-7) women’s volleyball team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship with a 3-0 (30-22, 30-16, 30-22) sweep of Belmont (24-7) Friday night at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. Ohio State’s Briana McCarthy and Danielle Meyer shared match-high honors with 14 points each for the Buckeyes. Belmont’s Katie Tobiasz had a team-high 10 for the Bruins. McCarthy had a match-high 12 kills, adding an ace serve and two assist blocks. Meyer posted 10 kills, adding an ace serve, two solo blocks and two assist blocks. Tobiasz collected eight kills for the Bruins, adding an ace serve and a solo block.
Belmont opened game one with a Tobiasz kill. Ashley Kiel tied the game with a kill and a Bruin error put OSU ahead, 2-1. Kills by Meyer and Marisa Main took the lead to 4-2. A Tobiasz kill and an OSU error tied the game at four. OSU kills from Anna Szerszen and Main and a Bruin error made it 7-4, OSU. At 7-5, Buckeye kills from Felicia Jones, Szerszen and McCarthy opened a 10-5 lead. Ohio State would expand the lead to 17-8 before Belmont made a four-point run to cut the lead to 17-12. The Buckeyes took the lead to nine at 21-12. At 26-20, a kill and ace serve by Kiel set game point at 29-20. Belmont responded with kills from Tobiasz and Erin Janson to make it 29-22. Main ended the game with a kill at 30-22. The Buckeyes hit .432 for the game to .270 for the Bruins.
Tied at four in game two, Belmont took a 6-4 lead with a kill by Jaye Schuler and a Tobiasz ace serve. Ohio State then scored the next seven points to take an 11-6 lead. A Main kill and Belmont error tied the game at six. A Bruin error and a McCarthy kill made it 8-6. A Jones solo block and two kills from Kiel completed the run. OSU would have a 7-3 run to take the lead to 18-9. Two OSU errors and a Brittany Card solo block cut the lead to 18-12. Buckeye kills from Meyer and Jones and one from Tobiasz moved the score to 20-13. At 22-15, a Bruin error and two McCarthy kills took the lead to 10 at 25-15. After a Belmont time out, kills from Szerszen and McCarthy and a Szerszen ace serve made the lead 28-15. An OSU error made it 28-16. A Jones kill set game point at 29-16 and a Bruin error ended the game at 30-16. Ohio State hit .348 for the game to .108 for Belmont.
Ohio State held an 8-5 lead in game three before three OSU errors and a Cat Mundy kill gave Belmont a 9-8 lead. After several ties, the score was 13-13. A Meyer kill, Szerszen-Jones blocks and two Bruin errors opened a 17-13 Buckeye lead. After an OSU error, a kill from Jones, a Jones-McCarthy block and a Jones solo block took the lead to 20-14. At 22-17, two OSU errors cut the lead to three at 22-19. A Buckeye error, an Erin Janson kill and another OSU error cut the lead to two at 23-21. Back-to-back kills by Main, a Meyer solo block and kill gave OSU a 27-21 lead. A Janson kill made it 27-22. A Szerszen kill and a Meyer ace serve set match point at 29-22. A Belmont error ended the game at 30-22 for a 3-0 Buckeye victory. Ohio State hit .250 for the game to .089 for the Bruins.
Ohio State hit .343 for the match to .151 for Belmont. The Buckeyes had a 60-36 advantage in kills and a seven to two edge in ace serves with Szerszen and Kiel each recording two for OSU. Ohio State gave up six service errors to four for Belmont. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 54-48 edge in digs with OSU’s Stevens recording a match-high 18. At the net, Ohio State had a seven to two advantage in team blocks with Meyer posting a match-high four total blocks with two solos and two assists. For Ohio State, Main recorded 45 assists in the match while Belmont’s Colleen Nilson had 33.
OHIO STATE 3, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 1
The 11th seeded Ohio State (25-7) women’s volleyball team overcame a slow start to defeat Middle Tennessee (27-8), 3-1 (23-30, 30-19, 30-17, 30-22) Saturday night in the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. OSU’s Anna Szerszen scored 19.5 points for the Buckeyes with 16 kills, two solo blocks and three assist blocks. Blue Raider Ashley Adams had a match-high 23 points for Middle Tennessee with 20 kills, an ace serve and four assist blocks.
At four-all in game one, Ohio State scored seven straight points to take an 11-4 lead. At 17-12, OSU, five straight Blue Raider points tied the game at 17 with a Katie Brush kill. A block by Leslie Clark and Quanshell Scott gave the lead to Middle Tennessee. At 23-21, Blue Raiders, a four-point run made it 27-21. Middle Tennessee reached game point on an OSU error. An Ami Stevens kill stopped the first game point (29-23), but a Savannah Pegg kill ended the game at 30-23 for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders hit .302 for the game to .140 for the Buckeyes.
The Blue Raiders held an 8-6 lead when Ohio State kills from Felicia Jones, Stevens and two from Briana McCarthy gave the Buckeyes a 10-8 lead. At 13-11, kills by Danielle Meyer, Szerszen and Jones and a Blue Raider error opened a 17-11 lead. At 17-12, a five point Buckeye run took the OSU lead to 22-12. The run started with a Szerszen kill. Two Marisa Main ace serves, a McCarthy solo block and a Middle Tennessee error completed the run. Ohio State reached game point at 29-18 with a Szerszen kill. Pegg stopped the first game point with a kill at 29-19. A kill from Meyer closed out the game at 30-19 to tie the match at one game each. Ohio State hit .424 for the game to .152 for Middle Tennessee.
The Blue Raiders held a 5-4 lead in game three when their three errors and a Jones kill gave the Buckeyes an 8-5 lead. After an Ashley Adams kill, OSU scored four straight points starting with a Jones kill. Solo blocks by McCarthy and Szerszen and a McCarthy kill took the lead to 12-6. At 21-16, a Szerszen kill, a McCarthy-Jones block, a Blue Raider error, a McCarthy kill and another Szerszen kill opened a 26-16 Buckeye lead. Leading 27-17, a Blue Raider error and a McCarthy-Meyer block set game point at 29-17. OSU won the game, 30-17 on a Middle Tennessee error to lead the match, 2-1. Ohio State hit .324 for the game to -.049 for Middle Tennessee.
Middle Tennessee held an early 6-2 lead in game four before a 5-1 Buckeye run tied the game at seven with a Szerszen kill. At 10-10, kills from Szerszen, Stevens and McCarthy and a Middle Tennessee error opened a 14-10 lead. At 22-17, kills from Szerszen and Stevens made it 24-17. Trailing, 27-20, Middle Tennessee with a Jessica Robinson kill and an OSU error made it 27-22. A Stevens’ kill made it 28-22. A Blue Raider error set match point at 29-22. Stevens, with an ace serve, won the game, 30-22, to capture the match, 3-1. Ohio State hit .436 for the game to .294 for Middle Tennessee.
Ohio State hit .322 for the match to .172 for the Blue Raiders. OSU had a 69-55 edge in kills and a five to four margin in ace serves. The Buckeyes had eight service errors to six for Middle Tennessee. Defensively, the Buckeyes had a 57-51 advantage in digs with Ashley Kiel recording a match-high 22. At the net, OSU had a 14 to eight margin in team blocks with McCarthy collecting a match-high seven blocks (2-5). OSU setter Main had 55 assists in the match while Leslie Clark had 51 for the Blue Raiders.
