No. 15 Women’s Volleyball Hosts IPFW Tuesday, Travels To Youngstown State Wednesday – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 15 Ohio State (6-0) plays two mid-week matches this week hosting IPFW (6-6) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena and playing at Youngstown State (6-5) Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Buckeyes do not play the following weekend as they prepare for their Big Ten opener at No. 2 Penn State, Wednesday, Sept. 20. Last week in the Sports Imports Classic Ohio State remained undefeated with 3-0 wins over Tennessee Tech (30-14, 30-22, 30-22) and Arizona State (30-24, 30-24, 30-19).
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Jim Stone is in his 25th season with the Buckeyes. Ohio State won its third tournament of the season with 3-0 wins over Tennessee Tech and Arizona State in the Sports Imports Classic. Leading Ohio State in kills per game is Danielle Meyer (6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) with a 5.38 average. Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) ranks second at 3.15 with Briana McCarthy (Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) third at 2.44. OSU’s top percentage hitter is McCarthy at .395. Meyer ranks second at .363. Setter Marisa Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) is averaging 12.81 assists per game. Meyer is averaging a team-high .58 aces per game with 15. McCarthy ranks second at .52 with 14. Defensively, Meyer leads the team with a 2.69 digs per game average. Stevens ranks second at 2.44. At the net Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) leads the team with a 1.33 blocks per game average. She has three solos and 33 assist blocks. Meghan Simons (Fr. Carroll, Ohio) ranks second at .95 with 21 assists with Main third at .74 with one solo and 19 assists. As a team, OSU is averaging 16.59 kills and 15.00 assists per game while hitting .374. The Buckeyes average 2.52 aces, 14.11 digs and 2.70 blocks per game. Opponents average 10.41 kills and 9.59 assists per game while hitting .102. OSU opponents average .67 aces, 10.63 digs and 1.41 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT IPFW
Head coach Kelley Hartley Hutton is in her eighth season with the Mastodons. IPFW is 6-6 on the season coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Utah Valley State Tournament. The Mastodons lost 0-3 (24-30, 27-30, 29-31) to Oral Roberts, defeated Weber State, 3-2 (24-30, 30-27, 30-28, 31-33, 15-13) and lost to host Utah Valley State, 1-3 (25-30, 29-31, 30-25, 18-30). Leading IPFW in kills per game is Cynara Martins at 2.91. Amanda Pfister ranks second at 2.74. Rebekah Roehm is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .295. Peachy Jankowski has a team-high .25 aces per game with 11. Jessica Miller is second at .24 with 10. Defensively, Jankowski leads the team with a 5.82 digs per game with Martins second at 3.67. At the net, Claire Jackson has a team-high 1.26 blocks per game with 20 solos and 33 assists. Miller ranks second at .85 with three solos and 32 assists. IPFW is averaging 14.73 kills and 13.41 assists per game while hitting .210. The Mastodons are averaging 1.23 aces, 18.57 digs and 2.41 blocks per game. Opponents are averaging 14.52 kills and 13.18 assists while hitting .179. Mastodon opponents average 1.45 aces, 19.41 digs and 2.10 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. IPFW
Ohio State leads the series with IPFW, 3-1. The series began in 1983 with Ohio State winning, 3-1 (15-8, 9-15, 15-3, 15-6). The Buckeyes won 3-2 (14-16, 15-8, 15-8, 3-15, 15-4) in 1985 but lost 2-3 (15-9, 15-17, 15-10, 14-16, 15-17) in 1986. All three matches were played in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The last meeting came in Columbus, in 1987, a 3-0 (15-9, 15-7, 15-9) Buckeye win.
A LOOK AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Head coach Joe Bonner is in his second season with the Penguins. Youngstown State is 6-5 on the season and won four straight matches at the Navy Chesapeake Challenge. The Penguins defeated LaSalle, 3-0 (30-25, 30-15, 30-22), Providence, 3-0 (30-24, 30-23, 30-21), Navy, 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-27) and Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-1 (30-18, 30-18, 28-30, 30-25). Ruth Boscaljon leads the Penguins in kills per game at 3.35. Ebony Barbosa ranks second at 2.81. Boscaljon is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .311. At setter, Karla Everhart is averaging 10.49 assists per game. Barbosa leads the team in aces per game at .35 with 13 aces. Amanda Cindric ranks second at .31 with 11. Defensively Cari Leslie leads the team in digs per game at 3.81. Janelle McDonald ranks second at 3.59. At the net, Boscaljon has a team-high 1.43 blocks per game with 12 solos and 41 assists. Kaitlin O’Hara is second in blocking at .84 with four solos and 27 assists. Youngstown State is averaging 13.41 kills and 12.00 assist per game while hitting .157. The Penguins average 1.35 aces, 15.49 digs and 2.47 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.41 kill and 12.30 assists per game while hitting .177. Penguin opponents average 1.78 aces, 17.14 digs and 2.05 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Ohio State has won both meetings with Youngstown State. The first match came in 1974 at the OAISW Championship in Dayton. OSU won 2-0 (15-4, 15-0). The last meeting came in 2004, in Columbus, a 3-0 (30-11, 30-25, 30-20) Buckeye win.
BUCKEYES WIN TWICE AT THE SPORTS IMPORTS CLASSIC
Ohio State finished with two wins in the Sports Imports Classic with 3-0 victories over Tennessee Tech and Arizona State. Michigan State and Arizona State finished 1-1 in the Classic with Tennessee Tech, 0-2. Buckeye Danielle Meyer was named the Most Outstanding Player, while Briana McCarthy was selected the Best Server and Marisa Main the Best Setter. ASU’s Colette Meek was named the Best Blocker and teammate Sydney Donahue, the Best Defender.
MEYER NAMED MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER OF THE SPORTS IMPORTS CLASSIC
Danielle Meyer was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Sports Imports Classic for her play against Tennessee Tech and Arizona State. She had 19.5 points against TTU with a match-high 13 kills (.323), a career-high five ace serves and three assist blocks. Meyer added five digs in the match and had one assist. Against Arizona State, she had a match-high 28 points with 24 kills (.417), three ace serves and two assist blocks. Meyer added a team-high 14 digs and an assist against the Sun Devils. For the season, she has team-highs of 6.37 points, 5.38 kills, .58 aces and 2.69 digs per game.
MEYER NEARS 1,000 CAREER KILLS
Danielle Meyer, with 37 kills last weekend, now has 993 career kills and needs seven to reach 1,000 for Ohio State and become the 16th Buckeye to do so. She did move to 10th in OSU career assist blocks with five assist last weekend. Meyer passes Sara Daniel (1991-94) with 230. Her 37 kills also helped move her to third in OSU career points per game at 4.66, passing Holly O’Leary (1987-90) at 4.60.
McCARTHY CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Briana McCarthy, after missing all of last season, continues to improve this season. She had five kills (.364), six digs and a solo block in the Tennessee Tech match. McCarthy had nine kills (.273), five digs, three assist blocks and a season-high four ace serves against Arizona State. Her play earned her the Best Server Award in the Sports Imports Classic. For the season, McCarthy is averaging 2.44 kills, .52 aces, 1.26 digs and .67 blocks per game while hitting .395.
McCARTHY NOW 17TH IN OSU CAREER ASSIST BLOCKS
Briana McCarthy, with three assist blocks last weekend, has moved to 17th on the OSU career assist blocks list with 193. She passed Audrey DiPronio (1988-90) with 191 and Holly O’Leary (1987-90) with 192. McCarthy needs three assist blocks to move past No. 16 Stacey Gordon (2001-04) who has 195. Her four total blocks (1-3) last weekend gives her 222 career total blocks (29-193) and has moved to 18th on the OSU career list, passing Shelly Draeger (1999-02) with 220.
MAIN TAKES BUCKEYES TO 8-0
Marisa Main has her team at 8-0 on the season after 3-0 wins over Tennessee Tech and Arizona State. She had 35 assists against TTU, adding five digs and two assists blocks while hitting .500 with five kills, no errors in 10 attempts. Main produced 45 assists against Arizona State, collecting 11 digs, two assist blocks and an ace serve against the Sun Devils. She added six kills with no errors in 12 attempts to hit .500 for the match. For the weekend, Main averaged 13.33 assists, 1.83 kills, 2.67 digs and .67 blocks per game while hitting .500. He play earned her the Best Setter award for the Sports Imports Classic. For the season, Main is averaging 12.81 assists, 1.56 kills, 1.89 assists and .74 blocks per game while hitting .507.
STEVENS COMBINES OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
Ami Stevens had a solid performance against Tennessee Tech with 11 kills and 10 digs against the Golden Eagles. She added a solo block and an assist in the match. Stevens recorded six kills and seven digs against Arizona State. She added an assist and two ace serves in the match. For the season, Stevens is averaging 3.15 kills, 2.44 digs and .59 blocks per game while hitting .333. She has 195 reception attempts on the season with eight errors for a .959 reception percentage.
DOZIER LEADS OSU’S IMPROVED BLOCK ATTACK
Kristen Dozier has become a force at the net for the Buckeyes. For the season she has a team-high 1.33 blocks per game average with three solos and 33 assist blocks. Dozier is averaging 2.11 kills, .37 aces and is hitting .339 for the season. Dozier had six kills against Tennessee Tech, adding a solo and four assist blocks. She had five kills against Arizona State, adding two ace serves and four assist blocks. For the two matches last weekend, Dozier averaged 1.50 blocks per game.
SIMONS HITS .545 AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH
Meghan Simons hit a team-high .545 against Tennessee with seven kills with one error in 11 attempts. She added an assist block in the match. Simons had four kills, three assist blocks and a dig in the Arizona State match. On the season, Simons ranks second on the squad in blocks per game with a .95 average on 21 assists. She is averaging 1.86 kills per game while hitting .480.
KIEL CONTINUES IN THE LIBERO POSITION
Ashley Kiel started her fourth and fifth match of the season at libero. She had eight digs against Tennessee Tech and handled 25 reception attempts in the match. Kiel produced 12 digs against Arizona State and handled 24 reception attempts against the Sun Devils. For the season, she is averaging 2.08 digs per game and has played 111 reception attempts with only two errors for a .982 percentage.
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 15TH 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 15th this week. OSU was ranked 19th last week. The Buckeyes are one of five Big Ten squads ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Poll. Others include Penn State second, Wisconsin 11th, Purdue 14th and Michigan 22nd. Additionally, Minnesota is 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 499-270 record with the Buckeyes and is 277-157 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 27-year career record is 549-312.
MEET THE BUCKEYES
#1 Meghan Simons (Middle Blocker, 6-3, Fr., Carroll, Ohio) – 2006 played in eight matches, starting seven – nine kills against Robert Morris and Houston – hit a career-high .667 (9-1-12) against Houston –
#2 Brittany Dahms (Libero/Defensive Specialist, 5-5, Jr., Bryon, Ill.) – 2006 has not played – 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 eight 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 six matches, starting three at libero – double-figure digs against Houston (12) and Towson (13)
#6 Danielle Meyer (Outside Hitter, 6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) – 2006 started eight matches – 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 16 digs at Towson – back-to-back 30-plus kill matches against Houston (30) and Towson (32) – preseason All-Big Ten selection – career-high five aces against Tennessee Tech – double-figure kills in seven matches, double-figure digs in four 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 started eight matches – season-high 14 kills against Iona – double-figure kills in six matches – season-high 17 digs against Houston – 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 eight matches – season-high 12 kills and eight digs against Towson – 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 six matches, starting once – 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 two matches.
#12 Kristen Dozier (Middle Blocker, 6-2, Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) – 2006 started eight matches – season-high 11 kills against Iona – career-high 13 assist blocks against Houston to set an OSU match record for assist blocks and tie the OSU record for total blocks – hit a career-high .750 (10-1-12) against Lehigh.
#13 Marisa Main (Setter, 5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky./Xavier) – 2006 started all eight matches – honored as the Best Setter in the Sports Imports Classic – season-high eight kills against Houston and Northern Illinois – season-high 62 assists against Houston – season-high 12 digs at Towson – season-high six assist blocks against Houston – 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 Not available until early September due to playing for France in the European Junior National Championship.
#15 Ashley Kiel (Outside Hitter, 5-11, Sr., Allenton, Wis./Northern Michigan) 2006 played in eight 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 – 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 three matches – recorded a kill against Houston – season-high six assists against Lehigh.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK
OHIO STATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
The 19th ranked Ohio State (7-0) women’s volleyball team completed the first day of the Sports Imports Classic with a 3-0 (30-14, 30-22, 30-22) win over Tennessee Tech (1-6) Friday night in St. John Arena. OSU’s Danielle Meyer scored a match-high 19 points for the Buckeyes with 13 kills, a career-high five ace serves and three assist blocks. Erin Lynn and Caitlin Bullock scored eight points each for Tennessee Tech. Lynn had seven kills and an ace serve while Bullock had seven kills and a solo block.
From a 2-2 tie, a Briana McCarthy kill and a Golden Eagle error gave Ohio State a 4-2 lead. Tennessee Tech trailed, 10-9, when a McCarthy kill, a Meghan Simons-Meyer block and a Simon’s kill opened a 13-9 Buckeye lead. At 17-13, OSU, the Buckeyes scored 12 straight points to reach game point at 29-13 behind the serving of Meyer. The run included two of her five ace serves. A Buckeye error stopped the first game point, but a kill by Ami Stevens ended the game at 30-14. Ohio State hit .370 for the game to -.171 for Tennessee Tech.
A TTU error and kills from Meyer and Marisa Main opened game two with a 3-0 Ohio State lead. Leading 8-4, two kills by Simons, one from McCarthy and a Golden Eagle error opened a 12-4 OSU lead. At 24-16 OSU, Tennessee Tech, with two kills from Amanda Lindgren and one from Jessica Asplund cut the lead to five at 24-19. With OSU leading, 26-21, kills from Main and Felicia Jones and a TTU error set game point at 29-21. An OSU error made the score, 29-22. The Buckeyes closed out the game with a kill from Stevens for a 30-22 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Ohio State hit .439 for the game to .233 for Tennessee Tech.
Tied at three in game three, two kills by Simons and one from Meyer gave OSU a 6-3 lead. Leading, 13-10, a Jones kill and two Golden Eagle errors made the score 16-10, OSU. Leading by six at 20-14, two kills by Meyer and one from Main opened a 23-14 Buckeye lead. Tennessee Tech closed to within six at 28-22 with a Laura Tyburski kill. A TTU error set match point at 29-22 for Ohio State. Ohio State finished the match with a Main-Kristen Dozier block to win the game, 30-22 and take the match, 3-0. Ohio State hit .200 for the game to .056 for Tennessee Tech.
For the match, Ohio State hit .333 to .030 for the Golden Eagles. The Buckeyes had a 51-27 advantage in kills and a five to one margin in ace serves. OSU gave up 12 service errors to six for TTU. Defensively, Ohio State had a 44-31 edge in digs with OSU’s Stevens recording a match-high 10. At the net, the Buckeyes had an eight to three margin in team blocks. OSU’s Dozier had a match-high five blocks with a solo and four assists. OSU setter Main had 35 assists for the Buckeyes while Kappy Lang had 24 for the Golden Eagles.
OHIO STATE 3, ARIZONA STATE 0
The 19th ranked Ohio State (8-0) women’s volleyball team, behind a 28-point performance of Danielle Meyer, defeated Arizona State (6-2), 3-0 (30-24, 30-24, 30-19) to win the Sports Imports Classic Saturday night in St. John Arena. Meyer had a match-high 24 kills (.417), three ace serves, two assist blocks and a team-high 14 digs in OSU’s eighth consecutive victory. For Arizona State, Margie Giordano had a team-high 15 points with 14 kills and two assist blocks.
Arizona State held an early 5-4 lead in game one off a Buckeye error. Two Marisa Main kills tied the game at six. A Sun Devil error and a Briana McCarthy kill gave OSU an 8-6 lead. Two Buckeye errors tied the game at eight. The Buckeyes scored the next five points with a Meghan Simons-McCarthy block, an Ami Stevens ace serve, two Meyer kills and a Sun Devil error to open a 13-8 lead. Arizona State would close to within two points several times, the last at 23-21. A Meyer kill and two McCarthy ace serves made it 26-21, OSU. At 26-22, kills by Meyer and Main and a Kristen Dozier-Main block set game point at 29-22. An ASU block by Staci Smith and Girodano and an OSU error stopped two Buckeye game points, making the score, 29-24. Ohio State ended the game on its third game point with a Dozier kill for a 30-24 win. The Buckeyes hit .238 in the game to .205 for Arizona State.
With a kill from Main and a Meyer ace serve, Ohio State broke a 4-4 tie to take a 6-4 lead in game two. A Giordano kill and an OSU error tied the game at six. Tied at eight, kills by Simons, McCarthy and Meyer put Ohio State ahead, 11-8. Leading, 16-12, two kills by Meyer and her ace serve opened a 19-12 Buckeye lead. The Buckeyes reached game point with a Simons kill at 29-21. Arizona State stopped the next three game points with a Giordano kill and two from Nicole Morton to cut the lead to 29-24. A Stevens kill on the fourth game point ended the game at 30-24, giving OSU a 2-0 lead in the match. Ohio State hit .548 in the game to .429 for ASU.
Ohio State opened game three with a Main-Dozier block and a McCarthy ace serve for a 2-0 lead. At 4-2, a Giordano kill cut the lead to 4-3, but a Simons kill, a Main ace serve and a Sun Devil error opened a 7-3 lead. Leading 13-9, a kill from Stevens and an ace serve by Dozier made the OSU lead, 15-9. Ohio State expanded a 16-12 lead with a Simons-McCarthy block, two kills from Meyer and an ace serve from Stevens to lead 20-12. A McCarthy kill set match point at 29-19 and Meyer closed out the match with her 24th kill for a 30-19 win to capture the match, 3-0. Ohio State hit .173 for the game to .077 for Arizona State.
Ohio State hit .309 for the match to .226 for Arizona State. The Buckeyes had a 54-44 advantage in kills and outserved the Sun Devils 12-0. OSU did give up 10 service errors to six for ASU. Defensively, the Buckeyes outdug the Sun Devils, 62 to 59. ASU’s Sydney Donahue recorded a match-high 17 digs. At the net, the Buckeyes had a seven to 5.5 edge in team blocks. OSU’s Dozier picked up a match-high four assist blocks. OSU setter Main recorded 45 assists in the match while ASU’s Marina Mercer had 25 and Rachel Mittelstaedt nine.
Five players were named to the Sports Imports Classic All-Tournament Team. OSU’s Meyer was named the Most Outstanding Player while McCarthy was named the Best Server and Main the Best Setter. ASU’s Colette Meek was named the Best blocker and Donahue was selected the Best Defender.
