No. 13 Women’s Volleyball Travels to No. 11 Purdue and Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 26, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 13 Ohio State (11-1, Big Ten 1-1) continues play in the Big Ten Conference, when it travels to No. 11 Purdue (12-1, 2-0) for a Friday, 7 p.m. ET match that will be delayed telecast by ESPN2 on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Beth Mowins and Krista Blunk will call the match. OSU then travels to Indiana (10-4, 1-1) to play Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Last week, the Buckeyes lost at No. 2 Penn State, 0-3 (21-30, 29-31, 16-30) and won at Iowa, 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-24, 30-26).
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Jim Stone is in his 25th season with the 13th-ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State has an 11-1 overall record and is 1-1 in the Big Ten. Last week, the Buckeyes lost at No. 2 Penn State, 0-3 (21-30, 29-31, 16-30) and won at Iowa, 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-24, 30-26). Leading Ohio State in kills per game is Danielle Meyer (6-1, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) with a 5.36 average. Anna Szerszen (Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) ranks second at 4.62 with Briana McCarthy (Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) third at 2.42. OSU’s top percentage hitter is McCarthy at .379. Meyer ranks second at .350. Setter Marisa Main (5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky.) is averaging 13.23 assists per game. Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) is averaging a team-high .47 aces per game with 19. Meyer ranks second at .41 with 16 and McCarthy is third at .40 with 16. Defensively, Stevens leads the team with a 3.17 digs per game average. Meyer ranks second at 2.74 with Ashley Kiel (Sr., Allenton, Wis.) third at 2.15. At the net Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) has a team-high 1.27 blocks per game average. She has four solos and 47 assist blocks. Meghan Simons (Fr. Carroll, Ohio) ranks second at .94 with 29 assists with McCarthy third at .77 with two solos and 29 assists. As a team, OSU is averaging 16.80 kills and 15.55 assists per game while hitting .338. The Buckeyes average 2.10 aces, 14.60 digs and 2.46 blocks per game. Opponents average 11.38 kills and 10.52 assists per game while hitting .132. OSU opponents average .82 aces, 11.48 digs and 1.84 blocks per game.
A LOOK AT PURDUE
Head coach Dave Shondell is in his fourth season with the 11th-ranked Boilermakers. Purdue is 12-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Last week on the road, the Boilermakers won 3-2 (30-22, 27-30, 30-27, 23-30, 22-20) at Michigan State and 3-2 (25-30, 30-26, 30-26, 26-30, 15-10) at No. 19 Michigan. Leading Purdue in kills per game is Danita Merlau with a 3.75 average. Samantha Mader ranks second at 2.96 with Stephanie Lynch third at 2.44. Lynch is the top percentage hitter at .297. The Boilermakers have Sam Gray averaging 9.04 assists per game with Lindsay Shondell averaging 5.28. Gray has a team-high .43 aces per game with 22. Brittany Dildine ranks second at .39 with 20. Defensively, Kelli Miller has a team-high 4.00 digs per game with Dildine ranking second at 3.59. At the net, Lynch has a team-high 1.20 blocks per game average with nine solos and 51 assists. Elizabeth Jacques ranks second at .72 with six solos and 28 assists. Purdue is averaging 15.88 kills and 14.43 assists per game and is hitting .254. The Boilermakers average 1.88 aces, 15.20 digs and 2.37 blocks per game. Opponents are hitting .207 and average 14.25 kills and 13.14 assists per game. Boilermaker opponent average .94 aces, 14.92 digs and 2.06 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. PURDUE
Ohio State leads the series with Purdue, 37-29. The Buckeyes have won the last five meetings overall and the last five played in West Lafayette. Purdue does have a 14-13 edge in matches played at Purdue. Last year, Ohio State won 3-1 (30-25, 30-25, 28-30, 30-23) in Columbus and 3-2 (30-24, 30-24, 24-30, 22-30, 15-11) in West Lafayette
A LOOK AT INDIANA
Head coach Katie Weismiller is in her 14th season with the Hoosiers. Indiana is 10-4 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Last week on the road, the Hoosiers defeated No. 19 Michigan, 3-2 (22-30, 30-28, 20-30, 30-28, 15-12) and lost at Michigan State, 1-3 (30-23, 23-30, 26-30, 26-30). Erica Short leads the team in kills per game with a 4.88 average. Lauren Ditteon ranks second at 2.32 and Annie Moddrell third at 2.12. Moddrell is the top percentage hitter at 2.95 with Gabrielle Allison second at .283. In the 6-2 offense, Caitlin Watts has a 5.76 assists per game average with Allison Regas at 5.39. Watts leads the team in aces per game at .35 with 17. Sara Diehl ranks second at .28 with 14. Defensively, Diehl has a team-high 3.60 digs per game with Ditteon second at 2.38. At the net, Moddrell leads the team in blocks per game at 1.08. She has six solos and 47 assists. Allison ranks second at 1.06 with six solos and 45 assists. Indiana is averaging 14.16 kills and 12.98 assists per game while hitting .219. The Hoosiers average 1.52 aces, 14.14 digs and 2.52 blocks per game. Opponents average 13.80 kills and 12.64 assists while hitting .161. Hoosiers opponents average 1.24 aces, 14.96 digs and 1.95 blocks per game.
OHIO STATE SERIES VS. INDIANA
Ohio State has a 36-22 lead in the series with Indiana. The Buckeyes have won the last five overall matches and the last three played in Bloomington. Each squad has won 13 times at Indiana. Last season, Ohio State won 3-0 (30-26, 30-20, 30-22) in Columbus and 3-1 (30-23, 30-17, 29-31, 30-18) in Bloomington.
MEYER HAS 30 KILLS AT IOWA
Danielle Meyer posted a match-high 30 kills at Iowa for her third 30-kill match of the season. She previously had 30 kills against Houston and 32 at Towson in back-to-back matches. Meyer hit .299 against the Hawkeyes, adding a season-high 17 digs, a solo block, an assist block and three assists. Earlier in the week, she had a team-high 14 kills at Penn State, adding nine digs, two assist blocks and an ace serve. On the season, Meyer is averaging 6.12 points, 5.36 kills, 2.74 digs while hitting .350.
MEYER MOVES TO 14TH IN OSU CAREER KILLS
With 14 kills at Penn State and 30 at Iowa, Danielle Meyer now has 1,062 career kills and has moved to 14th on the OSU career kills list. She passed Sherri Helman (1993-96) with 1,049 and Anne Botica (1998-01) with 1,151. Her 3.92 career kills per game average has moved her to fourth on the OSU career list passing Tricia Stragliotto (1993-95) at 3.86.
SZERSZEN RECORDS A CAREER-HIGH 25 KILLS AT IOWA
Ana Szerszen produced career-highs of 25 kills and 10 digs at Iowa adding an assist block and two assists. She had 13 kills and three digs at Penn State and has scored double-figure kills in all four matches she has played in since arriving from France. Szerszen is averaging 4.96 points, 4.62 kills and 1.69 digs on the season.
McCARTHY EQUALS HER CAREER HIGH OF 12 KILLS AT IOWA
Briana McCarthy, equaled her career-high of 12 kills at Iowa. She previously recorded 12 at Towson earlier this season. She added a season-high 10 digs while adding two assist blocks and two assists against the Hawkeyes. At Penn State, McCarthy had two kills, four assist blocks and four digs against the Nittany Lions. For the season, she is averaging 3.24 points, 2.42 kills, 1.30 digs and .77 blocks per game while hitting a team-high .379.
McCARTHY MOVES TO 16TH IN OSU TOTAL BLOCKS
Briana McCarthy, with a season-high four assist blocks at Penn State and two at Iowa, has 235 career total blocks (29 solos, 206 assists) and has moved to 16th on the OSU career total blocks list. She passed Stacey Gordon (2001-04) with 232 (37-195). McCarthy needs three total blocks to pass No. 15 Holly O’Leary (1987-90) with 237 (45-192).
MAIN COLLECTS A SEASON-HIGH 71 ASSISTS AT IOWA
Marisa Main recorded a season-high 71 assists against Iowa. Here previous best was 62 against Houston earlier this season. Her career high is 86 against Tennessee in 2004. Against the Hawkeyes, she added eight kills, seven digs and an assist block. Her eight kills equaled her season high for the third time this season. She posted 29 assists, three digs, one ace serve and one kill at Penn State earlier in the week. Main is averaging 13.23 assists, 1.50 kills, 1.88 digs and .55 blocks per game on the season while hitting .415.
DOZIER TOPS OSU IN BLOCKING
Kristen Dozier has a team-high 1.27 blocks per game average to lead the Buckeyes. She has four solos and 47 assists on the season. Dozier had one assist block and one kill at Penn State and a team-high five blocks (1-4) at Iowa adding five kills. She is averaging 2.91 points, 1.90 kills and 1.27 blocks per game on the season.
SIMONS POSTS FOUR ASSIST BLOCKS AT PENN STATE
Meghan Simons collected four assist blocks at Penn State adding a kill and two digs in the match. She did not play at Iowa. Simons is averaging 2.15 points, 1.68 kills and .94 blocks per game on the season while hitting .433. She ranks second on the team in blocking at .94 blocks per game with 29 assist blocks.
STEVENS HAS 26 DIGS AT IOWA
Ami Stevens collected a season-high 26 digs at Iowa in her fourth consecutive start at the libero position. She handled 43 reception attempts against the Hawkeyes without an error, adding an ace serve and an assist in the match. At Penn State, Stevens had eight digs and successfully handled 50 of 53 reception attempts adding an ace serve and an assist. Stevens has a team-high 3.17 digs per game average and a .962 reception percentage (343 of 356) this season.
KIEL HAS DOUBLE-FIGURE DIGS AT IOWA
Ashley Kiel recorded her third double-figure digs match of the season with 11 at Iowa. She previously had 12 at Arizona State and 10 against Lehigh playing in the libero position. Kiel has played in all 12 matches this season and has a 2.15 digs per game average.
JONES HAS START AGAINST IOWA
Felicia Jones (Sr., Concord, Ont.) had her second start of the season at Iowa, recording six kills, an assist block and a dig. She has played in 10 of 12 matches this season and is averaging 1.74 points and 1.58 kills per game.
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 13TH 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 13th this week. OSU was ranked 12th 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 11th, Wisconsin 14th and Michigan 24th. 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 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 11 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 12 matches – became the 16th player to reach 1,000 kills against IPFW – has 1,062 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 12 matches, starting eight matches with four starts at libero – season-high 14 kills against Iona – double-figure kills in six matches – double-figure digs in six matches – 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 12 matches – career-high 12 kills at Towson and at Iowa – double-figure kills in five matches – season-high 10 digs at Iowa – 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 10 matches, starting twice – season-high six kills at Youngstown State and at Iowa – 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 12 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.
#13 Marisa Main (Setter, 5-9, Sr., Louisville, Ky./Xavier) – 2006 started all 12 matches – season-high eight kills against Houston, Northern Illinois and at Iowa – 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 four matches – career-high 25 kills at Iowa – double-figure kills in four matches – career-high .440 hitting percentage against IPFW – career-high 10 digs at Iowa – 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 12 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
PENN STATE 3, OHIO STATE 0
The 12th ranked Ohio State (10-1, 0-1 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team opened Big Ten Conference play with an 0-3 (21-30, 29-31, 16-30) loss to No. 2 Penn State (12-0, 1-0) at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. Buckeye Danielle Meyer scored a team-high 16 points, recording 14 kills, one ace serve and two assist blocks. Penn State’s Megan Hodge had a match-high 27 points with 23 kills, two ace serves and four assist blocks.
Ohio State held an early 5-4 lead in game one off a Meyer kill. Penn State tied the game at five and opened up an 8-5 lead. The Nittany Lions took the lead to nine at 24-15 before a Meyer kill, a triple block by Meyer, Meghan Simons and Briana McCarthy, an ace serve by Marisa Main and a Penn State error cut the lead to 24-19. Hodge and Meyer exchanged kills to move the score to 25-20. A PSU error cut the lead to four at 25-21. Penn State scored the next five points, four from OSU errors, to win the game, 30-21 with a Hodge kill. Penn State hit .171 in the game to -.087 for Ohio State.
Game two saw three early lead changes with Penn State building a six-point lead at 13-7. The Buckeyes scored five straight points to cut the lead to one at 13-12. The run began with an Anna Szerszen kill and a McCarthy ace serve. Two kills by Szerszen and one from Meyer made it 13-12. At 18-all, a Penn State error gave OSU a 19-18 lead. A Buckeye error tied the game at 19 and two Penn State blocks made the Nittany Lion lead, 21-19. A block by Simons and McCarthy cut the PSU lead to 21-20. Penn State took a three-point lead with a Christa Harmotto kill and an OSU error to lead 23-20. Ohio State, trailing 26-23, used a Meyer kill and two Nittany Lion errors to tie the game at 26. After ties at 27, 28 and 29, a Hodge kill gave Penn State a 30-29 lead. A Buckeye error ended the game at 31-29. The Nittany Lions hit .293 for the game to .205 for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State held a 3-1 lead in game three from a Simons kill and two PSU errors. At 9-6, Ohio State, Penn State scored three straight points with kills by Harmotto and Hodge and tied the game with a Kate Price ace serve at nine. Tied at 10, a Hodge kill put Penn State ahead, 11-10. The Nittany Lions then outscored Ohio State 19-10 to win the game, 30-16, on a Harmotto kill to win the match, 3-0. Penn State hit .333 in the game to -.129 for Ohio State.
Penn State hit .266 for the match while Ohio State hit .008. The Nittany Lions had a 49-32 advantage in kills and a 5-4 edge in ace serves with Hodge collecting a match-high two. Penn State had seven service errors to three for the Buckeyes. Defensively, the Nittany Lions had a 46-34 advantage in digs with PSU’s Roberta Holehouse collecting a match-high 17 for the Lions. At the net, Penn State had a 12.5 to 5.5 margin in team blocks. Harmotto recorded a match-high nine blocks with a solo and eight assists. PSU’s Alisha Glass had 41 assists in the match while Main had 29 for Ohio State.
OHIO STATE 3, IOWA 1
The 12th ranked Ohio State (11-1, 1-1 Big Ten) women’s volleyball team overcame a 1-0 Iowa (11-3, 0-2) lead to win, 3-1 (25-30, 30-25, 30-24, 30-26) Saturday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Ohio State’s Danielle Meyer (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) scored a match-high 31.5 points and Anna Szerszen (Fr., Conflans Ste Hne, France) added 25.5 for the Buckeyes. Meyer had a match-high 30 kills (.299), a solo block and an assist while Szerszen had a career-high of 25 kills (.294) and an assist block. Iowa’s Melanie Meister recorded a team-high 20 points with Catherine Smale adding 18.5. Meister had 14 kills (.357), one ace serve, a solo block and eight assists. Smale had a team-high 17 kills (.289), one ace serve and one assist block.
Leading 4-3 in game one, Ohio State used two Meyer kills, one by Kristen Dozier (Fr., Sandy Spring, Md.) and a Marisa Main (Sr., Louisville, Ky.)-Dozier block to open an 8-3 lead. At 11-6, Iowa used an 8-3 run including an Allison Smith kill to tie the game at 14. After several ties, the last at 19, a Jen Barcus kill, an OSU error and a Tiana Costanzo-Meister block gave the Hawkeyes a 22-19 lead. A Barcus kill set game point at 29-24 for Iowa. OSU stopped the first game point with a Szerszen kill but a Buckeye error ended the game at 30-25. Iowa hit .326 for the game to .250 for Ohio State.
In game two, Buckeye kills by Briana McCarthy (Sr./Jr., Beaver Dam, Wis.), Main and Szerszen gave OSU a 4-1 lead. Iowa cut the lead to 6-5 before a five-point OSU run made the score, 11-5. The run included three kills by Meyer and one each by Szerszen and Jones. At 14-9, two Szerszen kills and a Szerszen-Dozier block took the OSU lead to eight at 17-9. The Hawkeyes rallied with an eight to one run to tie the game at 19 with a Smale kill. Tied at 22, a Hawkeye error, two Meyer kills and one by McCarthy gave the Buckeyes a 26-22 lead. At 28-24, a Hawkeye error set game point for OSU at 29-24. A Meister kill stopped the game point at 29-25. OSU tied the match at one game each with a Szerszen kill to win the game, 30-25. Ohio State hit .333 for the game to .140 for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa took a 2-0 lead to open game three. Two Szerszen kills tied the game at two and a Hawkeye error made it 3-2, Buckeyes. Kills by Smale and Dozier moved the score to 4-3. The Buckeyes held the lead until a Meister-Costanzo block tied the game at 15. At 17-all, kills by Szerszen and McCarthy opened a 19-17 OSU lead. A Buckeye error, kills by Meyer and Szerszen and an Iowa error made the lead four at 22-18. At 27-23, a Meyer kill made it 28-23. The Buckeyes reached game point at 29-23 with a Felicia Jones (Sr., Concord, Ont.) kill. An OSU error stopped the first game point at 29-24. A Meyer kill ended the game at 30-24 to give OSU a 2-1 lead in the match. Ohio State hit .360 for the game to .222 for Iowa.
At 2-2 in game four, two kills from Szerszen and one each from Meyer and Main opened a 6-2 Ohio State lead. At 14-11, OSU, two Meister kills, two OSU errors and a Smith-Meister block opened a 16-14 Hawkeye lead. At 19-16 Iowa, a Meyer kill, an Iowa error and a Szerszen kill tied the game at 19. From a 21-21 tie, an OSU error and a Meister-Costanzo block gave the Hawkeyes a 23-21 lead. OSU tied the game at 23 with a Szerszen kill and a Dozier solo block. Tied at 24, kills by Szerszen and Meyer and a Hawkeye error gave OSU a 27-24 lead. After a Hawkeye time out, a Main kill took the lead to 28-24. An OSU error made it 28-25. OSU reached match point at 29-25 with a Meyer kill. A Hawkeye block by Meister and Smith stopped the first match point at 29-26. Meyer’s 30th kill of the match ended the game at 30-26, giving Ohio State a 3-1 win in the match. The Buckeyes hit .235 for the game to .179 for the Hawkeyes.
Ohio State hit .293 for the match to .217 for Iowa. Ohio State had an 86-54 advantage in kills while Iowa had a four to one margin in ace serves. OSU gave up 10 service errors to eight for Iowa. Defensively, Ohio State had an 82-60 advantage in digs with OSU’s Ami Stevens (Jr., Centerburg, Ohio) collecting a match-high 26. At the net, Iowa outblocked Ohio State, 14 to seven. Iowa’s Meister recorded a match-high nine blocks with a solo and eight assists. OSU’s Main had a match-high 71 assists in the match while Kiley Fister had 45 for Iowa.
