Buckeyes Hosting Iowa & Wisconsin This Week – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 17, 2014
RELATED INFO
- Complete Match Notes
- Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
COLUMBUS, Ohio – St. John Arena opens its doors for a pair of Big Ten matches this week with the Ohio State women’s volleyball program playing host to Iowa on Wednesday (Nov. 19) and conference leader Wisconsin on Friday (Nov. 21). Both B1G scuffles are slated for 7 p.m. ET starts.
WEEKLY BASICS
Wednesday, Nov. 19 – 7 p.m.ET – Columbus, Ohio
#20 Ohio State (18-10, 9-7) vs. Iowa (13-14, 5-11)
Live Stats: GameTracker
Video ($): Buckeye Vision
Friday, Nov. 21 – 7 p.m. ET – Columbus, Ohio
#20 Ohio State (18-10, 9-7) vs. #2 Wisconsin (24-2, 15-1)
Live Stats: GameTracker
Video ($): BTN Plus
HISTORY WITH THE HAWKEYES AND BADGERS
Ohio State has dominated the all-time series vs. Iowa, holding a 58-9 edge that includes 11 straight victories. The Buckeyes last loss to Iowa came on Oct. 26, 2008. Meanwhile, the Badgers series has been much tighter. Wisconsin’s win earlier this season leaned the balance in its favor by a slim 35-34 margin. Ohio State has dropped three in a row to UW, but has been victorious in six of the last 10 overall.
St. John Arena has held 33 meetings with Iowa while the Badgers have walked through the doors 31 times. Ohio State leads both series at home, 28-6 over the Hawkeyes and 16-15 versus Wisconsin.
OHIO STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Buckeyes are slotted No. 20 in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25. The computers have Ohio State rated as the 33rd-best team in the country according to the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
FINAL PUSH FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT HOSTING DUTIES
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its watch list for potential First/Second Round NCAA Tournament hosts on Oct. 30, which included the Ohio State Buckeyes. The top-16 seeds are awarded the chance to host; and with a 20th national ranking Ohio State is still in the hunt for one of the 16 highly-coveted hosting distinctions.
CAREER HIGHS SET IN CHAMPAIGN
In a four-set match at Illinois last week (Nov. 12), two Buckeyes set new statistical career highs. Erin Sekinger pounded home a career-best 27 kills while Valeria León racked up 26 digs.
SETTING UP THE BUCKEYES FOR SUCCESS
Senior setter Taylor Sherwin became just the seventh player in school history to record 3,000 career assists, surpassing the milestone on Oct. 18 at Purdue. The Orlando, Fla., native has accumulated 3,306 assists to date. She moved into the all-time top-5 in school history last week, surpassing Jen Flynn (3,213; 1996-97) and Jen Boleyn (3,214; 1994-96). Katie Virtue (1999-2002) is atop the list after setting up 5,648 assists during her illustrious career donning the Scarlet & Gray.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio State improved to 9-1 at home with wins over Maryland and Rutgers two weeks ago. St. John Arena witnessed a pair of top-25 wins over #15 Illinois and #24 Northwestern earlier in the year. OSU defended their home turf admirably Sept. 5-7 as well, laying claim to the 9th Annual Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic trophy. The Buckeyes defeated Auburn, Florida Gulf Coast and Southern Illinois to take ownership of the hardware. Luisa Schirmer was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player while Elizabeth Campbell and Taylor Sandbothe joined her on the all-tournament team.
Amidst the 29th season calling St. Johna Arena `home,’ the Buckeyes are 296-128 (.698) all-time in the facility.
THE BIG TEN GAUNTLET
Six Big Ten programs are ranked in this week’s AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, including No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 4 Penn State, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 16 Purdue, and No. 20 Ohio State.
