Ohio State
21-11,12-8Big Ten
Rutgers
7-26, 0-20Big Ten
Ohio State Caps Regular Season Sweeping Rutgers in New Jersey – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 29, 2014
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NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The #20 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team put its 2014 regular season to rest by visiting the each coast and sweeping Rutgers (7-26, 0-20) on the road by a total score of 75-48 (25-18, 25-13, 25-17). Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament resume includes a 21-11 overall record and 12-8 mark in the Big Ten. ESPNU is set to air the NCAA Selection Show Sunday evening, starting at 8:30 p.m. First and second round matches are scheduled for Dec. 4-6.
Ohio State attacked at a season-best .398 clip (50-11-98) versus the Scarlet Knights. It also marked the program’s highest hitting percentage since a .485 effort (38-6-66) against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sept. 20, 2013. Freshman Luisa Schirmer was the top gun, rifling 17 kills on 30 swings with just two errors (.500). The New York native added 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and second in a row. Elizabeth Campbell, Taylor Sandbothe and Erin Sekinger each chipped in nine or more kills as well, combining to swing .375. Senior setter Taylor Sherwin stirred the drink, setting up 44 assists while also contributing five digs, three aces and a kill and block.
The Buckeye defense showed up, too, holding Rutgers to a sub-.200 attacking rate. Ohio State totaled eight team blocks as five different Buckeyes got in on the action for a pair of block assists and Tyler Richardson did so thrice.
Ohio State posted an overall side-out percentage of 64 percent, increasing in each subsequent set. The Buckeyes regained service just over half the time at 52 percent in the opening set, 69 percent in the second and 73 percent in the final frame.
Schirmer got after it right away, crushing eight kills in the first set alone. Ohio State took its first lead at 7-6 and did not trail again until 1-0 in the third set. Schrimer then gave way to Sekinger’s four-kills-on-four-attacks effort and Sandbothe’s three kills in the second stanza. It was eight more put-aways for Schirmer in set number three, reigniting for a .571 attacking percentage (8-0-14). Sherwin dished out 18 assists in the clinching final set as the Buckeyes committed a lone attack error on 36 attempts, killing 20 balls.
