Postseason Journey Continues in Louisville – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 10, 2014
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The field has been trimmed to 16 teams for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship and #18 Ohio State takes its next step in an early evening battle with #4 Wisconsin on Friday at 5 pm ET inside the KFC Yum! Center. The winner advances to the Elite Eight and a Saturday showdown (4 pm) versus the victor between #5 Penn State and #12 UCLA.
WEEKLY BASICS
Friday, Dec. 12 – 5 p.m.ET – Louisville, Ky. (KFC Yum! Center)
#18 Ohio State (23-11, 12-8 Big Ten) vs. #4 Wisconsin (30-2, 19-1 Big Ten)
Live Stats: GameTracker
Television: ESPN3
Saturday, Dec. 13 – 4 p.m. ET – Louisville, Ky. (KFC Yum! Center)
Ohio State/Wisconsin vs. #5 Penn State (31-3, 18-2 Big Ten)/#12 UCLA (22-11, 11-9 Pac-12)
Television: ESPNU
BLUES-FREE TRIP TO THE BLUEGRASS STATE
The Buckeyes marched into Lexington last week for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, dropping a lone set en route to the program’s third Sweet 16 in the last five seasons. Ohio State held the competition to less than 20 points in five of seven sets played. The Buckeyes hosted a block party rejecting 3.71 balls per set, paced by Taylor Sandbothe’s 2.14 blocks/set.
Senior Erin Sekinger ensured her collegiate career extended another week, averaging 4.36 points/set while attacking at .408 clip. She did damage on both sides of the net, posting 3.71 kills/set and 1.29 blocks/set rates. Junior Katie Mitchell earned her seat at the post-match press conference following Saturday’s win over host and 13th-seeded Kentucky. Mitchell was inserted into the match early during the second set and delivered a huge spark with nine kills on 17 swings and just one error.
BIG TEN DOING BIG THINGS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Big Ten Conference flexed its muscle during the opening weekend of the postseason. Six league schools qualifed for the dance with all but one advancing to the Sweet 16. All six were first round victors as the conference took a combined 18 of 19 sets played in the first round. Both 2013 NCAA Tournament Finals participants, Penn State and Wisconsin, are set to take the floor in the Louisville Regional.
THREE BUCKEYES EARN ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
A trio of Ohio State women’s volleyball student-athletes were given All-Northeast Region recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association Tuesday (Dec. 9). Elizabeth Campbell and Taylor Sandbothe were placed on the AVCA All-Northeast Region Team while Taylor Sherwin picked up All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention.
The three honorees are the most for Ohio State in 20 years and tied for the most in school history. Three Buckeyes earned all-region laurels in five previous seasons as well (1994, 1993, 1991, 1990, 1989).
ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION
A pair of Buckeyes, Taylor Sandbothe and Taylor Sherwin, were named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Tuesday (Dec. 2) as voted by the 14 conference head coaches. This marks the 28th consecutive season in which at least one Buckeye has earned postseason recognition from the conference office.
Thirty-three different Buckeyes have been tabbed All-Big Ten a total of 72 times since 1983.
SETTING UP THE BUCKEYES FOR SUCCESS
Senior setter Taylor Sherwin picked up her second Big Ten Setter of the Week honors on Dec. 1, the fourth conference recognition of her career. Earlier this season she 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 3,567 assists to date, which ranks fifth all-time in Ohio State history. Katie Virtue (1999-2002) is atop the list after setting up 5,648 assists during her illustrious career as a Buckeye.
RECORD BOOK WRECKAGE
Valeria León and Taylor Sandbothe already cracked the OSU all-time top-10 with 460 digs and 136 total blocks, respectively, this season. Taylor Sherwin is within reach of a top-10 statistical season totals as well:
Sherwin – 1,318 assists rank 17th (10th – 1,424 assists by Laura Davis in 1993)
Sandbothe – 25 solo blocks rank 25th (10th – 26 solo blocks by Mari Hole in 2012)
Sandbothe – 111 block assists rank T-18th (10th – 113 block assists by Allie Schwarzwalder in 2010)
SCHIRMER HITTING HER STRIDE
Freshman Luisa Schirmer had arguably her best two-match stretch since stepping foot on campus in the final week of the regular season. She set a career high with 17 kills in a five-set victory over Minnesota before matching that total in just three sets during a sweep at Rutgers three days later. Schirmer got it done defensively as well, posting double-digit dig totals in both contests for back-to-back double-doubles.
DOUBLING UP
Taylor Sherwin paces the team with eight double-doubles (10 or more assists and digs in a match) this season, followed closely by Luisa Schirmer and Elizabeth Campbell’s six times apiece. Erin Sekinger and Valeria León have both posted one.
THE BIG TEN GAUNTLET
Six Big Ten programs were ranked in the regular season’s last AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, including No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 4 Penn State, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 18 Ohio State and No. 24 Purdue.
SCHOOL HISTORY WITH BACK-TO-BACK-To-BACK TOP-25 VICTORIES
For the first time in school history, the Buckeyes recorded back-to-back-to-back wins with all three opponents ranked in the Top-25. It all started Oct. 4 when the Buckeyes marched into Lincoln and earned a five-set road victory over #8 Nebraska, followed by home triumphs over #15 Illinois and #24 Northwestern the following week.
SEKINGER SIZZLING AS A SENIOR
Senior outside hitter Erin Sekinger has stepped up her game for her senior campaign, setting career highs with 403 kills, 72 digs, 67 blocks and 10 aces. Her 3.54 points per set rank ninth in the entire Big Ten Conference while slotted 11th with 3.17 kills/set.
WINNER CRACKS THE CENTURY MARK
Senior defensive specialist stepped onto the court donning an Ohio State uniform for the 100th time on Oct. 28 at Penn State. She enters the week having played in 111 career matches and dug 454 balls.
NEVER-SAY-DIE BUCKEYES
The dramatic fashion in which Ohio State came back to emerge victorious over #8 Nebraska and #15 Illinois in consecutive matches was monumnetal and potentially unparalleled. In total, the Buckeyes successfully fended off seven match points to erase 14-11 and 14-10 fifth-set deficits at Nebrasaka and vs. Illinois, respectively.
The Buckeyes silenced a crowd of more than 8,000 in Lincoln. The drama came to a crescendo when OSU stared a 14-11 fifth-set deficit and three match points in the face. Ohio State ripped off the next five points on the strength of Katie Mitchell’s superb service to lock in the program’s second straight win at Nebraska (3-3 all-time in Lincoln). Ohio State’s 77 kills that night are the most by any Big Ten team this season (OSU’s 74 vs. Syracuse are the second most).
The Buckeyes then faced an even more daunting deficit vs. Illinois. Buried in a 14-10 hole, Ohio State rattled off six points in a row to send the Buckeye faithful into a frenzy with a 16-14 Houdini act escaping with another wild come-from-behind triumph.
