Ohio State
17-2, 6-1B1G
Purdue
15-3, 6-1B1G
Buckeyes Climb Atop Big Ten Standings by Defeating Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 16, 2015
RELATED INFO
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes will go to bed tonight in first place of the Big Ten Conference with a 6-1 B1G mark following a five-set victory over No. 18 Purdue (15-3, 6-1). The seventh-ranked Buckeyes move to 17-2 overall, including 7-1 at home and 4-1 in five-set contests. Ohio State plays host to Indiana on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. BTN VIdeo Wrap-Up
Three of five Big Ten matches inside St. John Arena this season have extended into a fifth set with Ohio State winning each. The final score Friday night was 25-15, 25-27, 24-26, 25-23, 15-9. After dropping the conference opener back on Sept. 23, Ohio State has rattled off six straight B1G triumphs.
The Buckeyes were deadly from the service stripe, delivering a season-best 13 aces. Luisa Schirmer led the way by connecting on five aces.
Ohio State threw up a dozen blocks and dug 75 balls to limit Purdue to a .197 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes attacked .230 or better in three of five sets including a .429 clip in the opening set. Taylor Sandbothe was responsible for a team-high 16 kills, swinging .333 (16-4-36) for the match. She totaled 21 points on the night, adding four blocks (2s, 2a) and a pair of service aces.
Audra Appold, Taylor Hughes, Valeria León and Schirmer each produced 12 or more digs while Tyler Richardson came through with six stuffs (1s, 5a) in the defensive front court.
The OSU offense ran through Elizabeth Campbell in set number one as she terminated five of the 12 sets sent her way. Ohio State’s first attacking error didn’t come until the 17th attempt. The Buckeyes swung .429 (14-2-28) en route to a 25-15 drubbing.
Campbell and Richardson teamed up for four tandem blocks through the first 12 points of the second set. The third rejection gave Ohio State a 7-0 edge and the fourth made it 9-3 moments later. Purdue stormed back, however, pulling even promptly at 10-10. From there it was back-and-forth with numerous tied scores and five lead changes as the two squads split the next 30 points and remained tied at 25-25. A Boilermaker kill and solo block followed to seal the deal 27-25.
Set number three was much the same, ending in another two-point difference requiring extra points to determine a winner. Sandbothe did all she could to carry Ohio State to victory, bouncing all five of her attacks for kills; but the Boilermakers escaped another set with the 26-24 squeaker.
The fourth frame was a repeat of the second, roles reversed. This time it was Purdue racing out to an early advantage, 7-1, only to see their stronghold erased by set’s end. Super sub Ashley Wenz entered the match and produced four kills in the set. The Springboro sophomore got in on a block as well for good measure. After committing an attack error to make it 24-23, Schirmer quickly made amends with a set-clinching kill on the very next point to secure the third straight set separated by the minimum two-point margin.
Sandbothe roofed Purdue’s Faye Adelaja to ignite a monstrous run for the Scarlet & Gray. Her big-time block broke up a 5-5 tie and marked the start of a 10-4 run to close out the fifth set, 15-9. Sandbothe fittingly ended the Buckeye outburst as well, bouncing a kill for the 15th and final tally.
Ohio State returns to St. John Arena for a Sunday matinee versus Indiana starting at 1 p.m. ET.
