Buckeyes Close Out 2015 Regular Season This Week – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 24, 2015
Senior Class (above) plays final regular season home match Saturday night
RELATED INFO
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 16 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team will host Senior Night on Saturday (Nov. 28) after a midweek (Nov. 25) road contest at No. 4 Minnesota. The tilt in Minneapolis is set for an 8 p.m. ET start while Senior Night’s match vs. Rutgers gets started at 7 p.m. ET. Both Big Ten battles to wrap up the regular season will be broadcast on BTN Plus. Seven senior members of the program — including student-athletes Elizabeth Campbell, Andrea Kacsits, Katie Mitchell, Tyler Richardson and Emily Ruetter — will be recognized and speak to the assembled crowd following the match.
WEEKLY BASICS
Wednesday, Nov. 25 – 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET – Minneapolis, Minn. (Sports Pavilion)
#16 Ohio State (22-8, 11-7 Big Ten) at #4 Minnesota (24-4, 16-2 Big Ten)
Live Stats: GameTracker
Live Video: BTN Plus
Saturday, Nov. 28 – 7 p.m. ET – Columbus, Ohio (St. John Arena)
#16 Ohio State vs. Rutgers (4-26, 1-17 Big Ten)
Live Stats: GameTracker
Live Video: Buckeye Vision
HISTORY WITH THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
The Buckeyes have defeated Rutgers in five of six previous meetings, including three consecutive sweeps since becoming Big Ten sistren. In the three conference clashes, Ohio State has out-scored the Scarlet Knigts by an average of 10 points per set. Rutgers lone win in the all-time series came back in 1981.
HOME COOKIN’
Ohio State Women’s Volleyball has won nearly 70 percent of its matches inside St. John Arena all-time. The Buckeyes began competition in the facility in 1986, compiling an overall mark of 307-132 (.699) which includes a 9-3 mark this season.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SELECTION SHOW AIRS SUNDAY NIGHT
NCAA Division-I women’s volleyball is comprised of 334 schools vying for the national championship and that large crowd will be whittled down to a 64-team bracket during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show airing live Sunday (Nov. 29) evening at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
APPOLD EARNS THIRD BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
Audra Appold’s 29-kill Iowa massacre on Nov. 18 vaulted her to a third Big Ten Freshman of the Week recognition earlier this week. She averaged 5.57 kills per set and attacked at a .378 clip for the week. Appold became the first Buckeye in school history to be named B1G Freshman of the Week thrice.
Her 29 kills in an OSU victory at Iowa were the the most by a Buckeye since Kaitlyn Leary put away 31 at Michigan on Nov. 2, 2013 and most by a freshman in over a decade when Stacey Gordon terminated 30 kills at Purdue on Nov. 3, 2001.
HISTORIC PACE
Buckeye classmates, Valeria León and Taylor Sandbothe, are putting up all-time numbers this season ranked among the best in school history. León’s 4.38 digs per set is the highest rate ever by a Buckeye and her total of 491 digs already ranks third. Meanwhile, Sandbothe is attacking .372 (5th) and her 1.23 blocks/set are also slotted eighth.
RPI REPPIN’
The NCAA began releasing the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) each Monday midseason. Ohio State is slotted No. 11 nationally this week in the rankings which carry substantial weight in determining NCAA Tournament participants and First/Second Round hosts.
THE BIG TEN GAUNTLET
Seven Big Ten programs are ranked in this week’s AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, including No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 7 Penn State, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 14 Purdue, No. 16 Ohio State and No. 18 Illinois. In addition, Michigan is receiving votes. Thirteen of 14 conference schools posted winning percentages above .700 during non-conference action.
Speaking of non-conference foes, Ohio State has also faced No. 20 Florida State (twice) and No. 23 Arizona this season. As of this week’s rankings, just under half of the Buckeyes’ matches will be against schools nationally-ranked or receiving votes (15 of 32 regular season matches). According to the NCAA’s Toughest Schedule Report, Ohio State has faced the 24th-hardest slate so far this season.
SANDBOTHE STUFFS
Taylor Sandbothe terrorized the Fighting Illini throughout Ohio State’s four-set triumph on Nov. 11. In addition to 19 kills, Sandbothe stuffed Illinois 11 times. Her career-high 11 blocks are the sixth-highest total by a Buckeye in school history and the third-best mark against a conference foe. The last Buckeyes to reach 11 blocks in a match was Mariah Booth back in 2010 against Kennesaw State.
ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON IN THE BOOKS FOR CARLSTON
Ohio State captured its 20th win of the season on Nov. 7 with a road sweep at Rutgers. Geoff Carlston has now notched 20 or more victories in six of eight seasons in Columbus and in 11 of 13 campaigns as a Division-I head coach. Carlston enters the week with a 312-124 (.716) D-I career mark and averaged 24.2 wins per year through his first 12 seasons at the helm of Ohio University and Ohio State.
