Ohio State
12-2, 1-1B1G
Wisconsin
8-4, 0-2B1G
Buckeyes Rise Up in Fifth Set Triumph over Wisconsin – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 27, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 12 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team erupted for 12 kills at a .458 attacking rate in a match-clinching fifth set versus No. 16 Wisconsin. Taylor Hughes divvied out 11 assists and delivered the 12th kill on her own in the 15-11 final stanza. Ohio State (12-2, 1-1 B1G) notches its 12th victory of the season and evens its Big Ten mark at 1-1 while the defending conference champion Badgers fall to 8-4, 0-2.
Over 2,500 fans filed into St. John Arena to witness the second five-setter in as many matches this week. Preseason All-Big Ten selection Taylor Sandbothe paced all comers by a wide margin with 26.5 points responsible for. The junior middle blocker put away 20 kills at a .472 hitting clip to go along with eight blocks (three solo) and a service ace. The match’s next highest point-scorer was Elizabeth Campbell and her 17 tallies on 14 kills and three aces from the service stripe. Freshman setter Taylor Hughes did a little bit of everything, recording 51 assists, eight digs, seven blocks (two solo), five kills and an ace. Ohio State out-blocked the Badgers by a 15-8 ratio.
Campbell racked up 14 digs as well, good for her seventh double-double of the season and 14th as a Buckeye.
Six of the Buckeye stuffs came in the opening set, suffocating the UW offense to a .000 attacking efficiency. Meanwhile, Ohio State swung .370 (11-1-27) and turned a 13-13 tie into a 25-17 winner. Hughes ignited the 12-4 run by terminating a `second ball’ kill, putting OSU ahead for good at 14-13. The Buckeyes also captured the next four tallies and rode the 18-13 edge home.
It was much the opposite in set number two as Ohio State registered a high attack error total and the Badgers rolled to a 25-18 win, sending the teams locked up at one set apiece into locker room intermission.
Audra Appold emerged from the locker rooms on a mission, bouncing five kills in the third frame. Sandbothe matched her five-kill effort, both attacking above .600 for the set. Ohio State stuffed the Badgers four times and pulled back ahead on the strength of a 25-20 winning tally.
Sandbothe kept it coming in the following set, ripping six more kills and two rejections. Her Herculean effort was ultimately wasted, however, when Wisconsin forced a fifth and final set after a 25-21 ledger.
The pendulum swung back in favor of Ohio State in the fifth frame. The Buckeyes raced out to a 5-0 advantage and maintained that cushion at 8-3 when the teams swapped sides of the net. Wisconsin would scrap back within two tallies twice, but never any closer. Sandbothe’s 20th kill of the day was the final nail, wrapping it up 15-11.
The Scarlet & Gray remain in the friendly confines of St. John Arena in the upcoming week, playing host to Iowa and Nebraska back-to-back evenings (Oct. 2-3).
