Ohio State Making Stops at Indiana, No. 17 Purdue
10/17/2018 9:00:59 AM | Women's Volleyball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team is hitting the road for a pair of Big Ten matches. The Buckeyes are visiting Indiana for a rematch Friday at 7 p.m. before heading to No. 17 Purdue for a Sunday showdown at 1 p.m.
WEEKLY BASICS
Friday, Oct. 19 | 7 p.m. | Bloomington, Ind. | University Gym | Stream: BTN Plus
Ohio State (12-8, 3-5 B1G) at Indiana (12-7, 3-5 B1G) | Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
Sunday, Oct. 21 | 1 p.m. | West Lafayette, Ind. | Holloway Gymnasium | Stream: BTN Plus
Ohio State at No. 17 Purdue (15-4, 4-4 B1G) | Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
HISTORY WITH THE HOOSIERS & BOILERMAKERS
Friday’s contest will be the second meeting of the season between the Buckeyes and Hoosiers. Ohio State came up short, 3-1, on Sept. 26 when Indiana made the trip to St. John Arena. However, the Buckeyes still have an impressive 52-28 lead in the series.
Ohio State holds a slight 44-43 edge in the all-time series with Purdue. The teams split last year’s home-and-home series and the Buckeyes claimed their first win in West Lafayette since 2012 with a 3-1 decision.
SCOUTING REPORT
Indiana snapped a four-match skid with a straight-set victory over Rutgers. As a team, the Hoosiers are 17th nationally averaging 2.71 blocks per set and 18th with 203 total rejections. Individually, Deyshia Lofton has a .366 hitting percentage, which stands ninth in the Big Ten. Bayli Lebo ranks eighth in the conference with 4.16 digs per set.
Purdue earned a 3-2 road win at Iowa last weekend. Brooke Peters is second in the league with 4.96 digs per set while Hayley Bush is fifth averaging 10.79 assists per set. Teammate Sherridan Atkinson is putting up 3.92 kills per set, which is good enough for sixth in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers check in fifth and sixth, respectively, in the conference behind 14.86 digs and 13.23 kills per set.
LAST TIME OUT
Ohio State made quick work of Michigan State last Sunday on ESPN2 with a 3-0 triumph in St. John Arena. Bia Franklin did a little bit of everything for the Buckeyes behind career highs in kills (14) and points (18.5). She also registered 12 digs, three service aces and two blocks. Madison Smeathers came through with a season-best 13 kills while Vanja Bukilic notched her 16th match in double figures on 10 kills. Becca Mauer reached double-digits in assists for the 11th time after she handed out a match-high 43 helpers. Audra Appold recorded 11 digs, followed by Hannah Gruensfelder with eight.
B1G STATS
In Big Ten-only matches, Jordan Fry has a .310 hitting percentage (15th) and Becca Mauer tallies 8.55 assists per set (11th).
CAREER WATCH
Sophomore middle blocker Madison Smeathers is steadily approaching the 500-kill milestone. She currently has 446 kills through 72 career matches.
ROOKIES ON THE COME UP
Freshmen Mia Grunze and Vanja Bukilic have stepped up to the challenge for Ohio State. Through 20 matches, the rookie duo has combined for 39 percent or 388 kills of the Buckeyes’ team total (1,006). Grunze averages 2.70 kills per set and has 10 matches in double figures while Bukilic has tallied 16 double-digit outings and 3.01 kills per set.
BLOCK PARTY
Ohio State has out-blocked its opponents 11 times, including a season-high 17.0 rejections at Dayton. However, the Buckeyes have had fewer blocks in five of its eight Big Ten matchups.
FAREWELL ST. JOHN ARENA, HELLO COVELLI CENTER
The 2018 campaign is the final season for the Buckeyes inside St. John Arena. The women’s volleyball team will be moving to the Covelli Center, which is set to be complete in time for the 2019 season. The state-of-the-art facility is part of the new Ohio State Athletic District and will span over 100,000 square feet in total and include a locker room and coaching suite designed specifically for the women’s volleyball program.
