Buckeyes Battle No. 9 Nebraska Wednesday
10/23/2018 2:26:36 PM | Women's Volleyball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State returns to St. John Arena for a tough midweek contest against Big Ten foe No. 9 Nebraska Wednesday night. First serve is set for 7 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network.
WEEKLY BASICS
Wednesday, Oct. 24 | 7 p.m. | Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena | TV: BTN
Ohio State (12-10, 3-7 B1G) vs. No. 9 Nebraska (15-5, 6-4 B1G) | Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
HISTORY WITH THE HUSKERS
The Buckeyes and Huskers have battled on the hardwood 19 times since 1978 with Nebraska claiming 12 wins. Ohio State has dropped the last two matches of the series, both in Columbus. The Scarlet & Gray have only beaten the Huskers once in St. John Arena back in 2015.
SCOUTING REPORT
Nebraska has lost its last three matches, all to opponents ranked in the Top 10 nationally. The Huskers came up short to Wisconsin in five before they fell to Minnesota, 3-1, last weekend. Nebraska leads the country by limiting its opponents to a .134 hitting percentage. The squad also ranks 12th with 1.72 aces per set and 18th behind 2.73 blocks per set. Individually, Callie Schwarzenbach is averaging 1.51 blocks per set, which is the ninth-best mark in the nation.
BUCKEYES LATELY
Ohio State is looking to snap a two-match skid after being setback by Indiana and No. 17 Purdue in straight sets over the weekend. Lauren Witte and Vanja Bukilic paced the offense with 18 and 17 kills, respectively, through the two matches. Becca Mauer averaged 10.00 assists per set and Hannah Gruensfelder had 3.17 digs per set.
NATIONAL TELEVISION EXPOSURE
Wednesday’s match against Nebraska will be the fourth time Ohio State has been on national television this season. The Buckeyes have been featured on the Big Ten Network twice and ESPN2.
B1G STATS
In Big Ten-only matches, Lauren Witte is attacking at a .306 clip, which ranks 10th. Becca Mauer averages 8.78 assists per set to come in 10th while Bia Franklin’s .34 aces per set is sixth.
CAREER WATCH
Junior middle blocker Madison Smeathers is steadily approaching the 500-kill milestone. She currently has 453 kills through 73 career matches.
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 seven of their 10 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.
