Ohio State Readies for No. 4 Illinois, Northwestern
10/31/2018 1:29:05 PM | Women's Volleyball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team is coming back home to host a pair of Big Ten matches this weekend inside St. John Arena. The Buckeyes open up action on Friday against No. 4 Illinois at 7 p.m. before welcoming Northwestern for a Sunday rematch at 1 p.m.
WEEKLY BASICS
Friday, Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. | Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena | Stream: BTN Plus
Ohio State (12-12, 3-9 B1G) vs. No. 4 Illinois (20-3, 9-3 B1G) | Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
Sunday, Nov. 4 | 1 p.m. | Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena | Stream: BTN Plus
Ohio State vs. Northwestern (13-11, 3-9 B1G) | Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
HISTORY WITH THE FIGHTING ILLINI & WILDCATS
Illinois holds a 43-38 lead in the all-time series heading into Friday. The Buckeyes have dropped their last three meetings with the Fighting Illini, including a pair a season ago.
Dating back to 1975, Ohio State has won 56 of its 77 matchups with Northwestern. The Buckeyes have come out on top in six of the last seven meetings. The most recent setback occurred last Sunday when the Wildcats claimed a straight-set victory in Evanston.
SCOUTING REPORT
Illinois extended its win streak to five matches after it earned victories over Maryland and then-ranked No. 9 Nebraska last week. The Fighting Illini are averaging 14.43 kills pet set, which ranks 11th nationally. The team also has 13.62 assists per set (12th), a .270 hitting percentage (16th) and 1.67 aces per set (18th). Individually, Jordyn Poulter leads the Big Ten and stands sixth in the country with 11.77 assists per set. Jacqueline Quade holds the top spot in the conference behind 4.27 kills per set.
Northwestern is coming off a 3-0 triumph over the Buckeyes last Sunday. Nia Robinson has been the leader on offense, averaging 3.99 kills pet set to rank fifth in the league. Britt Bommer’s 8.84 assists per set checks in at No. 11 while Michelle Lee has 3.42 digs per set, which is good enough for 12th.
BUCKEYES LATELY
Ohio State is looking to snap a four-match skid after falling Northwestern on Sunday. For the 19th time this season, Vanja Bukilic reached double-digits with 11 kills. Lauren Witte got in on the action with 10 kills. Both Buckeyes had three blocks apiece and Bukilic had five digs. Becca Mauer added 20 assists and three rejections while Bia Franklin tallied six digs, three kills, two service aces and two blocks. Audra Appold led the defense with 11 digs and Hannah Gruensfelder dug five balls.
B1G STATS
Lauren Witte has the ninth-best hitting percentage in the Big Ten with a .354 clip. Becca Mauer averages 7.10 assists per set and Hannah Gruensfelder has 3.33 digs per set for both to come in 13th in their respective categories.
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 eight of their 12 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.
