Big Ten Slate Opens with a Pair of Top-10 Foes
9/18/2018 2:27:34 PM | Women's Volleyball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s volleyball team is set to face of pair of highly touted opponents this week to start Big Ten Conference play. The Buckeyes are heading to Madison for a midweek bout with No. 6 Wisconsin Wednesday live on the Big Ten Network starting at 7 p.m. ET. The team returns to St. John Arena for Sunday’s home contest against No. 4 Penn State at 1 p.m. ET.
WEEKLY BASICS
Wednesday, Sept. 19 | 7 p.m. | Madison, Wis. | UW Field House | TV: BTN
Ohio State (9-3) at No. 6 Wisconsin (7-1) Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
Sunday, Sept. 23 | 1 p.m. | Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena | Stream: BTN Plus
Ohio State vs. No. 4 Penn State (9-1) Live Stats | Live Stream ($)
HISTORY WITH THE BADGERS & NITTANY LIONS
Ohio State trails 41-36 in the all-time series with Wisconsin, which began in 1975. The Buckeyes won the lone meeting between the teams a season ago in Madison. OSU picked up its first victory since 2015 after it erased a 2-0 deficit to knock off the then-ranked No. 8 Badgers in five sets.
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have battled on the hardwood 63 times since 1981. Penn State holds a 48-15 advantage in the series, having won 20 of the last 21 outings. When the Nittany Lions visited Columbus last season they left with a five-set win.
SCOUTING REPORT
Wisconsin is riding a three-match win streak and has a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents thus far. The Badgers are 10th in the nation with a .294 hitting percentage and 2.84 blocks per set. Individually, Dana Rettke leads the country with 1.90 blocks per set. Teammate Sydney Hilley averages 11.28 helpers, which ranks 20th.
Penn State has won four of its last five matches with its lone loss coming at the hands of then-ranked No. 4 Stanford. The Nittany Lions average 3.37 blocks per set, which ranks first nationally. Penn State has held its opponents to a .135 attack percentage (10th) and has a .290 hitting percentage (11th). Kaitlyn Hord (1.52) and Serena Gray (1.48) stand 11th and 15th, respectively, in blocks per set.
FINAL NON-CONFERENCE TUNE-UP
Non-conference action concluded at the Flyer Invitational, where the Buckeyes went 1-2. Vanja Bukilic and Hannah Gruensfelder were both named to the all-tournament team for their efforts. Through 12 matches, Ohio State was 5-0 in three-set outings, 3-1 in four sets and 1-2 in five-set decisions.
WITTE – HOT HITTING
Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Witte has been the leader on offense for the Buckeyes during the first month of the season. She currently tops the team and ranks 23rd nationally with a .408 hitting percentage. Witte also protects the net with 1.07 blocks per set.
UP NEXT
Ohio State welcomes Indiana to St. John Arena at 7 p.m. ET Sept. 26. The match will be live on the Big Ten Network.
