Rivalry Weekend: Ohio State vs. Michigan
3/18/2021 4:34:46 PM | Women's Volleyball
ADDITIONAL INFO
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 9 Ohio State women’s volleyball team is set to face Michigan twice this weekend inside the Covelli Center. The Buckeyes and Wolverines will take the court at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
WEEKLY BASICS
Ohio State vs. Michigan | March 19 | 6 p.m. | Covelli Center | Live Stats | BTN+
Ohio State vs. Michigan | March 20 | 6 p.m. | Covelli Center | Live Stats | BTN+
LAST TIME OUT
The Buckeyes are 13-1 on the season after splitting a pair of 3-2 decisions with then-ranked No. 4 Nebraska last weekend. Emily Londot had back-to-back double-doubles against the Huskers while Vanja Bukilic had 16 kills in each outing. Kylie Murr earned 23 digs for a new season best on Friday. Saturday’s win was the first against Nebraska since Oct. 1, 2016.
RADER GOES B1G
Middle blocker Rylee Rader was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for a second time this season on Monday. Rader only committed one error in 46 attempts to hit .500 at Nebraska. The Louisville, Ky., native tallied a career-high 14 kills and had a .591 attacking rate on Friday. On Saturday, she connected on 10 of her 24 error-free swings for a .417 hitting percentage and a match-best eight blocks. The rookie has played in 11 matches so far, hitting .428 and averaging 2.31 kills per set. Over the last six appearances, Rader has 67 kills on 119 attempts with just four miscues for a .529 clip.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan has a 4-3 record this season and picked up two wins against Indiana last weekend. May Pertofsky was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week after totaling 30 kills and seven aces versus the Hoosiers. The Wolverines are seventh nationally in assists per set (13.71) and ninth in kills (14.65). Kayla Blair is 18th in the country with a .439 hitting percentage. Ohio State has a 50-29 lead in the all-time series, but has lost the last seven matchups.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Ohio State moved up two spots to check in at No. 9 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll. It is the fourth straight week the Buckeyes have been featured in the rankings and the first time in the top 10 since the 2015 season.
B1G NUMBERS
The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in multiple categories, including team kills (822), digs (836) and assists (747), while coming in second in hitting percentage (.264) and total blocks (137). Individually, Mac Podraza’s 10.56 assists (4th), Rylee Rader’s .428 hitting rate (5th), Kylie Murr’s 3.86 digs (7th) and Emily Londot’s 3.85 kills (6th) ranks among the conference’s leaders.
UP NEXT
Ohio State wraps up it home slate with two matches against Purdue March 26-27.
