Related: Ohio State release
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (12-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) women's volleyball team opens Big Ten Conference play at 15th-ranked Illinois (8-1) and Northwestern (9-3) this weekend. The Buckeyes face the Illini Friday in Huff Hall and Wildcats Saturday in Welsh-Ryan Arena in 7 p.m. CT matches. Last week, Ohio State won the Sports Imports Classic by defeating Bowling Green, 3-0, Cleveland State, 3-1 and Xavier 3-0 to extend its win streak to eight matches.
EMILY DANKS NAMED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Ohio State's outside hitter Emily Danks (Round Rock, Texas) has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (with Purdue's Ariel Turner). Danks was named to the all-tournament team at the Sports Imports Classic, hitting .592 and averaging 3.1 kills per set as the Buckeyes went 3-0 over the weekend with wins against Bowling Green (25-19, 25-20, 25-13), Cleveland State (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15) and Xavier (27-25, 25-18, 25-6). The freshman opened the tournament by hitting a career high .714 against Bowling Green with 10 kills in 14 attempts. She also added an ace serve, an assist block and a dig. The following day against Cleveland State, she tallied 14 kills on .565 hitting with another ace and a pair of blocks (one solo, one assist) before adding on seven kills on .500 hitting with four digs and two assist blocks in the tournament finale vs. Xavier.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Geoff Carlston is the head coach of the Buckeyes. Ohio State has a 12-1 overall record after winning the Sports Imports Classic. The Buckeyes defeated Bowling Green, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-13), Cleveland State, 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 25-15) and Xavier, 3-0 (27-25, 25-28, 25-6). Setter Amanda Peterson was named the most valuable player of the Classic and Chelsea Noble and Emily Danks were named to the all-tournament team. Katie Dullhas a team-high 4.61 points and 3.87 kills per set average. Danks ranks second in points at 3.12 per set with Kristen Dozier third at 3.07. Dozier ranks second in kills at 2.50 per set with Danks third at 2.32. Danks is hitting a team-high .371 with Dozier second at .343. At setter, Amanda Peterson is averaging 9.98 assists per set with Betsy Hone at 7.43. Peterson has a team-high .56 aces per set with 24. Danks ranks second at .43 with 20. Defensively, Noble leads the squad with a 3.72 digs per set average. Dull ranks second at 2.33. At the net, Dozier has a .91 blocks per set average to lead the team. She has six solos and 36 assists. Danks ranks second at .68 with three solos and 29 assists. Ohio State is hitting .302 and is averaging 17.38 points, 13.28 kills and 12.19 assists per set. The Buckeyes average 1.94 aces, 13.21 digs and 2.17 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .128 and average 11.54 points, 9.23 kills and 8.49 assists per set. Buckeye opponents average 0.98 aces, 11.13 digs and 1.33 blocks per set.
A LOOK AT ILLINOIS
Kevin Hambly is the head coach for the 15th-ranked Illini. Illinois is 8-1 overall and has won its last six matches. Last week the Illini defeated Louisville, 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-20) and Ohio, 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-20) at the Active Ankle Challenge in West Lafayette, Ind. Laura DeBruler and Hillary Haenwere named to the all-tournament team. DeBruler has a team-high 5.90 points per set average and leads the team in kills per set at 5.34. Michelle Bartschranks second in points (3.93) and kills (3.28) per set. DeBruler is hitting a team leading .337 with Bartsch second at .231. At setter, Haen is averaging 12.24 assists per set. Leading the squad in aces with 10 is DeBruler with a .34 per set average. Kylie McCulley is second with eight and a .28 average. Defensively, Ashley Edinger leads the team with a 3.90 digs per set average. Bartsch and McCulley are tied for second at 2.55. At the net, Johannah Bangert has a team-high 1.21 blocks per set average. She has five solos and 30 assist blocks. Bartsch ranks second at 1.00 with a solo and 28 assists. Illinois is hitting .368 and averages 17.55 points, 14.21 kills and 13.72 assists per set. The Illini average 1.17 aces, 14.17 digs and 2.17 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .139 and average 13.48 points, 10.55 kills and 9.86 assists per set. Illinois opponents average .90 aces, 12.10 digs and 2.03 blocks per set.
ILLINOIS-OHIO STATE SERIES
Ohio State has a 34-31 series record against Illinois. The Illini are 16-14 at home while the Buckeyes are 15-12 in Columbus. OSU has a 5-3 record at neutral sites. Last season, the Illini won, 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-16) in Columbus and 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 27-25) in Champaign. Ohio State head coachGeoff Carlston is 0-2 against Illinois in Big Ten matches.
A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN
Keylor Chan is the head coach for the Wildcats. Northwestern is 9-3 overall after winning the Wildcat Classic last weekend. The Wildcats defeated Akron, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-16), Long Island, 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 25-12) and Cincinnati, 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-20). Sabel Moffett was named the most valuable player of the Classic and Elyse Glab and Kate Nobilio were named to the all-tournament team. Moffett is the team leader in points per set at 4.46. Naomi Johnson ranks second at 3.44. The team leader in kills per set is Moffett at 3.40. Johnson ranks second at 2.88. Leading the team in hitting percentage at .431 is Moffett with Johnson second at .425. At setter, Glab has a 10.76 assists per set average. Alexandra Johnson has a team-high .22 aces per set average with nine. Nobilio ranks second at .19 with eight. Defensively, Nobilio leads the squad in digs per set at 4.71. Ranking second at 2.36 is Ariel Baxterbeck. At the net, Moffett has a team-high 1.55 blocks per set average with 10 solos and 55 assists. Johnson ranks second at .83 with four solos and 30 assists. Northwestern is hitting .282 and averages 16.79 points, 13.10 kills and 12.24 assists per game. The Wildcats average 1.00 aces, 14.71 digs and 2.69 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .116 and average 12.99 points, 10.48 kills and 9.76 assists per set. Wildcat opponents average 1.00 aces, 12.83 digs and 1.51 blocks per set.
NORTHWESTERN-OHIO STATE SERIES
The Buckeyes have a 43-17 advantage in the series with Northwestern. In Evanston, the Buckeyes are 21-6 against the Wildcats. OSU is 16-10 at home and 6-2 in neutral site matches. Ohio State won both matches last season, winning, 3-2 (26-24, 26-24, 21-25, 12-25, 15-10) in Evanston and 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17) in Columbus. Ohio State head coach Geoff Carlston is 3-0 against Northwestern including 2-0 in Big Ten matches.
PETERSON EARNS MVP HONORS AT SPORTS IMPORTS CLASSIC
Amanda Peterson was named the Sports Imports Classic Most Valuable Player in leading Ohio State to the championship with wins over Bowling Green, Cleveland State and Xavier. Peterson had 39 assists, five kills, three digs and two assist blocks against Bowling Green and added a career-high five ace serves. She had 43 assists against Cleveland State and produced career highs of 12 points, eight kills and two solo blocks, adding five digs and two ace serves. Against Xavier, Peterson had 31 assists, three kills, five digs, one ace serve and three total blocks with a solo and two assists. She averaged 11.30 assists, 1.30 digs, 1.60 kills, .80 aces and .70 blocks per set in the three matches. Peterson has played and started in 13 matches this season. She is averaging 9.98 assists, 1.56 digs, 1.28 kills and .51 blocks per set while hitting .417.
DANKS EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS AT SPORTS IMPORTS CLASSIC
Emily Danks averaged 3.10 kills per set and hit .592 at the Sports Imports Classic to earn all-tournament honors. She recorded a career-high .714 attack percentage against Bowling Green with 10 kills in 14 attempts with no errors. She added an ace serve, one dig and an assist block for 11.5 points in the match. Danks collected 16.5 points against Cleveland State with 14 kills (.565), an ace serve, a solo block and one assist block. She had eight points against Xavier, recording seven kills (.500) and two assist blocks, adding four digs. A starter in all 14 matches, she is averaging 3.12 points, 2.32 kills, .43 aces, .70 digs and .68 blocks per set. She is hitting .371 on the season to lead the Buckeyes.
NOBLE EARNS SECOND ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS THIS SEASON
Chelsea Noble was named to the Sports Imports Classic All-Tournament team. Noble collected eight digs against Bowling Green and handled 23 of 24 serve reception attempts. Against Cleveland State, she had 15 digs and handled 34 of 37 serve reception attempts. Noble had nine digs against Xavier and was perfect in 22 serve reception attempts. She had an ace serve in each match. Noble has started all 13 matches at libero and has a team leading 3.72 digs per set average. She has handled 374 of 394 serve reception attempts for a .949 percentage.
DULL HAS 11 CONSECUTIVE MATCHES WITH DOUBLE-FIGURE KILLS
Katie Dull extended her streak of double-figure kill matches to 11 after last weekend. She had 13 kills against Bowling Green and Xavier and 10 against Cleveland State. Dull produced 14.5 points against Bowling Green, adding six digs, one solo block and one assist. She had 15.0 points against Cleveland State collecting seven digs, three ace serves, one solo block and two assist blocks. She closed out the weekend with 17.5 points against Xavier adding an ace serve, four digs, three solo blocks and an assist block. Dull, for the three matches, averaged 4.70 points, 3.60 kills, .40 aces, 1.70 digs and .90 blocks per set. A starter in all 13 matches, she is averaging team highs of 4.61 points and 3.87 kills per set. Dull is averaging .33 aces, 2.33 digs and .61 blocks per set.
DOZIER LEADS OHIO STATE PAST CLEVELAND STATE
Kristen Dozier produced a match-high 17 points in the 3-1 victory over Cleveland State. She had 15 kills in 22 attempts to hit .682 in the match. Dozier added a solo block and two assists against the Vikings. She recorded two kills, an ace serve and three assist blocks against Bowling Green. Dozier collected six kills and five total blocks against Xavier. She had two assist blocks and equaled her career high of three solos blocks against the Musketeers. Dozier, in the three matches, averaged 3.15 points, 2.30 kills, 1.10 blocks and .10 aces per set. A starter in all 13 matches, she is the team leader in blocks per set at .91. Dozier is averaging 3.07 points and 2.50 blocks per set on the season.
SZERSZEN PRODUCES DOUBLE-FIGURE POINTS AGAINST BOWLING GREEN AND CLEVELAND STATE
Anna Szerszen had 12.0 points against Bowling Green and 10.5 against Cleveland State last weekend. She has had three double-figure points matches in the last four outings. Szerszen had nine kills, three ace serves and four digs against Bowling Green and collected nine kills, one solo block and one assist block against Cleveland State. She recorded four kills, one dig and one solo block in the Xavier match. Szerszen has played off the bench in all 13 matches this season. She is averaging 2.07 points, 1.74 kills, .15 aces, .46 digs and .28 block per set.
BOOTH HAS STARTS AGAINST CLEVELAND STATE AND XAVIER
Mariah Booth had the first two starts of her career last weekend against Cleveland State and Xavier. She had two kills, two digs and two assist blocks against Cleveland State and had two kill, one digs and three assist blocks in the Xavier match. Off the bench against Bowling Green, Booth had four kills and a solo block. She has played in six matches with two starts. Booth is averaging 1.35 points, .82 kills, .29 digs and .88 blocks per set.
BOWLER EQUALS HER CAREER-HIGH SEVEN DIGS AGAINST XAVIER
Kelsey Bowler equaled her career high of seven digs in the Xavier match. She set the mark earlier this season at William & Mary. Bowler played in two sets against Bowling Green and recorded two digs and handled two serve reception attempts with no errors. She had one dig and handled seven reception attempts with no errors against Cleveland State. In the Xavier match, Bowler had seven digs and two assists and handled 12 serve reception attempts without an error. For the season, she has played in 12 matches and averages 1.04 digs per set and has a .906 serve reception percentage in handling 48 of 53 attempts.
HALVERSON STARTING AT DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Susan Halverson has started all 13 matches as a defensive specialist this season. Last weekend, she recorded four digs and three assists against Bowling Green and six digs and an assist in the Cleveland State match. Halverson had one dig and one assist against Xavier. For the season, she is averaging 1.64 digs per set and has a .952 serve reception percentage handling 118 of 124 attempts.
OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
Four Ohio State players are ranked in the Top 10 of the Big Ten Conference overall statistics. Ranking fourth in the league in aces per set is Emily Danksat .56. Amanda Peterson ranks sixth in aces at .43 and is eighth in assists per set at 9.98. Katie Dull ranks sixth in kills per set at 3.87 and is fourth in points at 4.61. Chelsea Noble ranks ninth in digs per set with a 3.72 average.
In overall team statistics, the Buckeyes rank second in aces per set at 1.94. OSU is third in hitting percentage at .301 and seventh in kills per set at 13.28. The Buckeyes rank ninth in assists (12.19), digs (13.21) and blocks (2.17) per set. Ohio State ranks third in opponent hitting percentage at .128.
OHIO STATE HAS THREE MATCHES ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK
Ohio State will have three Big Ten matches telecast live on the Big Ten Network this season. Both Penn State matches and OSU's home match with Illinois will be broadcast. The Buckeyes host Penn State at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7 and return the trip to Penn State at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Buckeyes will host Illinois at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14 in St. John Arena in a match that will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.
HEAD COACH GEOFF CARLSTON
Geoff Carlston is in his second season at Ohio State. He came to Ohio State after spending five years as head coach of Ohio University where he built an outstanding program. His squads played in five NCAA tournaments, reaching regional play in 2005. At Ohio, Carlston guided the Bobcats to five-consecutive Mid American Conference championships with an overall record of 144-22. He had a MAC conference record of 78-2 and was 14-1 in the conference tournament, winning four of five.
Carlston was named the MAC Coach of the Year four times and was twice named the Mideast Region Coach of the Year.
He began collegiate coaching with three years at Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) where he posted a 49-42 record. His career record is 217-85.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Ohio State will host three Big Ten opponents in a six-day period in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes face Wisconsin (5-4) Friday, Oct. 2 and Iowa (8-4) Saturday, Oct. 3 in 7 p.m. ET matches. Ohio State completes the home stand by hosting top-ranked Penn State (12-0) at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7 in a match that will be telecast live by the Big Ten Network. ***OhioStateBuckeyes.com***
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