COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (20-7 overall, 8-6 Big Ten, tied for fourth) women's volleyball team returns home to St. John Arena to host Northwestern (14-12, 5-9, seventh) and fifth-ranked Illinois (20-3, 12-2, second). The Northwestern match will start at 8 p.m. ET, Friday, Nov. 13 as part of a women's basketball/volleyball doubleheader in St. John Arena. The women's basketball team will open the season by hosting Eastern Illinois in a 5 p.m. ET preseason WNIT game. Friday seating is general admission but ticket prices for basketball ($11 for adults, $6 for students and $8 for seniors) will be charged until halftime then volleyball prices ($5 for adults and $3 for students) will be used. OSU students are free for both events with a valid BUCK ID.
The Illinois volleyball match has been moved to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 because of the 3:30 p.m. start of the Ohio State-Iowa football game Saturday. The Illinois match will be delayed telecast by the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. that night. Randy Rhinehart and Ohio State All-American Audrey DiPronio Flaugh will call the action.
Buckeyes Give Back: Mid-Ohio Foodbank Drive
This action-packed weekend, the Buckeyes also will take on another challenge - feeding those in need. Throughout the weekend, Nov. 13-15, Ohio State will have boxes at each entrance of St. John Arena, Value City Arena and the OSU Ice Rink to collect non-perishable food items to donate to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
Please give and help the Buckeyes help those in need! Your support is appreciated.
Collection boxes will be placed at the entrances to the following home events this weekend:
Friday: Women's Basketball and Women's Volleyball at St. John Arena, Men's Hockey at Value City Arena, Women's Hockey at the OSU Ice Rink
Saturday: Football Skull Session in St. John Arena, Men's Hockey at Value City Arena, Women's Hockey at the OSU Ice Rink
Sunday: Women's Basketball at Value City Arena, Women's Volleyball at St. John Arena
BUCKEYES RECEIVE VOTES IN THE AVCA DIVISION I COACHES TOP 25 POLL
With three consecutive victories, Ohio State received 23 votes in the weekly AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll released Nov. 9. Last week the Buckeyes received 14 votes in the poll. That was the first time the Buckeyes had received votes in the poll since Sept. 24, 2007 when OSU received 46 votes. Ohio State was last ranked in the Top 25 the week before, Sept. 17, when they were 23rd in the poll.
TWO FORMER PLAYERS RETURN AS OPPONENT COACHES
Former Buckeyes, Kristen Jensen and Jen Flynn (Oldenberg), return this week but as assistant coaches for the opponents. Jensen is in her first season with Northwestern. Previously she worked at Ohio University, Florida State and Northern Illinois. Jensen play for Ohio State from 1992 to 1995. She helped the Buckeyes reach the NCAA national semifinals in 1994. Flynn has been an assistant coach for Illinois since 2004. She played for OSU from 1996 to 1999. Flynn played for the U.S. National team in 2002-03.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
Geoff Carlston is the head coach of the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 20-7 overall and is 8-6 in the Big Ten Conference (tied for fourth). Last week, the Buckeyes won 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17) at Iowa and 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) at Wisconsin. Katie Dull has a team-high 4.57 points and 3.93 kills per set average. Kristen Dozier ranks second in points (2.93) and kills (2.38) per set. Kelli Barhorst is hitting a team-high .300 with Dozier second at .296. At setter, Ashley Hughes is averaging 9.62 assists per set with Amanda Peterson at 8.90 and Betsy Hone at 8.72. Peterson has a team-high .49 aces per set with 25. Danks ranks second at .38 with 36. Defensively, Chelsea Noble leads the squad with a 3.82 digs per set average. Dull ranks second at 2.47. At the net, Dozier has a .88 blocks per set average to lead the team. She has 16 solos and 69 assists. Tied for second is Dull at .56 with 16 solos and 40 assists with Barhorst with three solos and 53 assist blocks. Ohio State is hitting .268 and is averaging 16.88 points, 13.29 kills and 12.22 assists per set. The Buckeyes average 1.55 aces, 13.31 digs and 2.04 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .181 and average 14.28 points, 11.29 kills and 10.37 assists per set. Buckeye opponents average 1.17 aces, 11.89 digs and 1.82 blocks per set.
A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN
Keylor Chan is the head coach for the Wildcats. Northwestern has a 14-12 overall record and is 5-9 in the Big Ten Conference (seventh). Last week, in home matches, the Wildcats lost to 15th-ranked Michigan, 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-17) and defeated Michigan State, 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-22). Leading Northwestern in points per set is Sabel Moffett with a 4.34 average. Naomi Johnson ranks second at 3.28. Moffett is the team leader in kills per set at 3.43 with Johnson second at 2.55. In attack percentage, Moffett has a team-high .375 with Johnson second at .296. At setter, Elyse Glab is averaging 10.21 assists per set. In aces per set, Johnson has a team-high .20 with 19 aces. Alexandra Ayers ranks second at .15 with 14. Defensively, Kate Nobilio leads the team in digs per set with a 4.48 average. Ariel Baxterback ranks second at 2.47. At the net, Moffett has a team-high 1.44 blocks per set average with 22 solos and 118 assists. Johnson, at .92, ranks second with 13 solos and 75 assists. Northwestern is hitting .222 and averages 15.74 points, 12.19 kills and 11.43 assists per set. The Wildcats average .88 aces, 14.11 digs and 2.68 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .184 and average 15.35 points, 12.38 kills and 11.45 assists per set. Northwestern opponents average 1.07 aces, 13.93 digs and 1.89 blocks per set.
NORTHWESTERN-OHIO STATE SERIES
The Buckeyes have a 44-18 advantage in the series with Northwestern. Ohio State is 17-10 in Columbus and 21-6 in Evanston and 6-2 in neutral site matches. Earlier this season in Evanston, the Buckeyes defeated Northwestern, 3-0 (25-13, 27-25, 25-21). 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 4-0 against Northwestern including 3-0 in Big Ten matches.
A LOOK AT ILLINOIS
Kevin Hambly is the head coach for the fifth-ranked Illini. Illinois is 20-3 overall and has a 12-2 record in the Big Ten Conference. Last week in home matches, the Illini defeated Michigan State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-19) and 15th-ranked Michigan, 3-1 (25-27, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17). Leading the Illini in points per set is Laura DeBruler at 5.00. Michelle Bartsch ranks second at 3.84. DeBruler has a team-high 4.50 kills per set average with Bartsch second at 3.09. In attack percentage, Johannah Bangert has a team-high .317. Erin Johnson ranks second at .308. At setter, Hillary Haen is averaging 11.38 assists per set. Kylie McCulley has a team-high .21 aces per set average with 17. DeBruler ranks second at .20 with 16. Defensively, DeBruler leads the squad in digs per set at 2.68. McCulley ranks second at 2.43. At the net, Bangert has a team-high 1.70 blocks per set average with 11 solos and 128 assists. Ranking second at 1.12 is Bartsch with three solos and 89 assists. Illinois is hitting .248 and averages 17.23 points, 13.51 kills and 12.88 assists per set. The Illini average .96 aces, 14.72 digs and 2.75 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .142 and average 14.34 points, 11.63 kills and 10.91 assists per set. Illini opponents average .94 aces, 13.65 digs and 1.77 blocks per set.
ILLINOIS-OHIO STATE SERIES
Ohio State has a 34-32 series record against Illinois. The Buckeyes are 15-12 in Columbus and the Illini are 17-14 in Champaign. OSU has a 5-3 record at neutral sites. Earlier this season the Illini won 3-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17) in Champaign. 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 coach Geoff Carlston is 0-3 against Illinois in Big Ten matches.
DULL COLLECTS HER 1,000TH CAREER KILL AT IOWA
Katie Dull, with her fourth kill at Iowa, became the 17th Buckeye to reach 1,000 kills in her career. She had at match-high 18 kills at Iowa and a team-high 11 at Wisconsin to give her 1,025 in her career. She produced a match-high 22.5 points against the Hawkeyes with 18 kills, three ace serves, a solo block and one assist block. Dull hit .308 in the match and added 11 digs for her 10th double-double (kills-digs) of the season. At Wisconsin, she had 12.5 points with 11 kills, a solo block and one assist block. Dull hit .320 and added five digs. With double-figure kills in both matches, she now has 25 consecutive matches with 10 or more kills. Dull, a starter in all 27 matches, leads the squad in points (4.57) and kills (3.93) per set. She is averaging .27 aces, 2.47 digs and .58 blocks per set.
DULL CAREER RANKINGS
Katie Dull ranks 17th in career kills with 1,025. She needs 25 kills to move past No. 16 Sherri Helman (1993-96) with 1,049. Dull ranks seventh in career kills per set at 3.61. She is tied for 15th in solo blocks with 37. In career points, Dull ranks 19th with 1,185 and she is ninth in points per set at 4.17.
DOZIER LEADS THE BLOCK ATTACK AT WISCONSIN
Kristen Dozier posted a season-high 11 total blocks at Wisconsin with three solos and eight assists. She was the major contributor for OSU's season-high 16 team blocks against the Badgers. Dozier had a team-high 14 points against Wisconsin with seven kills (.467), three solo blocks and eight assist blocks. At Iowa, she had 12.5 points with 11 kills (.318) and three assist blocks. Dozier added two digs in each match. A starter in all 27 matches, she leads the team in blocks per set at .88 with 16 solos and 69 assist blocks. Dozier ranks second on the squad in points (2.93) and kills (2.38).
DOZIER CAREER RANKINGS
Kristen Dozier ranks 16th in career attack percentage at .261. She is 12th in career solo blocks with 46, ninth in assist blocks with 285 and 10th in career total blocks with 331. Dozier ranks seventh in career blocks per set at .93.
SZERSZEN HAS A CAREER-HIGH SEVEN BLOCKS AT WISCONSIN
Anna Szerszen collected a career-high seven total blocks at Wisconsin with a solo and six assist blocks. Her previous high was six against Duquesne (0-6) and Michigan (3-3) in 2008. She totaled 11 points in the match adding seven kills and one dig. It was her eighth double-figure points match of the season. Szerszen had 9.5 points at Iowa with nine kills, one block assist and a dig. She has played in all 27 matches with five starts. Szerszen is averaging 2.29 points, 1.19 kills, .17 aces, .55 digs and .33 blocks per set.
SZERSZEN CAREER RANKINGS
Anna Szerszen ranks 16th in career points per set at 3.53. She needs 67 kills to become the 18th Buckeye to reach 1,000 career kills.
BARHORST HAS 11 POINTS AT WISCONSIN
Kelli Barhorst scored 11 points at Wisconsin with nine kills (.471), one ace serve and two assist blocks. She added one dig against the Badgers. It was her eighth match with 10 or more points and fourth in the last five. At Iowa, Barhorst totaled 6.5 points with four kills, one solo block, three assist blocks and four digs. A starter in the 25 matches she has played, she is averaging 2.36 points, 1.86 kills, .15 aces, .58 digs and .66 blocks per set.
BARHORST CAREER RANKINGS
Kelli Barhorst ranks 12th in career blocks per set at .89. She has 18 solos and 134 assist blocks this season.
DANKS RANKS THIRD ON THE SQUAD IN POINTS AND KILLS
Emily Danks, for the season, is averaging 2.77 points and 2.09 kills per set to rank third on the squad. Playing in all 27 matches this season, she has started 21 times. Danks is averaging .38 (36 aces), .64 digs and .56 blocks per set for the season. Last week at Iowa she had 9.5 points at Iowa recording eight kills, one ace serve, three digs and one assist block. At Wisconsin, Danks had 5.5 points with three kills, one ace serve, two digs and three assist blocks.
HUGHES IS AVERAGING A TEAM-HIGH 9.62 ASSISTS PER SET
Ashley Hughes is leading the team with a 9.62 assists per set average. She has 433 assists on the season in 16 matches with 12 starts. For the season, Hughes is averaging 1.89 digs and .33 blocks per set. Last week at Iowa, she had 13 assists, two kills, one ace serve and three digs in just over one set of play. At Wisconsin, Hughes collected 33 assists, adding two kills, four digs and two assist blocks. She has started the last 11 matches for the Buckeyes.
HUGHES CAREER RANKINGS
Ashley Hughes ranks 10th in career assists with 1,142. She needs 91 assists to pass No. 9 Betsy Hone (2007-current) who has 1,232. Hughes ranks eighth in career assists per set at 7.37.
NOBLE AVERAGES 4.71 DIGS PER SET IN MATCHES AGAINST IOWA AND WISCONSIN
Chelsea Noble collected 16 digs at Iowa and 17 at Wisconsin to average 4.71 digs per set for the weekend. She added four assists and handled 34 of 35 serve reception attempts against the Hawkeyes. Noble had one assist, one ace serve and handled 17 of 18 serve reception attempts at Wisconsin. The Buckeye starter in all 27 matches this season at libero, Noble is averaging a team-high 3.82 digs per set and has a team-high .954 serve reception percentage in handling 802 of 841 attempts.
NOBLE CAREER RANKINGS
Chelsea Noble ranks second in career digs per set with a 3.41 average. She has 703 career digs for the Buckeyes.
MIGNIN SERVING AS A BACKROW STARTER
Sarah Mignin has started seven matches, including the last five, as a back row defensive specialist. She has a 1.54 digs per set average for the season, playing in 24 matches, and a .952 serve reception percentage in handling 275 of 289 attempts. Last week at Iowa, Mignin had nine digs, two assists and two ace serves. She handled 19 of 20 serve reception attempts against the Hawkeyes. At Wisconsin, Mignin had four digs and an ace serve while handling 18 of 19 serve reception attempts.
HALVERSON PERFECT IN SERVE RECEPTIONS AT IOWA AND WISCONSIN
Susan Halverson handled a combined 22 serve reception attempts last weekend without an error. She had 14 at Iowa and eight at Wisconsin. Halverson had five digs in each match and collected a kill against the Hawkeyes. A backrow defensive specialist, she has 21 starts in the 27 matches this season. Halverson is averaging 1.54 digs per set and has a .945 serve reception percentage in handling 294 of 311 attempts.
HONE CONTRIBUTES OFF THE BENCH IN THE IOWA VICTORY
Betsy Hone came off the bench in set two at Iowa to direct the Buckeyes to victory. Trailing, 3-2 in set two, Hone entered the match and collected 35 assists, three kills, five digs and three assist blocks. She did not play at Wisconsin. Hone has started twice this season and played in nine matches. She is averaging 8.72 assists, 1.78 digs and .28 blocks per set.
PETERSON HAS 13 STARTS AT SETTER
Amanda Peterson started 13 of the first 14 matches of the season as a freshmen setter for the Buckeyes. She has seen action in 18 matches this season. Peterson is averaging 8.90 assists, .49 aces (25), 1.35 digs and .43 blocks per set.
SCHWARZWALDER PROVIDING SUPPORT ON THE OUTSIDE
Allie Schwarzwalder has played in 16 matches this season. She is averaging 1.60 points and 1.16 kills per set. Her top matches this season were at Northwestern and home against Wisconsin where she scored six kills in each match.
BOOTH SEEING ACTION
Mariah Booth has seen action in 11 matches this season with starts against Cleveland State and Xavier. Her top match this season was at Colorado State where she recorded 7.5 points with five kills and five assist blocks.
BOWLER PROVIDING SUPPORT AT DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Kelsey Bowler has contributed at defensive specialist in 21 matches this season. She has 41 digs (.91 per set) on the season and has a .920 serve reception percentage handling 115 of 125 attempts. Bowler recorded a career-high seven digs in the matches at William & Mary, Xavier and at Illinois.
RALSTON SEES ACTION IN FIVE MATCHES
Maria Ralston has played in five matches this season. She has two digs against Cleveland State and one at Michigan. For the season, Ralston has handled three of four serve reception attempts.
WEISENBACH YET TO SEE ACTION
Carly Weisenbach has yet to play this season.
OHIO STATE IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
In Big Ten Conference only statistics, Katie Dull ranks second at 4.53 points per set. She ranks third in kills per set at 3.98. At setter, Ashley Hughes ranks sixth in assists per set at 10.05. Emily Danks is tied for second in aces per set at .33. Kelli Barhorst, with a .300 attack percentage, ranks 10th in the conference. Chelsea Noble, with a 3.90 digs per set average, ranks fifth.
In conference-only team statistics, the Buckeyes rank second in attack percentage at .240 and are third in aces per set at 1.20. OSU ranks fourth in kills (13.29), sixth in assists (12.25), fifth in digs (13.39) and is 10th in blocking at 1.92. The Buckeyes are fifth in opponent attack percentage at .224.
In Big Ten statistics for all matches, Katie Dull ranks third in points per set at 4.57 and fourth in kills at 3.93. Amanda Peterson, in aces per set, ranks second at .49 and is 10th in assists at 8.90 per set. Emily Danks ranks fifth in aces per set at .38 and Dull is ninth at .27. Chelsea Noble is seventh in digs per set at 3.82.
In all matches, Ohio State ranks second in attack percentage at .268 and is second in aces per set at 1.55. The Buckeyes are sixth in kills at 13.29 and seventh in assists at 12.22. OSU ranks sixth in digs per set at 13.31 and is ninth in blocks at 2.04 per set. Ohio State ranks fifth in opponent attack percentage at .181.
OHIO STATE IN THE NCAA STATISTICS
In the current (Nov. 8) NCAA statistics release, Katie Dull ranks 45th in points (4.57) and 59th in kills (3.93) per set. Emily Danks is 67th in aces per set at .38. In digs per set, Chelsea Noble ranks 192nd at 3.82. Kelly Barhorst ranks 186th in attack percentage at .300 with Kristen Dozier as 210th at .296 and Danks, 240th at .288.
In team statistics, Ohio State ranks 18th nationally in attack percentage at .268. The Buckeyes are 52nd in aces per set at 1.55. OSU ranks 74th in kills (13.29), 81st in assists (12.22), 125th in blocks (2.04) and 246th in digs (13.31) per set.
NOBLE NAMED TO THE ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Chelsea Noble has been named a third-team selection on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV squad. She received second-team honors last season. Noble was an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2008-09.
BUCKEYES EARN THEIR FIRST VICTORY OVER A RANKED TEAM IN 26 MATCHES
Ohio State's 3-0 victory over seventh-ranked Minnesota was the first Buckeye victory over a ranked team in 26 matches dating back to Oct. 27, 2007 when OSU won 3-2 (24-30, 23-30, 30-27, 31-29, 15-10) at Minnesota. In the history of the program, Ohio State has 36 wins (five later forfeited) over higher ranked teams. Fourteen of the 35 wins (one later forfeited) came when Ohio State was not ranked.
ASHLEY HUGHES NAMED THE BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Oct. 26)
Setter Ashley Hughes was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week by the conference office. She shared the honor with Minnesota's Tabitha Love. Hughes directed the Buckeyes to 3-1 victories over Purdue (25-19, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18) and Indiana (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23). Against Purdue, Hughes posted 48 assists against the Boilermakers, adding seven digs, five kills (.667) and a solo block. In the Indiana match, she posted career-highs of 53 assists and 19 digs against the Hoosiers. Hughes added three kills (.429), one ace serve and three assist blocks in the match. Hughes has started at setter in the last seven matches for the Buckeyes and has eight starts overall, playing in 12 matches. For the season, she is averaging 9.65 assists and 2.03 digs per set.
EMILY DANKS NAMED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (Sept. 21)
Ohio State's outside hitter Emily Danks 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.
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 hosted Penn State Oct. 7 and returned the trip to Penn State Oct. 28. Ohio State will host Illinois at 2 p.m., ET Sunday, Nov. 15 in St. John Arena in a match that will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET that night.
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 225-91.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Ohio State will travel to Indiana and Purdue in the final regular season road trip. The Buckeyes will face the Indiana Hoosiers Friday, Nov. 20 and the Purdue Boilermakers Saturday, Nov. 21.
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