On a clear day, you can see Columbus.
When: Wednesday — 11-27-13 (7:00 p.m. ET)
Where: Columbus, OH, St. John Arena
Media: Video Stream: CBSsports.com All Access ($); CBSsports.com’s GameTracker
The Buzz on Ohio State: Ohio State (17-13, 5-13 B1G) is coming off of a much-needed 3-0 win over Northwestern — making the Buckeyes 3-3 in their last six B1G matches (after losing eight consecutive B1G matches before that).
Among the key players for Ohio State have been 6-1 Sr. OH Kaitlyn Leary, who leads the B1G in kills/set (4.88) and points/set (5.20), 6-2 Fr. MB Taylor Sandbothe (2.49 kill/set, 1.04 blocks/set), 6-3 Jr. OH Erin Sekinger (2.06 kills/set, but a .127 attack %), 6-2 So. OH Katie Mitchell (1.03 kills/set, .186 attack %), 5-8 Sr. DS Julianne Mandolfo and 5-8 Sr. DS Davionna DiSalvatore. Sandbothe was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for last week’s efforts — second of the season (both in the past three weeks).
Penn State assistant coach Steve Aird on Ohio State: When Penn State played Ohio State in October, here’s what Steve Aird had to say: “Typical Big Ten Team — really, really skilled, well-coached. They have an exceptional outside hitter in Leary, who’s been tearing the conference up, so she’ll get our attention. But if you spend too much time on her, they have other very physical kids who can cause you problems. So she’ll get our attention. I’m sure she’ll be aware that we’re going to be around the ball, and we just have to make sure we make plays. We’re going to try to stay with our systems as best we can and play hard. It’s nice to be at home.” We don’t see any reason Steve would change his opinion — we’ll double down, on his behalf.
Bottom line: We’re going to make a wild guess: the Ohio State players are going to care . . . a lot . . . about taking down #2-ranked Penn State. They are going to wager everything all the time in the match. Penn State should win — they have better players, and more of them — but if they play soft, they could lose.
Differential Equations (Stat Joust: Penn State vs. Ohio State)
Stat Joust - Penn State @ Ohio State: Attack (11-25-13)
| Team | SP | Kills | Kills/Set | Att Err | TA | Hit Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 98 | 1382 | 14.10 | 385 | 3171 | .314 |
| Ohio State | 112 | 1504 | 13.43 | 668 | 3977 | .210 |
| Opponents Penn State | 98 | 1040 | 10.61 | 603 | 3223 | .136 |
| Opponents Ohio State | 112 | 1344 | 12.00 | 600 | 3823 | .195 |
| Differential Penn State | 98 | 342 | .349 | -218 | -52 | .178 |
| Differential Ohio State | 112 | 160 | 1.43 | 68 | 154 | .015 |
Stat Joust - Penn State @ Ohio State: Serving (11-25-13)
| Team | SP | SA | SA/Set | SE | SE/Set | Differential SA/Set minus SE/Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 98 | 133 | 1.36 | 209 | 2.13 | -0.77 |
| Ohio State | 112 | 117 | 1.04 | 226 | 2.02 | -0.98 |
| Opponents Penn State | 98 | 40 | 0.41 | 174 | 1.78 | -1.37 |
| Opponents Ohio State | 112 | 121 | 1.08 | 213 | 1.90 | -0.82 |
Stat Joust - Penn State @ Ohio State: Blocking (11-25-13)
| Team | SP | Block Solo | Block Asst. | Total Blk. | Blks/ Set | Blk Err |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 98 | 81 | 440 | 301.0 | 3.07 | 55 |
| Ohio State | 112 | 75 | 314 | 232.0 | 2.07 | 42 |
| Opponents Penn State | 98 | 30 | 252 | 156.0 | 1.59 | 53 |
| Opponents Ohio State | 112 | 66 | 433 | 282.5 | 2.52 | 58 |
| Differential Penn State | 98 | 51 | 188 | 145.0 | 1.48 | 2 |
| Differential Ohio State | 112 | 9 | -119 | -50.5 | -0.45 | -16 |
Team Rosters
Updated as of 8-21-2013
| Number | Name | Position | Year/Class | Height | HS (Club) | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott, Ariel  | RS | 4/Sr. | 6-4 | Immaculate Heart Academy (Team Complete Athlete) | NJ |
| 2 | Caraway, Lara  | DS | 2/So. | 5-4 | Evans City (Renaissance) | PA |
| 3 | Pierce, Kendall  | DS | 2/So. | 5-6 | Eden (Niagara Frontier Volleyball) | NY |
| 4 | Gonzalez, Dominique  | DS | 3/Jr. | 5-6 | Sandra Day O'Connor/ (Alamo Volleyball) | TX |
| 6 | Martin, Maddie  | OH | 4/Sr. | 6-2 | H.B. Plant (Tampa Bay Juniors) | FL |
| 7 | Grant, Nia  | MB | 3/Jr. | 6-2 | Howland (Cleveland Renaissance Volleyball Club) | OH |
| 8 | Denny, Erica  | MH | 3/Jr. (RS) | 6-5 | Grandview (Front Range Volleyball Club) | CO |
| 9 | Prieto-Cerame, Paulina  | OH | 1/Fr. (RS) | 6-2 | Palmer Trinity (Boomers Volleyball) | FL |
| 10 | Muller, Carley  | DS | 1/Fr. | 5-7 | Mira Costa (Tstreet Volleyball) | CA |
| 12 | Hancock, Micha  | S | 3/Jr. | 5-11 | Edmond Memorial (Oklahoma Peak Performance) | OK |
| 13 | Krause, Taylor  | DS/S | 1/Fr. | 5-6 | Parkland High (Synergy Volleyball) | PA |
| 14 | Whitney, Aiyana  | OH | 2/So. (RS) | 6-4 | Northern Valley Regional (Downstate Juniors) | NJ |
| 15 | Harding, Maggie  | DS | 4/Sr. | 5-6 | State College Area | PA |
| 16 | Slay, Katie  | MH | 4/Sr. | 6-6 | Wakefield (Triangle Volleyball Club) | NC |
| 17 | Courtney, Megan  | S/OH | 2/So. | 6-2 | Archbishop Alter (Team Z) | OH |
| 18 | McClendon, Deja  | OH | 4/Sr. | 6-1 | Dupont Manual Magnet (KIVA) | KY |
| 23 | Robertson, Kelly  | MB | 1/Fr. | 6-0 | Parkland High (Synergy Volleyball) | PA |
| 24 | Broerman, Laura  | DS | 1/Fr. | 5-4 | St. Mary's (Colorado Juniors) | CO |
| 33 | Fuller, Lacey  | DS | 3/Jr. | 5-6 | Torrey Pines (Coast Volleyball) | CA |
Ohio State Roster
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