Ohio State head coach Geoff Carlston instructs members of the women’s volleyball team during a timeout in a match against No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 6. The Buckeyes lost 3-2. Credit: Rebecca Farage | Lantern Reporter

After a long weekend on the road, winning two of three games in Oxford, Mississippi, as a part of the Rebel Invitational, the Ohio State women’s volleyball team is gearing up for its next trip to Towson, Maryland, Friday to face Princeton, Missouri and Towson.

Since returning from its first away series, Ohio State has focused on the fundamental plays revealed in the games that needed improvement.

“We’ve been doing a lot of serving and passing,” head coach Geoff Carlston said. “We haven’t worked a ton on our offense in general so we’ve spent time working on our tempos, transitional offense and side-out work in the past few days.”

The Buckeyes (5-1) are especially looking out for Princeton, as the Tigers are undefeated, including a 3-0 win against Northwestern.

“They play redundantly very smart,” Carlston said. “It’s a good matchup for our team because they are going to force us to be disciplined.”

In its battle with Missouri (5-1), Ohio State will face Kylie Deberg, who has more attacks than any player on the Buckeyes. Redshirt senior libero Anna Holehouse leads Towson (3-3) in digs with 112, a number that also surpasses any individual Buckeye.

The Buckeyes had a lengthy trip back to Columbus after a delayed flight on Saturday, which postponed their arrival until late Saturday night. Ohio State will continue to be on the road for the next few weeks before its next home game.

“Being on the road so much can be difficult,” senior setter Olivia Dailey said. “As an athlete you just have to be organized from the first day of school. You have to utilize the time you do have to stay ahead of your deadlines.”

Carlson applauds the attitude of the team as a whole, as they had a good time sitting on the floor all night and made the most of being stuck in the airport instead of moping around.

“We’re good with saying that ‘it is what it is so let’s make the most of it,’” Carlston said. “It’s fun to see that the group is buying into the gratitude and how there are things that are out of our control. We learned and grew a lot this weekend in ways that will be helpful as we face the Big Ten.”

The Buckeyes will face Princeton at 4 p.m. Friday, and Missouri at 11 a.m. and Towson at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Towson Invitational.