The Ohio State women’s volleyball team looks to improve its Big Ten record to .500 and make a run at the NCAA tournament when it plays host to Michigan tomorrow and Michigan State Saturday.
“Right now we are 5-7, but we want to do better than that. These matches are pretty big because it is tough to get into the NCAAs,” said Shelly Draeger, senior outside hitter. “We will probably have to win six of our last eight matches.”
OSU (11-10 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) looks to get the first of those six wins at home tomorrow against an improved Michigan squad. The Wolverines are coming off wins against then No. 25 Michigan State and No. 11 Penn State. Those two victories moved them up into second-place tie in the conference with No. 13 Wisconsin and the No. 14 Nittany Lions.
This will be the 51st meeting between the two teams, and OSU leads the series 41-9. The Buckeyes lost the first match this year in Ann Arbor, 3-0. However, Michigan is 0-22 when playing in Columbus.
“Home court advantage is really important. It puts more pressure on them with the different lighting and our crowd,” said Suzie Stiling, senior middle blocker.
The Wolverines have the Big Ten Player of the Week, Jennifer Gandolph, a sophomore outside hitter who had 39 kills in the two matches last weekend, but OSU has not changed much on account of her.
“We just plan on playing together as a team, the way Ohio State knows how,” said Heather Whalen, junior libero.
OSU plays a tough Michigan State team Saturday that is 15-7 overall and 7-5 in the conference. The Spartans won the first meeting this year in East Lansing, 3-2. OSU leads the series 30-22.
“They are a very aggressive team. They are more physical than us, so we need to beat them with our quickness,” Stiling said.
Michigan State is still in the hunt for the Big Ten title, as it sits in fifth place behind the three-way tie for second place.
In preparation this week, the Buckeyes have been concentrating on improving certain aspects of their game and have picked up the intensity now that the team is healthy.
“We have been working immensely on defense. It is probably the most important part of the game,” Whalen said. “We know we have to push through this last month.”
OSU has been working on being more balanced on offense, and it shows. The team has been passing the ball around to multiple hitters instead of relying on sophomore outside hitter Stacey Gordon to carry the load. Stiling, Draeger and freshman outside hitter Stephanie Higgins have all had double figures in kills at least once in the past three matches.
“The key to us winning is spreading our offense. We can put a lot more pressure on their blockers when we spread it out,” Stiling said.
Gordon has a 5.77 kills per game average, which places her first in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in that category. She is third in the conference with 3.43 digs per game.
“Stacey has a big ‘X’ on her back, so we have been trying to give the ball to the middle and right side to take a little off her,” Whalen said.
In order for the Buckeyes to be considered for the NCAA tournament they have to have a better than .500 record and will need to finish in at least the top five in the Big Ten. They have a tough road ahead, but with six of their last eight matches at home, the team remains optimistic. For now, these athletes are concerned with the present.
“Now it is do or die. Everyone has had their heart set on the NCAAs,” Stiling said.
