No. 22 Buckeyes at Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic

Buckeyes making second of three consecutive road trips

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 22nd ranked Ohio State women’s volleyball team travels to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the second of three consecutive road trips. The Buckeyes will play in the Hawaiian Airline Wahine Volleyball Classic, facing three nationally ranked teams. OSU plays host and 10th-ranked Hawaii (3-0) Thursday at 7 p.m. HT, 12th-ranked UCLA (3-0) Friday at 5 p.m. HT and 23rd-ranked Long Beach State (2-1) Sunday at 3 p.m. HT.

 

A LOOK AT OHIO STATE

Coached by Geoff Carlston, the Buckeyes opened the season 4-0 at the West Virginia Mountaineer Invitational. OSU won 3-0 decisions over Valparaiso (25-22, 25-16, 25-22), New Hampshire (25-16, 25-18, 25-14), Towson (25-18, 25-16, 25-19) and host West Virginia (25-20, 25-16, 25-20). Leading the Buckeyes in points per set is Mari Hole at 4.42. Emily Danks ranks second at 3.92 with Kaitlyn Leary third at 3.62. Hole has a team-high 3.92 kills per set average with Leary second at 3.50 and Danks third at 3.08. Leary is hitting .337 to lead the squad. Danks ranks second in attack percentage at .273 with Hole third at .268. At setter, Amanda Peterson is averaging 12.25 assists per set. Leading the squad in aces per set is Danks at .42 with five. Hole is second at .25 with three and Alyssa Winner is third at .17 with two. Defensively, Sarah Mignin has a team-high 4.58 digs per set average. Winner ranks second at 2.92 with Peterson third at 2.42. At the net, Mariah Booth leads the team with a 1.17 blocks per set average with a solo and 13 assists. Kelli Barhost, at 1.08, ranks second with two solos and 11 assists. Ranking third is Peterson at .92 with a solo and 10 assists. In serve reception percentage, Mignin is perfect in 63 attempts. Davionna DiSalvatore ranks second at .966 handling 56 of 58 attempts. Winner, at .961 ranks third handling 49 of 51 attempts.

 Ohio State is averaging 19.25 points, 15.75 kills and 14.50 assists per set while hitting .253. OSU is averaging .92 aces, 17.08 digs and 2.58 blocks per set and has a .981 serve reception percentage. Buckeye opponents average 11.00 points, 9.50 kills and 9.00 assists per set while hitting .064. They average .33 aces, 14.67 digs and 1.17 blocks per set and have a .959 serve reception percentage.

Hole and Leary were named to the WVU All-Tournament Team.

 

A LOOK AT NO. 10 HAWAII

Coached by Dave Shoji, the Rainbow Wahine are 3-0 on the season after winning the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The Wahine defeated Wichita State, 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18), USF, 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-23) and Arizona, 3-0 (25-12, 216, 25-20. Leading Hawaii in points per set is Kanani Danielson at 4.45. Jane Croson ranks second at 3.75 with Emily Hartong third at 3.78. Danielson has a team-high 4.00 kills per set average with Croson second at 3.20 and Hartong third at 2.56. Hartong is the top percentage hitter on the squad at .514. Ranking second is Brittany Hewitt at .392 with Chanteal Satele third at .358. At setter, Mita Uiato has a 12.00 asissts per set average. Hartong is averaging a team-high .67 aces per set with six. Satele ranks second at .60 with six with Croson third at .50 with five. Defensively, Emily Maeda leads the team in digs per set at 4.00. Danielson ranks second at 2.80 with Croson third at 2.60. At the net, Hartong is averaging a team-high 1.00 blocks per set with a solo and eight assists. Hewitt ranks second at .90 with nine assists and Danielson is third at .60 with a solo and five assists.

Hawaii is averaging 19.00 points, 14.90 kills and 14.10 assists per set while hitting .319. The Wahine average 2.20 aces, 13.70 digs and 1.90 blocks per set. Opponents average 13.50 points, 10.40 kills and 9.50 assists per set while hitting .185. They are averaging 1.00 aces, 12.20 digs and 2.10 blocks per set.

Hartong and Hewitt were named to the all-tournament team with Danielson named the Most Outstanding Player.

 

HAWAII-OHIO STATE SERIES

Hawaii leads the series, 5-0, with Ohio State. All five matches have been played in Hawaii with the last two at the Wahine Volleyball Classic in 1998 and 2002.

 

A LOOK AT NO. 12 UCLA

Coached by Michael Sealy, the Bruins are 3-0 on the season with wins over Quinnipiac, 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-19), Cal State Fullerton, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-18) and host Loyola-Marymount, 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-18) at the LMU Invitational. Rachael Kidder leads the team in points per set with a 3.42 average. Kelly Reeves ranks second at 3.17 with Meg Norton third at 2.88. Kidder has a team-high 2.83 kills per set average with Norton second at 2.75 and Reeves third at 2.50. In attack percentage, Reeves has a team-high .250 with Norton second at .240 and Tabi Love third at .229. At setter, Lauren Van Orden is averaging 7.83 assists per set with Megan Moenoa at 7.00. Bojana Todorovic has a team-high 1.44 aces per set average with 13. Nikki Casale is second at .67 with two. Defensively, Lainey Gera leads the team with a 4.00 digs per set average. Madie Smith is second at 3.67 with Van Orden third at 2.83. At the net, Mariana Aquino leads the team in blocks per set at 1.50 with nine assist blocks. Reeves, at 1.17, is second with a solo and six assists. Love ranks third at .75 with four solos and two assists.

UCLA is averaging 16.78 points, 11.78 kills and 11.11 assists per set while hitting .228. The Bruins average 2.22 aces, 13.11 digs and 2.78 blocks per set. Opponents average 10.28 points, 8.22 kills and 7.56 assists per set while hitting .004. Bruin opponents average .78 aces, 10.11 digs and 1.28 blocks per set.

Gera and Todorovic were named to the all-tournament team with Todorovic the tournament Most Valuable Player.

 

UCLA-OHIO STATE SERIES

UCLA is 7-1 in the series against Ohio State not including the 1999 vacated match. OSU is 1-7 in neutral site matches with the 3-2 win coming in 1998 at the Wahine Volleyball Classic.

 

A LOOK AT NO. 22 LONG BEACH STATE

Coached by Brian Gimmillaro, the 49ers opened the season 2-1 as they hosted the Mizuno Invitational. Long Beach State defeated Prairie View A&M, 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-11) and UMBC, 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-15) and lost to seventh-ranked Washington, 3-1 (25-13, 15-25, 29-27, 25-11). Co-leaders in points per set for the 49ers are Janisa Johnson and Haleigh Hampton at 3.95. Ranking third is Caitlin Ledoux at 2.75. Johnson leads the team in kills per set at 3.50 with Ledoux second at 3.30 and Hampton third at 3.20. In attack percentage, Hampton has a team-high .350 with Johnson second at .314 and Delainey Aigner-Swesey third at .286. At setter, Ashley Vazquez is averaging 8.88 assists per set with Erin Juley at 8.00. Vazquez leads the squad in aces per set at .38 with three. Libby Fontanilla ranks second at .30 with three. Defensively, Johnson has a team-high 3.40 digs per set average. Lauren Minkel ranks second at 2.71 with Tyler Jackson third at 1.70. At the net, Alma Serna has a team-high 1.70 blocks per set average with three solos and 14 assists. Hampton ranks second at1.40 with a solo and 13 assists with Aigner-Swesey third at .80 with eight assists.

Long Beach State is averaging 17.60 points, 13.30 kills and 12.20 assists per set while hitting .294. The 49ers average 1.10 aces, 12.30 digs and 3.20 blocks per set. 49er opponents average 12.10 points, 8.60 kills and 7.60 assists per set. They average 1.00 aces, 9.70 digs and 2.50 blocks per set.

Ledoux, Johnson and Hampton were named to the all-tournament team

 

LONG BEACH STATE-OHIO STATE SERIES

Ohio State has a 3-2 lead in the series with Long Beach State. The Buckeyes have won the last three matches with the 49ers. OSU is 0-1 in neutral site matches, 1-0 in Columbus and 2-1 at Long Beach State.

 

OHIO STATE RANKED 22ND IN THE AVCA POLL

In the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll from Aug. 29, Ohio State was ranked 22nd receiving 254 votes. Seven Big Ten squads are ranked in the Top 25 with Penn State second, Nebraska fifth, Illinois seventh, Minnesota 11th, Purdue 13th and Michigan 24th. Michigan State received votes.

 

BUCKEYES RECEIVING VOTES IN THE VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE POLL

In the Volleyball Magazine poll released Aug. 30, Ohio State is listed as receiving votes. They were ranked 20th in the preseason poll. Five Big Ten squads are ranked in the Top 20 with Penn State third, Nebraska fourth, Illinois seventh, Minnesota 12th and Purdue 13th. Michigan is also listed as receiving votes.

 

DANKS 12TH IN OHIO STATE CAREER ACES WITH 122

Emily Danks, with five ace serves last weekend, has 122 career aces and is 12th on the Ohio State career list. She passed Holly O’Leary (1987-90) with 121. Ranking 11th is Laura Davis (1991-94) with 128. Danks ranks second in career aces per set with a .46 average. She ranks 18th in career attack percentage at .263.

 

BARHORST 11TH IN OHIO STATE CAREER ASSIST BLOCKS

Kelli Barhorst has 250 assist blocks and is 11th on the Ohio State career list. She passed No. 12 Jen Flynn (1996-99) with 242 and No. 11 Sherri Rinker (1984-87) with 246. Barhorst ranks 16th in solo blocks with 41. Vanessa Wouters (1996-97) is ranked 15th with 42. Barhorst is 13th in total blocks with 291 with Margie Meyers (1984-87) 12th with 292. With .90 blocks per set average, Barhorst rankes 11th and is 14th in attack percentage at .267.

 

PETERSON 12TH IN OHIO STATE CAREER ASSISTS

Amanda Peterson has 875 career assists and ranks 12th on the Ohio State career assist list. Danielle Berlein (1987), with 927 assists, ranks 11th. Peterson is eighth in career assists per set with a 7.95 average.

 

HOLE NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT

Mari Hole was named to the West Virginia Mountaineer Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 4.42 points, 3.92 kills and 2.17 digs per set in the four matches. She also handled 24 serve receptions without an error. Hole posted career highs of 19 kills against West Virginia and 14 digs against New Hampshire. She was also named the Ohio State Athlete of the Week.

 

LEARY NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT

Kaitlyn Leary was named to the West Virginia Mountaineer Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.62 points, 3.50 kills and 1.00 digs per set while hitting a team-high .337 for the weekend. She posted a career high of 14 kills against Towson while hitting a career-high .522 (14-2-23). Leary had double-figure kills in three of the four matches.

 

PETERSON AT SETTER

Amanda Peterson started at setter in all four matches last weekend. She averaged 12.25 assists, 2.42 digs and .92 blocks per set. Peterson equaled her career high on nine digs against West Virginia and posted season highs of six kills against Towson, 42 assists against New Hampshire and four assist blocks against West Virginia.

 

DANKS HAS THREE DOUBLE-FIGURE KILL MATCHES

Emily Danks posted double-figure kills in the final three matches last weekend, recording 12 kills against New Hampshire, 11 against Towson and 10 against West Virginia. She hit a season-high .440 in matches against New Hampshire (12-1-25) and Towson (11-0-25). Danks recorded a season-high eight kills against Valparaiso and had a season-high five assists blocks against West Virginia.

 

BARHORST HAS TWO DOUBLE-FIGURE POINTS MATCHES

Kelli Barhorst posted double-figure points against Valpariaso (10.0) and New Hampshire (11.5) last weekend. She had a season-high nine kills in both matches. Against West Virginia Barhorst record a match and season-high six assist blocks.

 

BOOTH IS THE TOP BLOCKER

Mariah Booth was the top blocker for the Buckeyes last weekend with a 1.17 blocks per set average. She had one solo and 13 assist blocks for the four matches. Booth posted a season-high five assist blocks against West Virginia and had a season-high six kills in matches against Valparaiso and West Virginia.

 

MIGNIN POSTS 18 DIGS AGAINST NEW HAMPSHIRE

Sarah Mignin posted a season-high 18 digs against New Hampshire, one of three double-figure dig matches she had last weekend. She added 16 against West Virginia and 15 from Towson. Mignin was perfect for the weekend in serve reception handling 63 attempts without an error.

 

WINNER PROVIDING BACK-ROW SUPPORT

Alyssa Winner played in all four matches last weekend with one start at defensive specialist and one at libero. She recorded career highs of 11 digs against Valparaiso and two assists against West Virginia. For the four matches, she posted a .961 serve reception percentage, handling 49 of 51 attempts and averaged 2.92 digs per set.

 

DISALVATORE IN THE BACK ROW

Davionna DiSalvatore played in four matches last weekend with two starts at defensive specialist. She averaged 1.92 digs per set in the matches and had a .966 serve reception percentage in handling 56 of 58 attempts. DiSalvatore recorded a season-high 11 digs in the New Hampshire match.

 

HEAD COACH GEOFF CARLSTON

Geoff Carlston is in his fourth season at Ohio State. He directed the Buckeyes to the third round of the NCAA Championship finishing with a 24-12 overall record last season. OSU finished sixth in the Big Ten Conference with a 10-10 mark.

Carlston 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 258-106.