Ohio State sophomore outside hitter Jenaisya Moore (18) goes up to block during the Ohio State-Maryland game on Jan. 23. Ohio State won 3-2. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State prepares for its first match against a ranked opponent this season when No. 8 Penn State comes to the Covelli Center Wednesday.
The Buckeyes (6-0), who have jumped out to their best start since 2013, hope to carry the energy from the straight-sets victories against Iowa into their match against Penn State (2-2), freshman outside hitter Emily Londot said.
“We got to take our momentum from these last six games and just build on that and get a win on Wednesday, ” Londot said.
Londot, who leads the team in kills this season with 91, said communication will be important among her teammates on the court.
Ohio State is currently ranked third in the Big Ten for assists per set with 12.88 and digs per set with 14.96. Among conference leaders, sophomore outside hitter Jenaisya Moore is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in aces with 11.
Several other Buckeyes are ranked among the conference’s leaders, including sophomore setter Mac Podraza, who is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in assists per set with 10.58, and sophomore defensive specialist Kylie Murr, who is ranked sixth in digs per set with 4.08.
Head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said she has pushed her team to be adaptable to changes that can occur during the matchup by watching film of Penn State.
“They do a good job at watching video and trying to be prepared, understanding that we don’t know who’s going to be available for Penn State, and so can we get an idea of some tendencies, but just getting an idea of how they play I think is going to help us a ton,” Oldenburg said.
After the Nittany Lions had a two-match series in which they fell to No. 5 Minnesota, they will face their second straight opponent with a 6-0 record when they face the Buckeyes.
Junior right-side hitter Jonni Parker will be a threat on both offense and defense. Parker leads the Nittany Lions with 61 kills and 16 blocks.
Junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord is also poised to give the Buckeye offense fits, currently ranking third in Big Ten blocks per set with an average of 1.67. The Lions have a .243 hitting percentage that is closely matched with the Buckeyes’ .241.
Dating back to 2007, the Nittany Lions have won 22 of the past 24 matches against Ohio State. However, while the Buckeyes head into a difficult stretch of opponents, Oldenburg said she is excited to see how her team remains solid by controlling the match and not letting the other team affect them.
After a positive COVID-19 result among Penn State’s Tier 1 personnel, the Nittany Lions paused all team-related activities, causing the series to be rescheduled from its original Jan. 26 and Jan. 31 meetings.
Ohio State’s two matches against Penn State are now split, with the first match Wednesday and the second March 3 at State College, Pennsylvania.
The series will begin Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Covelli Center.
