The Ohio State volleyball team celebrates after the final play during the Ohio State-Michigan game on March 19. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Sophie Yates | Lantern Reporter
The Buckeyes are looking to defend their home court in their final series at the Covelli Center against the Boilermakers.
No. 9 Ohio State (15-1) hosts No. 10 Purdue (11-5) for a top-10 series Friday and Saturday. Statistically, the Boilermakers and the Buckeyes are comparable in both offense and defense, with close hitting percentages and digs per set, offering a challenging matchup on the court, senior middle blocker Lauren Witte said.
“They’re very similar to us, so I’m excited to see how we’re able to adapt to how they decide to defend us and just seeing like that competitiveness come out and on our side of knowing how close they are with us,” Witte said. “We’re gonna have to bring it so that we can show that anytime we can protect that home court.”
With any Big Ten match, high-level play is required and the Buckeyes are looking to maximize in all areas on the court, Witte said.
“I think the fact that we do have a lot of people that we can rely on to score points is a really big part of our game,” Witte said. “And then for them, just knowing what their tendencies are, we’ve been scouting their hitters and doing what we can to be on top of what we think that they’re going to do.”
Senior outside hitter Caitlyn Newton leads the Boilermakers’ offense with 230 season kills and ranks fourth in the Big Ten behind a 4.04 kill per set average.
Defensively, the Boilermakers have three players in the top 10 in the Big Ten in blocks per set with freshman middle blocker Taylor Trammell ranking second with 1.47, junior opposite hitter Grace Cleveland at fifth with 1.37 and junior middle blocker Jael Johnson at ninth with 1.16.
“We’re talking to our hitters a lot about being patient,” head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg said. “I think that’s one thing, that the hitters get impatient because they’re not scoring against a good defense, well yeah, they’re a good defense, so can you be patient? Can you use the times that they present to us and go for it?”
Coming off of a series sweep against Michigan, Oldenberg said the Buckeyes must continue to maximize playing their way on the court, dictating the pace and also communicating in order to receive a positive result this weekend.
“If our voices are going, then our bodies are going to start moving and then you start performing better,” Oldenburg said. “It seems so simple, but it’s almost like a secret recipe, and then we have to just remember it, to not lose that ingredient when we get going.”
Ohio State sophomore setter Mac Podraza was named Big Ten Setter of the Week Monday for the fourth time this season. Podraza has assisted 708 balls for her teammates this season.
Competing for the last time on Ohio State’s home court, Witte, who has recorded 111 kills, 1.06 blocks per set and 49 digs this season, is looking to take every moment in.
“I think the biggest thing for me right now is just being grateful for everything that I am able to be doing right now,” Witte said. “The second our season was taken away in the fall, I just kind of thought that I would never be playing again, never see the court again, so just trying to take every day with as much gratitude as I can and just trying to make the most of everything that we do have.”
The Buckeyes series with the Boilermakers begins at 2 p.m. Friday at the Covelli Center and will be streamed on BTN+.
