The No. 6 Ohio State women’s volleyball team will take on Northwestern and Michigan State this weekend. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
The No. 6 Ohio State women’s volleyball team continues its Big Ten schedule against Northwestern and Michigan State on back-to-back nights Friday and Saturday.
The Buckeyes (15-5, 1-1 Big Ten) are coming off a five-set victory over No. 11 Penn State Oct. 29. Senior defensive specialist Kylie Murr said the win came in a tough environment.
“That’s a good team, and that’s a hard place to play in,” Murr said.
Senior outside hitter Gabby Gonzales has 31 service aces on the year, including two that ended the match when No. 6 Ohio State beat Northwestern Oct. 9.
Gonzales said the key to beating any team is focusing on their side of the court but not taking the other team lightly.
“In the beginning, we were traveling a lot,” Gonzales said. “Going back to our recovery, making sure we’re taking care of our body, sleeping well and eating well is going to be important.”
Northwestern
Ohio State and Northwestern met Oct. 9 in Columbus, with the Wildcats winning the first set 25-21, and the Buckeyes then winning three straight.
The second and third sets both had the Buckeyes winning 25-23 before a 25-15 fourth sent the Wildcats home. That decisive fourth set saw seven errors between fifth-year outside hitter Hanna Lesiak and junior setter Alexa Rousseau.
Murr said this Ohio State team is different from previous rosters because of trust.
“Having six girls — especially Gabby Gonzales — around me that I trust is so important and was missing the last couple of years,” Murr said. “We all tried to do too much because we felt like we needed to.”
Three Northwestern players had at least 13 kills in the match. Both Lesiak and freshman outside hitter Kathryn Randorf had 13, but senior outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara led the Wildcat attack with 22.
Both teams rank favorably in digs per set within the Big Ten. Northwestern is second behind an average of 14.69 digs per set and the Buckeyes are third with 14.62.
Gonzales said Murr is who the team looks to on the court for vital energy boosts.
“Kylie’s just always at level 10,” Gonzales said. “She’s always bringing her voice, she brings the fire, the play is awesome, but the things you guys don’t see off the court are what make her an even better teammate.”
Michigan State
Michigan State comes into the match 0-6 against ranked opponents, having won only one set in those matchups. The Spartans are on a nine-match losing streak headed into their Friday clash against Purdue.
Michigan State averages 14.01 kills per set, just behind Ohio State’s Big Ten-leading 14.05.
Sophomore outside hitter Aliyah Moore will likely lead the Spartan attack behind her team-leading 2.79 kills per set.
“Every team in the Big Ten is a grind,” Murr said. “Mentality is what gets us there, and it’s what’s going to take us to compete at the highest level.”
The Buckeyes begin their weekend road trip at 8 p.m. against Northwestern Friday.
