The Ohio State Women’s Volleyball team stands together to sing Carmen Ohio after the Ohio State-Purdue game Oct. 15. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Justin Volley | For the Lantern
The No. 10 Ohio State women’s volleyball team concludes its regular season home match with Iowa Friday and No. 15 Penn State Sunday.
Ohio State (21-5) looks to increase its ranking in the Big Ten Conference standings with a strong end to Big Ten play at home. The Buckeyes are 11-5 in the standings, which puts them in sixth place behind Penn State. Ohio State has swept back-to-back ranked opponents since its loss to No. 11 Minnesota Nov 4.
“We had to understand that nothing is given to us and we have to outwork teams every night, every time we step out on the floor,” junior outside hitter Jenaisya Moore said. “We kept that mindset of we need to out work the opponent on the other side, and in order to do that, we need to grind now so that it comes easy later.”
The Buckeyes take on Iowa (5-21) Friday at 7 p.m. in the Covelli Center. Iowa enters the match with a 3-13 record in the Big Ten Conference, which puts them in 13th place in the standings after beating Maryland in four sets Saturday.
Ohio State will play Iowa for the first time this season. The Buckeyes hold a 66-12 advantage in the all-time series against Iowa and earned two sweeps last season. Ohio State is 34-6 when facing the Hawkeyes in Columbus.
The Hawkeyes’ impact players are senior right side hitter Courtney Buzzerio and senior middle blocker Amiya Jones. Buzzerio was First Team All-Big Ten in the 2021 spring season, and is currently leading the Hawkeyes in kills. Jones has been controlling the net defensively with 0.513 blocks per set and is second all-time in school history with a .289 hitting percentage.
“Iowa is a really good team, and I think some people underestimate them,” senior defensive specialist Hannah Gruensfelder said. “One thing we are doing to prepare is learning their style of play because they do play a little differently than some of the other Big Ten teams, and making sure we hone in on their players’ tendencies.”
On Sunday, the Buckeyes face Penn State (19-7) at 3 p.m. in the Covelli Center. Penn State enters the match with a 12-4 record in the Big Ten Conference, which puts the Nittany Lions in fourth place in the standings. Penn State will travel to play No. 11 Nebraska Friday before coming to Columbus.
The Nittany Lions hold the 51-18 lead in the all-time series against Ohio State and earned a victory when the teams played on opening weekend of Big Ten play Sept. 26. When Ohio State and Penn State meet in Columbus, the Buckeyes are 11-21.
Ohio State will watch out for three-time All-American senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord. Also, it will expect All-American senior setter Gabby Blossom and senior libero Jenna Hampton to make an impact as well.
“I am always excited to play Penn State,” Moore said. “They are a team that is really gritty and they are a higher ranked team. I think going into it, we need to match their grittiness. If we have that, I think we are solid.”
The Buckeyes will also be celebrating family weekend and senior night. There are an array of emotions coming into the weekend, Gruensfelder said.
“I have never had so much fun on a team and with a coaching staff as I have this year,” Gruensfelder said. “I am sad that it’s over, but happy that I got to be a part of it.”
