The Buckeyes celebrate with Carmen Ohio following their 3-1 win over Michigan State on Nov. 3 at the Covelli Center. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State is set to face a long, tough weekend road trip.
The Buckeyes (10-12, 3-9 Big Ten) are preparing for two away contests this weekend, taking on their rival Michigan 7 p.m. Friday, before a short turnaround to face Illinois 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Wolverines (16-7, 6-6 Big Ten) previously defeated the Buckeyes in four sets Oct. 13, but are currently on a three-game losing streak entering Friday’s matchup.
Buckeyes outside hitter Emmi Sellman said she’s looking forward to battling the Wolverines again and believes her team has improved since its previous performance.
“I’m excited to play Michigan again because we did play them at home in the Schott, but we fell short,” Sellman said. “So, I’m just excited because it was early on in the season, and we have made a lot of improvements, and we’ve been putting in the work at practice.”
Similar to Michigan, Illinois (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten) is also coming off a Sunday loss to No. 7 Wisconsin. Illinois will play No. 20 USC before hosting the Buckeyes Saturday.
Outside hitter Reese Wuebker said Ohio State won’t focus on Illinois until after the Buckeyes’ rivalry game, but will be ready for the Fighting Illini when the time comes.
“After Michigan, we’re just going to the hotel, focusing straight on Illinois and not worrying about what happened against Michigan,” Wuebker said. “Just focusing on the future and being ready to compete.”
Sellman said the Buckeyes have made several changes in practice after its contest against Michigan State last weekend to help them prepare for the Wolverines and Fighting Illini.
“We’re just trying to implement that sense of adversity, especially for going into games like this weekend, where we know Michigan will have a good crowd,” Sellman said. “We’ve been playing a lot of six-on-six just to get that competitive edge ready for the weekend and do a lot more skill works, like specifics, for each game.”
Wuebker said Ohio State won’t take either of its games lightly, as the squad — along with head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg — looks for an opportunity to win multiple conference games in consecutive days.
“I think [Flynn Oldenburg] talks a lot about taking each game and not taking it for granted,” Wuebker said. “Every single game is an opportunity, whether we have three days in between or whether it’s back-to-back, and is an opportunity to get better and to prove ourselves. And so, we don’t necessarily look at that as a big deal.”
