Indiana University Athletics
IU Hosts OSU, PSU
10/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Coming off their longest road trip of the season, the Hoosiers (6-9, 0-4 Big Ten) play host to Ohio State (14-0, 4-0 Big Ten) and Penn State (11-1, 2-1 Big Ten) this weekend. First up, Indiana tangles with #9 Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Friday in the University Gym. In 2003, IU split the season series with the Buckeyes. OSU picked up the first meeting on Oct. 3 with a 3-0 decision in Columbus, Ohio, while IU downed Ohio State 3-1 in Bloomington. Indiana then battles #6 Penn State at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the University Gym. PSU claimed both matches last year by 3-0 marks.
Last week, IU took a pair of losses to close out its monster road trip. Indiana fell to Michigan State in East Lansing, 3-0, before pushing Michigan to the limit in Ann Arbor in a 3-2 nailbiter.
Senior Katie Pollom paced IU last week with 41 kills to post a 5.12 kills per game average. Sophomore Tasha Arsenych set up the bulk of Pollom's points with 91 assists, while freshman outside hitter Christine Nilles swept the floor with 39 digs.
Ohio State heads into Friday's match with a 14-0 record, including a 4-0 mark in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes stunned then-#1 Minnesota with a 3-1 decision on Oct. 1, before blanking Iowa 3-0 on Oct. 2.
Against the Golden Gophers, senior Stacey Gordon scored 39 points with a match-high 36 kills, two service aces and a pair of block assists. She also added 12 digs and two assists in the contest. Freshman Ami Stevens also finished with a double-digit performance with 14 kills. In their match-up with Iowa, OSU's Gordon drilled 14 kills, while Stevens had another 12 kills to put away the Hawkeyes.
Gordon leads the Buckeyes with 321 kills, while connecting at a .407 clip against opposing defenses. Marisa Main serves as the primary setter for Ohio State with 700 of the team's total 788 assists.
Penn State enters the week with a 12-1 record, including a 3-1 league ledger. PSU opened last week successfully by downing Iowa, 3-0, on Oct. 1. The Nittany Lions then fell, 3-2, to a fired-up Minnesota squad, which had just lost its #1-ranking with a loss to Ohio State. Prior to facing off with Indiana on Oct. 9, Penn State will compete against Purdue on Oct. 8.
Against the Hawkeyes, senior Ashley Pederson registered 12 kills as sophomore Cassy Salyer and freshman Kate Price put away 10 kills of their own. As a team, Penn State recorded a .440 hitting percentage with its initial error of the match coming mid-way through the second game. In the tilt with Minnesota, junior libero Kaleena Walters set a school record with a career-high 44 digs, while Pederson drilled 25 kills and posted 13 digs of her own.
Pederson paces the Nittany Lions with 186 kills and 4.23 kills per game, while Walters serves as the primary defender with 255 digs. Salyer and Kim Holm each boast a plus-40 block totals with 44 and 43, respectively.
