MATCH STATS
- #24 Ohio State takes down Northwestern Wildcats in 4 (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21)
- Ohio State (18-11, 8-9), Northwestern (8-21, 1-16)
The No. 24 Buckeye volleyball team took down the Northwestern Wildcats in 4 Friday night on the road (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21) to claim their third victory in a row.
In the past two games, Ohio State swept the unranked Scarlet Knights and defeated No. 15 Penn State 3-2.
Audra Appold led the Buckeyes with 17 kills and Valeria Leon finished with 18 digs.
Ohio State fell behind quickly in the first set with a 6-8 deficit. Even though they tied it up, they weren’t able to maintain the lead long enough to claim the first set win.
The Buckeyes picked up the pace in the second set after training 4-9. The Buckeyes finally took the lead 18-17 and took the set 25-23. After the second set, Ohio State controlled the rest of the match.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 24 Ohio State women’s volleyball team defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, and 25-21) Friday night. The Buckeyes dropped a close first set, but never looked back to win three sets in a row. Ohio State improved to 18-11 overall and 8-9 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats fell to 8-21 overall and 1-16 in Big Ten play.
The Buckeye win represents the third victory in a row – defeating Rutgers 3-0, Penn State 3-2, and Northwestern 3-1.
Four players led the Scarlet and Gray on the offensive side of the ball. Audra Appold paced the group with a total of 17 kills while hitting .289. Taylor Hughes added 14 kills, 21 assists and nine digs to nearly notch her second consecutive double-double. Luisa Schirmer tallied 12 kills for the Bucks. Taylor Sandbothe contributed 11 kills while Abby Fesl added 20 assists.
Valeria Leon guided Ohio State defensively, racking up 18 digs on the night. Appold chipped in 13 digs for the Buckeyes. Hughes contributed nine digs to help hold off the Wildcats. Four other Buckeyes added two or more digs.
SET 1: The Buckeyes started off slow falling behind in an 8-6 deficit. Ohio State continued to battle the Wildcats and tied the set at 19-19. The up-and-down set went ultimately went to the Wildcats, however, 25-23.
SET 2: The Scarlet and Gray trailed 9-4 to start the set before seizing four points in a row to pull within a lone tally at 9-8.. The set continued in a back-and-forth battle where the Bucks took the lead, 18-17. Ohio State then went on to win the tough set 25-23.
SET 3: The Buckeyes jumped out to an 8-5 lead early in the set. Ohio State continued to improve their lead over the Wildcats at 15-8. The Wildcats fought back to tighten the set, but OSU was able to hold off the Cats by taking the set 25-21.
SET 4: The Buckeyes and Wildcats exchanged blows early in the set to a 5-5 tie. Ohio State won the next five points in a row to take a 10-5 lead. The Buckeyes then extended their lead to 19-12. The Wildcats came storming back to cut the deficit to two in a score of 21-19. The Buckeyes were successful in fending off Northwestern and taking the final set 25-21.
Up Next: The Buckeyes will finish their regular season with a road game at Illinois Saturday.
Buckeye Stats
Audra Appold (17 kills, 4 digs, 7 blocks)
Taylor Hughes (14 kills, 21 assists, 1 ace, 3 blocks)
Luisa Schirmer (12 kills, 6 digs)
Valeria Leon (8 assists, 18 digs)
Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook, Twitter @OhioStateWVolleyball and Instagram @ohiostatewvball
Courtesy of Northwestern Athletics
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern senior Kayla Morinreached a significant milestone Friday night, becoming only the 23rd player in school history to record 1,000 career kills. Entering the night with 999, Morin wasted no time in notching the one she needed, finishing off an assist from Taylor Tashima early in the first set.
“Kayla has a positive impact on our program,” head coach Shane Davis said. “She is a great player and a great ambassador of the university. She is an outstanding individual, and we are going to miss her.”
Morin joined teammate Symone Abbott in the 1,000 kills club.
“I am really happy to reach the milestone,” Morin said. “I am just really honored to be a part of this program.”
Abbott finished with a match-high 21 kills on .309 hitting in what was another impressive performance for the standout junior. Tashima totaled 41 assists, and freshman Sarah Johnson led the team with 17 digs.
The Wildcats dropped the match to No. 24 Ohio State in four sets at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Wildcats‘ attack was nearly unstoppable out of the gate, leading the team to a 25-23 win over the nationally ranked Buckeyes in the first set.
With an offense that was boosted by Morin’s achievement in the opening frame, Abbott led the charge with six kills, while Tashima added an impressive 13 assists. Senior Maddie Slater contributed to a team hitting percentage of .270 in the first set.
Northwestern continued its strong play throughout the entire night, making every set exciting in a match that was eventually won by the Buckeyes.
The second set was just as competitive as the first, but Ohio State was able to escape with a narrow 25-23 victory, tying the match at one apiece. Abbott added another five kills to her total, while Slater picked up four. Tashima registered double-digit assists yet again while also collecting two kills.
NU dropped the third and fourth sets in two more tight contests, each finishing 25-21.
Up Next: Northwestern will face Maryland in their last home match of the season Saturday night, and the seniors will be honored before the match.
Wildcat Stats
Symone Abbott (21 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace, 6 digs)
Maddie Slater (8 kills, 1 assist, 3 aces)
Sarah Johnson (6 assists, 2 aces, 17 digs)
Keep up with Northwestern on Facebook, Twitter @NU_Sports and Instagram @nu_sports
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