Volleyball Hosts No. 1 Penn State, No. 12 Ohio State
Nov 05 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2015) - Following three consecutive matches on the road, the Rutgers volleyball team returns home for three-straight matches at the College Ave. Gym, starting with a match against the defending national champions and top-ranked Penn State on Friday, Nov. 6 and No. 12 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Both matches are set for 7 p.m. start times on BTN Plus. On the call for Friday's match will be Mark Sell and Amy Zimmer, followed by James Stumper and Amy Zimmer for Saturday's contest. More information on how to subscribe can be found here.
| Rutgers (4-20, 1-11 Big Ten) vs. No. 1 Penn State (21-2, 10-2 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 6 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | College Ave. Gym |
| Promotion | Flip Friday (Free Hansel and Griddle Flip to first 20 students) |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Penn Stete |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Penn State |
| :Rutgers (4-20, 1-11 Big Ten) vs. Ohio State (19-5, 8-4 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 7 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | College Ave. Gym |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Ohio State |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Ohio State |
RU'S LAST TIME OUT
After picking up a historic victory over Maryland a week prior, Rutgers has dropped its last three contests, all of which were on the road. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights fell to Nebraska (3-0) and Iowa (3-0).
Leading RU is sophomore outside hitter Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) with 3.86 kills per set, a mark that ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Senior setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) ranks 11th in the conference with a team-high 8.76 assists per set. On the defensive side, junior middle Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) leads the team with 1.09 blocks per set, while seniors Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Ronnie Komisarek (San Manteo, Calif.) split the roll at libero with 3.30 and 3.00 digs per set, respectively.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
Top-ranked Penn State carries a six-match win streak into the weekend, suffering its only two blemishes of the season to then-No. 4 Nebraska (2-3) and Northwestern (2-3). Most recently, the Nittany Lions captured two victories over then-No. 11 Ohio State in a home-and-home series last week. PSU first swept OSU on the road, before claiming a four-set win at home.
Leading the conference in team hitting percentage (.291) and blocks per set (3.19), PSU is steered by Haleigh Washington, who leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the nation with a .456 hitting percentage. Washington also ranks second in the league with 1.46 blocks per set. Bryanna Weiskicher sits in second place with a total of 26 service aces and is eighth in the league with 10.52 assists per set.
Head coach Russ Rose is in his 37th season at the helm, having led PSU to six national titles in the last eight season and seven titles overall.
SERIES VERSUS THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State owns a 26-9 advantage over Rutgers in the all-time series. The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights met for the first time as conference foes in 2014, where PSU took the match in three sets.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
No. 12 Ohio State fell in three of its last four matches, snapping a previous seven-match win streak. The streak ended with a loss at Michigan State before the Buckeyes bounced back with a 3-1 win over No. 23 Michigan. OSU dropped its last two matches to then-No. 3 PSU.
The Buckeyes are led by Elizabeth Campbell with 3.73 kills per set, ranking fifth in the conference. Taylor Sandbothe boasts a .374 hitting clip to rank fourth in the league. Sandbothe also sits in ninth on the charts with a team-high 1.16 blocks per set, while Valerie Leon ranks seventh with a team-high 4.30 digs per set. OSU is guided by eighth-year head coach Geoff Carlston.
Ohio State will face Maryland on Friday, Nov. 6 before making the trip to the Barn.
SERIES VERSUS THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State leads the all-time series against Rutgers, 3-1. The Buckeyes picked up two victories last season as the two also met up as conference foes for the first time in history.
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-RU-
