After Ohio State defeated Michigan State in four sets Sunday, Buckeyes volleyball coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg summed up the victory over the Spartans, who are in 12th place in the conference standings.
Gophers volleyball set for rematch with No. 7 Ohio State
The No. 11 Gophers defeated the Buckeyes 3-1 on Oct. 24, and this time they'll match up in Columbus.
November 4, 2021 at 3:42AM
"I think any win in the Big Ten right now is a big one," she said.
The teams were tied 1-1 after the second set and the Buckeyes trailed late in both the third and fourth sets before rallying to win.
The Buckeyes improved to 9-0 at home and readied themselves for a rematch with the Gophers on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.
On Monday, Ohio State (18-4, 8-4 Big Ten) moved up two spots to No. 7 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25. The Buckeyes, one of seven Big Ten teams ranked in the poll, are in the Top 10 for the 10th consecutive week, which ties a program record set in 2004.
The Gophers (14-6, 9-3), who remain ranked No. 11, defeated Indiana and No. 6 Nebraska last week. They started their current three-match winning streak by defeating Ohio State in four sets at Maturi Pavilion on Oct. 24.
Stephanie Samedy was key in both victories for the Gophers last week. In a sweep of Indiana at home, she had 18 kills to become the sixth player in Gophers history to surpass 1,800 career kills. In the Gophers' 3-2 victory over Nebraska, she had 20 kills and tied her career high with 26 digs.
Samedy, who was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week, had 22 kills in the Gophers' victory over the Buckeyes last month.
Ohio State has been led by junior setter Mac Podraza. She ranks second nationally in assists per set (11.88) and had 42 assists and 15 digs against Michigan State.
Minnesota, unable to stop Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, bid goodbye to the Floyd of Rosedale trophy again.
