It isn’t just about the Big Ten anymore.
When the Spartans (16-7, 9-7 Big Ten) travel to face No. 9 Ohio State at 7 p.m. today and No. 13 Penn State at 7 p.m. Saturday, there will be a little more on the line than the outcomes of two conference matches.
“We want to try and leave no doubts in NCAA’s mind that we do belong in the NCAA Tournament.” assistant coach Todd Dagenais said. “And I think a win or two this weekend will leave no doubt in their mind.”
The players feel the same way.
“There’s definitely a lot at stake this weekend,” senior outside hitter Erin Hartley said. “A lot of what goes into getting into the tournament is how you play at the end of year, so winning these games would be huge.”
But winning against two of the nation’s finest teams, Ohio State (22-2, 14-2) and Penn State (18-6, 11-5), is easier said than done.
Last time the Spartans squared up the two teams, the Buckeyes swept them 3-0 and Ohio State breezed by 3-1.
Dagenais said neither team saw the Spartans at their best.
In fact, no one has, he said.
“We are far from peaking,” he said. “But we’re taking steps toward reaching the peak, and this weekend it will be nice to see if we can shorten the distance between where we’re at now and where the peak is.”
Freshman defensive specialist Diana Steplyk said the weekend gives the Spartans a chance to see how far they have come along this season.
“These are two of the teams that are ranked higher than us that we think we can beat,” she said.
To do that, the Spartans will have to find ways to stop both teams’ stacked lineups.
On Friday, the Spartans will have to try and solve a powerful Buckeye offense that is quarterbacked by one of the conference’s best setters, Katie Virtue, a member of the preseason All-Big Ten team. Virtue’s 13.9 assists per game tops the conference.
Outside hitters Stacey Gordon (4.61 kills per game) and Anne Botica (4.51 kills per game) rank as third and fourth in the conference. The pair combined for 33 kills in their last meeting with the Spartans on Oct. 20.
Dagenais said the Buckeyes’ attack has been steady all season and most teams know what to expect from them.
“Ohio State is doing the same things now that they’ve been doing all year - they have the same set distribution, the same offensive set and the same tendencies,” he said. “The thing is, though, they just do it really, really well.”
And Penn State presents no less of a challenge for the Spartan defense.
Outside hitters Katie Schumacher and Mishka Levy lead the Penn State attack with 4.47 kills per game and 3.53 kills per game, respectively.
The Spartans counter with an attack led by Hartley’s 3.84 kills per game and an emerging freshman outside hitter in Kim Schram. Schram pounded the Buckeyes for a match-high 20 kills in the prior Spartan loss.
And what happens on the Spartans’ side of the court will play the largest factor, sophomore middle blocker Jenny Rood said.
“A lot of times, it’s not what the other team does to us, it’s what we do to ourselves,” she said. “If we do what we need to do on our side of the floor, what happens on the other side will take care of itself.”
