OSU Hosts No. 2 Washington, Washington State
November 18, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Northwest Rivalry Series presented by Alaska Airlines
No. 2 Washington (24-2, 14-2 Pac-12) | Nov. 18 | 7:30 p.m. PT
Washington State (15-13, 4-12 Pac-12) | Nov. 20 | 6 p.m. PT
Gill Coliseum | Corvallis, Ore.
Pac-12 Networks: Washington | Washington State
Live Stats: Washington/Washington State
CORVALLIS, Ore. – After a pair of road matches last weekend, the Oregon State volleyball team returns to Gill Coliseum this week for a pair of home matches, as the Beavers are set to host the No. 2 Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars as part of the Northwest Rivalry Series, presented by Alaska Airlines.
Oregon State (5-21, 3-13 Pac-12) closes its 2015 campaign with a three-match homestand at Gill Coliseum, beginning this week with a 7:30 p.m. PT match against Washington on Wednesday and a 6 p.m. PT Friday meeting with the Washington State Cougars.
The Beavers wrap up the homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 25, with a Senior Day match vs. Arizona at 7 p.m. PT. The Beavers conclude the 2015 season on Friday, Nov. 27 with a Civil War match at Oregon at 8 p.m. PT.
Friday's match against Washington State is the first event in a planned Dam Hunger series, continued with the women's basketball team's Nov. 22 game with UC-Riverside, as well as the men's basketball team's game against Valparaiso on Nov. 24.
Fans may bring two cans of food and receive a general admission ticket to the volleyball match against the Cougars. All food will be donated to the Linn Benton Food Share in time for Thanksgiving. A separate bin will be made available to measure food brought in only by the Beaver Dam. All Dam Hunger bins will be located in the lobby of Gill Coliseum.
Each of this week's matches are scheduled to be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks. Wednesday's match will be called by Rich Burk, while Tammy Blackburn will serve as the analyst.
Live stats are available for each match. Each of the stats and live video can be accessed through the links above or through links on OSU's volleyball schedule page at OSUBeavers.com.
This week's matches mark Oregon State's second time facing each team this season following road matches earlier this season. The Beavers fell at Washington (24-2, 14-2 Pac-12) in a three-set match, and fell at Washington State (15-13, 4-12 Pac-12) in four sets.
Washington enters this week with No. 2 ranking in the polls, garnering 10 first-place votes while trailing only Pac-12 foe USC in the national rankings. Since a 3-2 setback at Stanford on Oct. 21, the Huskies have won seven consecutive matches, including a 3-1 win at home vs. the Cardinal last weekend as well as a sweep of California.
Washington State currently sits in ninth place in the Pac-12 standings with a 4-12 conference mark. The Cougars split last weekend, sweeping California before falling in four sets to Stanford.
Oregon State is 2-4 in conference matches played at Gill Coliseum this season, with three matches being pushed to four sets or more. Washington is 7-2 in away matches this season, while Washington State has a 2-7 away record.
Quick Hits
- Oregon State split its two most recent matches at home, sweeping California, while falling to Stanford in a three-set match. Last time out, the Beavers fell in a pair of road matches at USC and UCLA.
- Following her All-America campaign in 2014, sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall continues to lead the team offensively, pacing the squad in kills (352), points (397), total attempts (1,172) and service aces (20) while ranking second on the team in total blocks (42) and in digs (188).
- Marshall ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in kills per set (3.74), as well as ninth in the conference in points per set (4.22). The sophomore also ranks sixth in service aces per set in conference matches (0.24).
- Marshall's 30 kills against Utah on Oct. 2 are the most by any player in the Pac-12 in a single match this season (second-highest total is 27), and are the most kills by an OSU player since Rachel Rourke had 31 against Arizona on Nov. 7, 2009.
- Freshman libero Kayla Ellis leads the team in digs with 304 (3.27/set) this season. Ellis has started the past 19 matches at libero (20 of the last 21) and has 3.85 digs per set against conference opponents, ranking eighth in the Pac-12 overall and tops amongst all Pac-12 freshmen.
- Redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke is tops on the team with 97 total blocks (1.03/set), recording 15 on solo efforts and 82 block assists, while also leading OSU regular starters in hitting percentage (.278) and ranking third in points (190).
Student-Athlete Profiles
No. 8 Maddy Gravley
Redshirt Freshman Middle Blocker
Hometown: Corvallis, Ore. (Santiam Christian)
- Majoring in pre-bioengineering.
- Daughter of Rod and Cindy Gravley.
- Has one sister, Heather.
- Cousins Brennan (football) and Garret (men's basketball) Sim both lettered as Oregon State athletes.
- Hobbies include boating, skiing, traveling and scuba diving.
- Favorite sports to attend outside of volleyball are football and basketball because of she enjoys being part of the crowd and the atmosphere.
No. 20 Daniela Vargas
Freshman Middle Blocker
Hometown: San Jose, Costa Rica (European HS)
- A pre-business major.
- Daughter of Antonio Vargas and Alejandra Quiros.
- Always wears a blue hair tie on gmaedays.
- Had never attended a football game before arriving at Oregon State.
- Decided to go to Oregon State because of the experience and background of the coaches as well as for OSU's business school.
Record Watch
- Mary-Kate Marshall already finds herself among OSU's career leaders in her sophomore season. After recently entering the Beavers' career record books, Marshall ranks at No. 19 on the all-time kills list (892). Additionally, Marshall recently moved up to 12th all-time in career attacks (2,910), as with 2.5 more points, would become the 22nd player in OSU history with 1,000 career points (997.5).
- Darby Reeder recently moved into the top-15 on the career digs list at OSU. The senior is third on the team with 172 digs this season after setting the single-season record with 614 last season. With a career total of 1,016, Reeder is just the 13th player in OSU history to reach the 1,000-dig milestone.
- Reeder also recently entered OSU's career list in service aces, moving to 24th with 75 aces for her career.
- Haley Clarke, Oregon State's blocking leader this season, has entered the top-20 on the Beavers' career lists in her redshirt senior season. The Dundee, Ore. native is tied for 16th all-time with 203 block assists, and ranks 19th all-time with 233 total blocks.
- Kayla Ellis is having one of the program's top freshman seasons at libero. With 304 this year, Ellis has the seventh-most by any OSU athlete in her freshman season. Digging at a rate of 3.27 per set, the Pocatello, Idaho native is on pace to post the third-highest rate by any OSU freshman in program history.
Young Beavs
- A large portion of the makeup of the 2015 roster is a group of six freshmen – four redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen. OSU has increasingly relied upon its freshmen this season, as five of the six have started at least one match this season and multiple freshmen have received starts in each of the past 19 matches as well as in 20 of the last 21.
- The Beavers started a season-high four freshmen – Kory Cheshire, Kayla Ellis, McKenna Hollingsworth and Lanesha Reagan - in their match at Long Beach State. The Beavers have started three freshmen in 10 conference matches (Utah, Colorado, Stanford twice, at California, at Washington, at Washington State, USC twice and at UCLA).
OSU Volleyball No. 6 in Strength of Schedule
- With four matches remaining in the 2015 schedule, the Oregon State volleyball team has faced the sixth-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the NCAA.
- Among opponents in their 26 matches, Oregon State has played 10 matches against currently ranked foes, nine of which coming against the top-12 (No. 1 USC twice, No. 2 Washington, No. 7 Stanford twice, No. 8 Hawai'i, No. 11 UCLA, No. 12 BYU twice and No. 24 Arizona State). In addition, the Beavers have played four matches versus opponents receiving votes (Colorado twice, San Diego and Long Beach State), and face a rematch with Washington this weekend.
The Road Less Traveled
- Before opening its conference schedule on Sept. 24 at home against Oregon, OSU had finished out its non-conference slate without playing a home match. Only one other Pac-12 institution went without a home match before conference play, as the Ducks did not host a home match until conference play.
- A breakdown of how the Beavers' challenging road non-conference schedule stacks up to the rest of the Pac-12 is below. Among all power conference schools, only seven played two games or fewer at home before non-conference play. A breakdown of those schools is below as well:
Pac-12 Schools
Oregon State 0
Oregon 0
UCLA 2
Washington State 3
Stanford 4
Utah 4
Arizona State 5
California 5
Washington 5
Arizona 6
Colorado 7
USC 7
Power Conference Schools
Oregon State 0
Oregon 0
West Virginia 1
Florida 2
LSU 2
Northwestern 2
UCLA 2
14 schools 3
Clarke All-Tournament in San Diego
- Following a 14-kill, 18-block performance over a three-game stretch in San Diego, redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke was named to the all-tournament team for the USD and SDSU Invitationals.
- Clarke recorded six kills with as many blocks against San Diego State on Saturday to help lead the Beavers over the Aztecs, 3-1. Clarke leads the team in total blocks (97) and hitting percentage (.278) this season.
Marshall Opens 2015 Season All-Tournament
- Mary-Kate Marshall was the first OSU player to earn an honor in 2015, earning an all-tournament selection at the conclusion of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
- Marshall finished the tournament with 36 kills, ranking third amongst all tournament athletes from the four participating schools.
- Marshall's four kills/set was sixth amongst Pac-12 athletes that weekend, as well as second amongst players in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine tournament field.
Scouting No. 2 Washington
- Washington is currently second in both the Pac-12 standings as well as in the nation, trailing only the nation's top-ranked team, Pac-12 foe USC. The Huskies are 24-2 with a 14-2 conference mark.
- Washington has won seven straight matches, including a 3-1 win over Stanford and a sweep of California last weekend. The Huskies have only been defeated in matches on the road this season, falling at USC in four sets and at Stanford in five.
- Washington ranks as the conference's top team in hitting percentage (.316), opponent hitting percentage (.143) and blocks (2.98 per set), as well as the league's No. 2 club in assists (13.61 per set) and kills (14.54 per set). Additionally, the Huskies are the nation's No. 2 team in hitting percentage.
- Lianna Sybeldon ranks as the national leader in hitting percentage, terminating at a .486 clip. Melanie Wade ranks sixth in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.372), while Carly DeHoog (.352) and Courtney Schwen (.337) rank eighth and ninth in the conference, respectively.
- Washington holds a 59-22 edge in the all-time series against Oregon State. The Beavers faced the Huskies earlier this season in Seattle, Wash., falling in three sets.
Scouting Washington State
- Washington State currently ranks ninth in the Pac-12 standings with a 4-12 conference record for the season. Since a 3-1 win over Oregon State on Oct. 16, the Cougars have struggled, dropping eight of their last nine matches.
- Last time out, the Cougars fell to Stanford in four sets, but defeated California in a sweep/
- Washington State is the Pac-12's No. 2-ranked team in service aces (1.40 per set) and ranks fourth in the conference and 16th nationally in blocks (2.85 per set), leading to a .181 opposing hitting percentage, sixth-lowest allowed in the league.
- Haley MacDonald ranks third in the conference in assists (10.27) and sixth in service aces (0.29 per set). Kyra Holt joins her in the conference's serving leaders, ranking fourth with 0.33 aces per set, while also ranking sixth in kills (3.97 per set) and seventh in points (4.54 per set).
- Washington State holds a 46-41 edge all-time in matches played against Oregon State, including this season's earlier match in Pullman, Wash.
The Beavers' Returning Players in 2015
- The Oregon State volleyball team returns the majority of its production from 2014 in nearly every category. Have a look at a summary of the different categories below.
- OSU returns players accounting for over half (about 55 percent) of the team's kills total from last year. Leading the Beavers in that category was Marshall, whose total of 540 set the school freshman kills record and ranks fourth all-time on the program's single-season list.
- The Beavers also return redshirt junior Katelyn Driscoll, who placed second on the team in kills, recording 282 as a redshirt sophomore.
- 65 percent of OSU's digs production returns from the 2014 squad, paced by Reeder's single-season program record tally of 614. Marshall (306) and junior Rachel Buehner (224) return to the club after ranking third and fourth on the team, respectively, in that category last season.
- Each of that same trio ranked within the OSU's top four in service aces last season, as Reeder also led the Beavers in service aces (38), while Marshall recorded 30 and Buehner posted 19. Junior Lila Toner, who recorded 13 last season, will also play a factor for a team that returns 69 percent of its 2014 production in the serve game.
- Last season, the Beavers racked up 20 more aces than their opponents (161 to 141), posting 1.22 aces per set as a team, while maintaining an aces to errors ratio of 0.79.
The Beavers' 2015 Coaching Staff
- Fresh off one of the most successful seasons in program history and 2014 Pac-12 and AVCA Regional Coach of the Year selections, head coach Taras Liskevych leads the Beavers for his 11th season at the helm. Liskevych holds a 124-206 record at OSU, as well as a 391-287 mark for his career.
- Liskevych is joined by associate head coach Mark Barnard, also in his 11th season, as well as assistant coach Emily Hiza (fifth season) and first-year volunteer assistant coach Andy Levoe.
- The 2015 staff is rounded out with Erik Bateham, who is in his second year as graduate manager, along with Jessica Quinn and Ian Parson, who were recently announced as director of operations and assistant director of operations, respectively.
Home Sweet Home
- The city of Corvallis, home of Oregon State University, was recently featured in College Magazine's list of “Top 10 College Towns You'll Never Want to Leave,” checking at No. 4. A listing of the various schools featured is below:
1. Chapel Hill, N.C. (North Carolina)
2. Champaign-Urbana, Ill. (Illinois)
3. Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan)
4. Corvallis, Ore. (Oregon State)
5. Boulder, Colo. (Colorado)
6. Blacksburg, Va. (Virginia Tech)
7. Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa)
8. Ithaca, N.Y. (Cornell)
9. Athens, Ga. (Georgia)
10. Binghamton, N.Y. (Binghamton)
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeavsVolleyball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateVolleyball.
