OSU Volleyball Hosts Pac-12 Foes Utah and Colorado
September 30, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Colorado (8-6, 0-2 Pac-12) | Oct. 4 | 11 a.m. PT
Gill Coliseum | Corvallis, Ore.
Live Stats: Utah/Colorado
Live Video (Pac-12 Network): Utah | Colorado
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State volleyball team continues Pac-12 play this with its first two-game homestand of the season, as the Beavers welcome the Utah Utes and the Colorado Buffaloes to Gill Coliseum this weekend.
OSU (2-10, 0-2 Pac-12) faces Utah on Friday at 6 p.m. PT, and bookends the weekend with an 11 a.m. PT meeting with Colorado on Sunday. Tickets for each match can be purchased at BeaverTickets.com.
Live stats are available for each match, and each matchup will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. Each can be accessed through the links above or through links on OSU's volleyball schedule page at OSUBeavers.com.
Friday's match against Utah features a performance from the Mini Beavs cheerleaders during the intermission. For more information on the Mini Beavs, visit oregonstatecheerleadinganddance.com.
Sunday's game vs. Colorado is the GenBeavs game. All GenBeavs members will be admitted to the match for free by showing their GenBeavs lanyard at the box office. More information on GenBeavs is available here.
Utah (7-6, 1-1 Pac-12) split its first two matches of its conference schedule, defeating Colorado, 3-1, while falling at Washington State, 3-0. The Utes and Beavers have had one common opponent thus far this season in 15th-ranked BYU, who swept the Utes on Sept. 17. The Beavers also fell to the Cougars earlier this season, 3-1 and 3-0.
Colorado (8-6, 0-2 Pac-12) suffered a pair of conference losses in the opening week of Pac-12 play, falling to the Utes and to Washington, 3-0. Earlier this season, the Buffaloes recorded impressive wins over Florida State (currently 17th-ranked) and Oklahoma.
OSU is 0-1 thus far at home this season after a 3-1 loss to then-No. 18 Oregon at Gill Coliseum last week. Last season, the Beavers finished 7-5 at home. Utah is 2-2 in away matches, while Colorado has yet to win an away game this season (0-4).
Quick Hits
- Last time in action, OSU fell at then-No. 7 Arizona State, 3-0. The Beavers opened its home slate and the conference schedule with No. 18 Oregon, dropping a 3-1 match to the Ducks.
- Following her All-America campaign in 2014, sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall continues to lead the team offensively, pacing the squad in kills (160), points (178) and total attempts (497), while placing second on the team in service aces (6) and third in total blocks (20).
- Marshall ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in kills per set (3.81), as well as seventh in the conference in points per set (4.25).
- Redshirt junior setter Dana Backlund leads the club with 339 assists through the first 12 games of the season, and ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in assists per set (8.69). Backlund is also tops on the club in service aces (8).
- Senior libero/defensive specialist Darby Reeder leads OSU in digs (96, 2.82/set), edging freshman Kayla Ellis, who has recorded 94 (2.29/set) this season. Ellis has started the past five games at libero (six of the last seven) and has 73 digs in those games (3.32/set).
- Redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke is tops on the team with 47 total blocks (1.12/set), recording eight on solo efforts and 39 block assists, while also leading OSU regular starters in hitting percentage (.277).
- Redshirt junior outside hitter Katelyn Driscoll places second on OSU in kills (108) and points (121).
Student-Athlete Profile
No. 14 Kory Cheshire – Redshirt Freshman Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter
Hometown: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (Chinook HS)
- Majoring in psychology
- Daughter of Jeanette and Philip Cheshire
- Has one older sister, Kelly, and one younger sister, Samantha
- Most commonly cited by her teammates as most likely to run for political office
- Knew she wanted to attend OSU her senior year of high school – “I liked the coaches and the girls shared the same passion I had”
- Favorite sport to attend outside of volleyball is basketball because of the fast pace, athleticism and her favorite athlete, LeBron James
- Also lettered as a guard in basketball for four years in high school
Record Watch
- Mary-Kate Marshall already finds herself among OSU's career leaders in her sophomore season. Marshall recently entered the Beavers' career record books at No. 28 on the all-time kills list (700). Additionally, Marshall ranks 23rd all-time in total attacks.
- Darby Reeder recently moved into the top-15 on the career digs list at OSU. The senior leads the team with 96 digs this season after setting the single-season record with 614 last season. Her career total stands at 940.
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 five matches as well as in six of the last seven.
- The Beavers started a season-high four freshmen – Kory Cheshire, Kayla Ellis, McKenna Hollingsworth and Lanesha Reagan - in their match at Long Beach State
OSU Volleyball No. 4 in Strength of Schedule
- Through the first 12 games of the 2015 schedule, the Oregon State volleyball boasts the fourth-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the NCAA.
- Among opponents in their first 12 games, the Beavers have played six games against currently ranked foes (No. 6 Arizona State, No. 10 Hawai'I, No. 15 BYU twice, No. 22 Oregon and No. 24 Long Beach State) in addition to matches with Pacific and San Diego, each of which are currently receiving votes.
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 play 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 (47) and hitting percentage (.277) 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.
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 121-190 record at OSU, as well as a 388-274 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.
Scouting Utah
- The Utah Utes were picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 in the 2015 Preseason Pac-12 Volleyball Coaches Poll, and are off to a 7-6 overall start and a 1-1 start in conference play.
- The Utes returned eight letterwinners and two starters from a 2014 squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and ended the season ranked at No. 18.
- Utah's offensive leader is Adora Anae, who has 195 kills (3.98/set) on .227 hitting with a team-high 12 service aces. Eliza Katoa has 146 kills and seven service aces in 13 appearances and 10 starts. As a team, Utah is fourth in the Pac-12 in service aces.
- Breanna DeYoung leads the Utes with 57 total blocks, and ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in blocks per set (1.30). Tess Sutton places eighth in the Pac-12 with 3.45 digs per set with a season total of 162.
- OSU holds a 9-6 edge over Utah in the all-time series. The Beavers won the only meeting between the two teams last season, claiming a five-set victory at home on Sept. 27, 2014.
Scouting Colorado
- Colorado is 8-6 with a pair of conference losses thus far this season. The Buffaloes were voted sixth in the 2015 Preseason Pac-12 Volleyball Coaches Poll.
- Last season, Colorado advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to cap a 20-14 season. The Buffaloes return nine letterwinners including five starters and the libero.
- The Buffaloes are led offensively by Alexis Austin, who ranks sixth in the conference in kills per set (3.86) and points per set (4.39). Austin has season totals of 193 kills and 219.5 points.
- Nicole Edelman ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in assists per set (8.80) and has a team-high 449 this season. Cierra Simpson ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in digs per set (3.27) and has 167 for the year.
- OSU holds a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series over Colorado. The Buffaloes defeated the Beavers in four sets in their last meeting on Nov. 27, 2014.
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.
