MSU Welcomes Top-Ranked Opponents to Jenison
10/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Michigan State vs. No. 6 Ohio State, No. 5 Penn State | |
| Dates | Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m. vs. No. 6 Ohio State Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m. vs. No. 5 Penn State |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich.; Jenison Field House |
| Tickets | Spartan Ticket Office |
| TV/Video Stream | BTN+ vs. Ohio State | College Sports Live vs. Penn State |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network; Keaton Gillogly, pxp | Download the SSN App |
| Live Statistics | | |
| Download Game Notes | Michigan State | Ohio State | Penn State |
| Previews | Cathy | Weekly Practice Update |
| Social Media | @MichStVB  | Facebook  |
| Promotions | Wednesday: Professor Appreciation (Free Admission with Faculty/Staff ID) Coat/Winter Gear collection for EVE (End Violent Encounters) Saturday: Kori Moster All-America Banner Raising Post-game autograph session (seniors) Free volleyball admission with MSU-IU football ticket stub |
SERIES NOTES
• Michigan State hosts No. 6 Ohio State on Wednesday and No. 5 on Saturday in a big week for MSU's fortunes in the Big Ten title race.
• MSU is 29-45 all-time in the series with Ohio State, which included a tough five-set loss to the Buckeyes last year in Columbus. MSU had won both meetings in 2013 by 3-0 scores. OSU enters Wednesday's match with an 18-2 overall record and sit in a tie for first place in the Big Ten at 7-1. Their lone Big Ten loss is to Minnesota in their B1G opener, which snapped an 11-match winning streak after a season-opening loss at Wyoming.
• On Wednesday, the volleyball program will be accepting donations of winter clothing for EVE (End Violent Encounters) at the entrance to Jenison Field House. Admission vs. Ohio State is free for anyone with an MSU faculty/staff ID.
• Penn State has won three straight matches over MSU since the Spartans opened the 2013 Big Ten season with an upset of the top-ranked Nittany Lions at Rec Hall. PSU will bring a 17-2 overall mark and 6-2 record in Conference games to Michigan on Wednesday before coming to Jenison Field House for Saturday's matchup. The Nittany Lions have dropped B1G matches to both Nebraska and Northwestern this season.
• Prior to Saturday's game, MSU will raise the ALl-American banner for libero Kori Moster to the Jenison Field House rafters. A three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Moster finished her career with 2,218 digs, good for third all-time in the Big Ten recordbook and first among all Spartan players, while her 137 career matches is sixth all-time at MSU.
TEAM NOTES
• MSU has won three straight matches, its best run in Big Ten play this season. MSU's longest winning streak of the season is six matches. After a win on Oct. 10 at Iowa, MSU posted a pair of victories at home last week over Maryland (3-1) and Rutgers (3-0) to improve to 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Spartans sit in a sixth-place tie with Michgian in the Big Ten standings.
• MSU's 3-1 victory over Maryland last Wednesday was the 200th in the Michigan State tenure of Spartan head coach Cathy George. In her 10 years at the helm, she has guided MSU to the NCAA Tournament eight times, with three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. She owns a 201-146 mark at MSU (.578) and a 566-372 record (.603) in 28+ seasons as a head coach.
• MSU is receiving votes in the most recent AVCA poll, and has been in that group of teams for the last seven weeks after starting the season at No. 19 in the survey. Eight Big Ten teams appear in the Top 25, including No. 5 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State.
• The first RPI rankings of the year were released on Oct. 4, and the Spartans come in at No. 39 in the third release. Four teams (No. 2 Nebraska, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 9 Penn State,) populate the top 10 overall, which is led by Southern California, currently unbeaten on the year at 20-0. No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 20 Northwestern, Michigan (24), Illinois (25), Purdue (27) and Iowa (42) give the Big Ten 11 of the top 42 teams.
• In addition to the 11 B1G schools in the top 42, two MSU non-conference opponents are in the RPI top 50: Kentucky (11) and North Carolina (29). Virginia Tech checks in this week at no. 68.
• In the latest NCAA rankings, the Spartans come in at 12th in average attendance, welcoming 2,436 fans per match at Jenison Field House. With just eight matches at home so far this season, MSU ranks 12th in total attendance (19,489).
• MSU has won ten of its 13 matches this season by 3-0 decisions, the other a five-set win over Butler and a four-set victories against North Carolina and Maryland.
• MSU has opened with a first-set victory in 16 of its 19 matches, and is 13-3 in those contests. The three losses when winning the first set have all come in Big Ten play to No. 20 Purdue, No. 23 Michigan, and No. 4 Nebraska. The three times MSU lost the first set, it resulted in a Spartan match loss.
• The Spartans lead the Big Ten and rank 12th nationally in kills per set (14.37/s). MSU ranks second in the Conference in assists (13.28/s), which is 20th among Division I teams.
• Rutgers hit .056 in Saturday's match, the lowest hitting performance by an MSU opponent this season. MSU held Maryland to a .063 hitting percentage on Wednesday, which had bettered the previous low .073 by Boston College (Sept. 11). MSU's .060 opponent hitting percentage was the best in the Big Ten last week, and their season oppoentnt hitting percentage of .181 ranks fifth in the B1G.
• The Spartans are sixth in the Big Ten in blocks (2.53/s) and seventh in digs (14.90/s). In the overall picture, the Spartans are 41st nationally in blocks per set, and rank 40th nationally in hitting percentage (.255) - which is fourth in the B1G.
• MSU averaged 3.21 blocks per set in the two matches last week. The Spartans had just one block through two sets vs. Maryland, but out-blocked the Terps 12.5-6 overall on the night. The Spartans totalled 10 blocks (six solo) vs. Rutgers, one solo block shy of its season best of seven, set vs. Michigan (Sept. 30).
• MSU had a season -low nine hitting errors against Rutgers, and recorded its be2st hitting performance of the season (46-9-87, .425). The previous season high was .414 vs Delaware, and the high in a Big Ten match this season was .333, vs. Indiana on Sept. 25. The .425 is also the sixth-highest match percentage by a Big Ten team this season.
• The Spartans have hit .196 or better in seven of their eight Big Ten matches, the exception a .132 performance at Nebraska (Oct. 7) in a four-set loss.
• MSU wrapped its non-conference schedule with a 8-3 overall record. Non-conference opponents North Carolina (No. 7), Kentucky (No. 15) and Duke (No. 25) all appeared in the preseason AVCA Top-25, and first-weekend opponent Arkansas-Little Rock received votes. Eight of MSU's 11 non-conference opponents went .500 or better in the first four weeks of the season.
• The Spartans head back on the road next week for matches at Illinois and Northwestern, just the second Friday-Saturday weekend Big Ten series for the Spartans this season. That will be followed by a Friday/Sunday series at Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively. The Northwestern and Minnesota matches will air live on the Big Ten Network, and the Wisconsin match will be on ESPN2.
PLAYER NOTES
• Alyssa Garvelink was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after her performances vs. Maryland and Rutgers last week. The sophomore had a combined 23 kills in the two MSU victories, hitting .588 on the week. Her .647 (12-1-17) hitting percentage against Rutgers on Oct. 17 was the second-highest in a conference match this season, and topped all players this past week. The Holland, Michigan, native had a total of nine blocks in the two matches, with five (three solo) coming in MSU's sweep of Rutgers. She also hit .529 (11-2-17) against Maryland, which led all Spartans.
• Garvelink's .647 hitting percentage is the sixth-best single-match performance in the Big Ten this season, and second-best in a Conference match. Purdue's Faye Adelaja hit .800 (12-0-15) vs. Maryland on Oct. 3.
• Garvelink earned her first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week honor. Twice last season she earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week kudos.
• Garvelink ranks 13th in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.10, and averages the same in Big Ten matches only, where it is tied for sixth. Garvelink is also 13th in the Big Ten in hitting percentage in Conference games (.319), while she holds a .286 hitting percentage overall. She also averages 2.46 kills per set overall.
• Garvelink's five solo blocks against Michigan (Sept. 30) remains the most in the Big Ten for any player in the Conference this season.
• In her sixth double-double of the season, Rachel Minarick tied her season bests in digs (12) and blocks (four) against Rutgers. She also posted three kills on four swings, and her 30 assists helped lead MSU to a season-best .425 hitting percentage. Against Maryland, Minarick had 46 assists, four blocks and nine digs, coming one dig short of another double-double. She led the Spartans to their second and third straight victories, their longest stretch this season in Conference matches.
• Minarick earned the Big Ten Setter of the Week honors for the second time this season. On Sept. 21, Minarick earned the same honor after posting the 11th triple-double in MSU history against North Carolina. In her triple-doubleshe posted career-bests in kills (11) and aces (4), while recording 25 assists and 10 digs and also contributing two blocks. MSU's last triple-double was by setter Allison Ianni, who did it in the 2006 season opener vs. IPFW (55 assists, 11 kills, 10 digs. Minarick is the lone player in the Big Ten with a triple-double this season.
• Minarick is just the eighth athlete in Big Ten history to earn the Setter of the Week honors more than once in a single season. Micha Hancock of Penn State won it six times in the 2012 season as a sophomore, and five times each in her junior and senior seasons. The Setter of the Week honor was added to the weekly awards lineup in advance of the 2012 season.
• Minarick, who has alternated between running a 6-2 and 5-1 this season, is averaging 8.82 assists per set, which is 11th in the Big Ten overall and 8.60 A/s is 12th in conference matches only. She is also averaging 0.60 blocks, 2.24 digs, and 1.18 kills per set on the season, while hitting .288. Minarick is also 13th in the Big Ten in service aces per set (0.25)
• Megan Tompkins was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14, and Abby Monson earned the same honor on Sept. 21. This gives MSU four different players a Conference weekly honor in the same season for the first time since 1999, when Jessica Sanborn, Erin Hartley, Angela Morley, and Vicki Basil had all earned Player of the Week honors. The only other time it happened in school history was in 1995 -- when Player of the Week honors were earned by Dana Cooke, Veronica Morales, Val Sterk,(twice) and Jenna Wrobel.
• Tompkins was the Defensive Player of the Week after the Holly Young Invitational at New Hampshire, in which she compiled her career best nine blocks vs. Delaware (Sept. 12). That's tied for the fourth-most blocks in a single match in the Big Ten this season. On the year, Tompkins leads the Spartans with 1.17 blocks per set, which is 77th in the country.
• Five weekly Player of the Week awards have been won by this current Spartan team, which has only been accomplished by the 1995 team as well -- Val Sterk was the Player of the Week twice in addition to Cooke, Morales, and Wrobel each winning once. Minarck is the two-time winner of the 2015 squad.
• Allyssah Fitterer had her best statistical performance since the opening weekend of the season, credited with 13 kills, hitting .500 (13-1-24), and a recording a season-best eight blocks against Maryland on Wednesday. On Saturday, she followed that performance with six kills on eight swings, hitting.750, with one block.
• Fitterer leads the Spartans and ranks 13th in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.319), and she is averaging 2.57 kills and a career-best 0.81 blocks per set. She is hitting .324 (12th in the Big Ten) and averaging 1.0 blocks per set in Big Ten matches, which is 15th.
• With 11 kills, 10 digs and a block, Holly Toliver had her third consecutive double-digit kill game and second double-double in three matches. Her first career double-double came on Oct. 7 at Nebraska. She also had nine kills and hit .333 vs. Rutgers, adding six digs.
• Toliver remains fifth in the Big Ten in service aces per set (0.31). On the season, the sophomore is contributing 2.42 kills and 1.29 digs per set. In Big Ten play only, she's averaging 2.61 kills and 1.61 digs per frame.
• Chloe Reinig had her two best hitting performances since returning to the Spartan lineup after missing seven matches with injury. Against Rutgers, she hit .346, while five of her 12 kills came in the fifth set. She also added a season-best four blocks and three digs. Against Rutgers, she hit .375, posting seven kills on 16 swings with just one error.
• Kristen Muir had a pair of matches with double-digit digs last week, finishing second on the team in both contests. She had 13 against Maryland, which tied her season high in a Big Ten match, while recording 10 against Rutgers- the second most in the match behind Minarick.
• Abby Monson led all players with 16 digs vs. Maryland, two off her Big Ten match-high of 18. Her streak of 13-straight double-digit kill matches came to an end when she finished with nine against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday. On the season, Monson is averaging 3.59 digs per set, which ranks 10th in the Big Ten. Her 3.93 digs per set in Big Ten play is eighth.
• Freshman Sarah Washegesic had her second career double-digit dig performance with 11 in the Sarturday match vs. Michigan. Her career best (14) came vs. Butler on Sept. 4. She had a combined 10 digs vs. Maryland and Rutgers, and is averaging 1.47 D/s on the year.
• The season of junior transfer and two-time All-American Autumn Bailey has come to an end before it really even got started. Bailey suffered a leg injury against Kentucky, and will miss the remainder of the year. She will be eligible to petition for a medical hardship waiver to have two more years to play in East Lansing. Bailey had a double-double in the Green & White exhibition match, and also had a double-double (11k, 12d) vs. Kentucky before leaving the match with injury.
