Volleyball Hits Road in Hoosier State
10/3/2024
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Big Ten Conference play continues for Michigan State volleyball this week in Indiana for the second of two consecutive B1G weekends on the road. The Spartans open the weekend against Indiana at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night in Bloomington, Ind. before heading to West Lafayette, Ind. to take on No. 10-ranked Purdue at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 6.
Friday night's match will stream on B1G+ while Sunday will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network. Connor Onion and Spartan volleyball alumna Elena Shklyar will be on the call for Sunday's match. Fans can also listen in live through MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app where John Kreger will call both matches in his 20th season of MSU volleyball coverage.
NOTES TO KNOW
ABOUT INDIANA
Indiana is 7-5 overall and 0-2 in B1G play, ranking No. 41 in the initial NCAA RPI of the season on Oct. 2. The Hoosiers have a season-best victory over Notre Dame (3-1) who currently sits at No. 28 in the RPI.
The Hoosiers rank No. 44 nationally in aces/set (1.82) due in part to Camryn Haworth's No. 20 rank individually at 0.56. Indiana is No. 125 in assists/set (11.80), No. 142 in blocks/set (2.13), No. 324 in digs/set (11.64), No. 82 in hitting percentage (.234), No. 140 in kills/set (12.64) and No. 238 in opponent hitting percentage (.220).
Haworth also ranks No. 39 nationally in assists/set (10.16) and is No. 28 in total service aces with 25. Avry Tatum leads the team in kills (158) hitting an efficient .340, followed by Candela Alonso-Corcelles' 141 kills on .176 hitting. Tatum's 4.08 points/set is a team-high. Ramsey Gary averages 4.11 digs/set and Ella Boersema has posted 1.00 blocks/set this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Indiana
- Michigan State is 53-35 all-time against the Hoosiers and 19-20 when meeting Indiana on the road. MSU last defeated IU in Bloomington on November 25, 2017, a 3-1 win.
- Then No. 10-ranked MSU's last win in Bloomington was highlighted by a 16 kill, 10 dig performance from Autumn Bailey, 13 kills from Brooke Kranda and 12 kills/10 digs out of Holly Toliver.
- Indiana has taken four straight from the Spartans over the last three seasons, with MSU last defeating the Hoosiers on November 30, 2019 in East Lansing.
#10 Purdue
- Michigan State is 33-58 all-time against the Boilermakers and 13-28 when meeting Purdue in West Lafayette. MSU last defeated Purdue on the road, 3-2, on October 20, 2021.
- Purdue has won three consecutive meetings since the Spartans were victorious in 2021. The upset over then No. 7-ranked Purdue was highlighted by a 28 assist, 10 dig, two ace performance by current Spartan setter Julia Bishop.
- That victory was the 300th career head coaching victory of former Spartan Head Coach Cathy George.
Taylor Preston turned it up a notch and led all Spartans with 18 kills in Sunday’s match! #GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/IXPgNe16O3
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 30, 2024
ABOUT #10 PURDUE
No. 10-ranked Purdue is 10-3 overall and 1-1 in the B1G through one weekend of play, sitting No. 17 in the first NCAA RPI rankings of the season. The Boilermakers have two victories over quad one opponents in Kentucky (3-1) and Minnesota (3-2), and are 7-0 against teams ranked below the Top 50.
Purdue ranks No. 10 nationally in blocks/set (2.93) thanks to Raven Colvin's 1.80 blocks/set which is the No. 2 mark in DI, as are her 83 total blocks. Colvin ranks No. 17 nationally in hitting percentage at .435 additionally. The Boilermakers are No. 18 nationally in hitting percentage (.278) and No. 22 in kills/set (13.78). Eva Hudson is No. 33 nationally in kills/set at 4.209 and No. 27 in attacks/set at 11.35.
The Boilermakers rank No. 27 in assists/set (12.76) thanks to Taylor Anderson's No. 11 ranked 10.85 assists/set. Purdue is No. 115 nationally in digs/set (14.80), No. 146 in opponent hitting percentage (.200) and No. 170 in aces/set (1.50).
SPARTANS OPEN B1G PLAY
Michigan State opened Big Ten conference play last weekend taking on Michigan and then No. 4-ranked Penn State on the road.
The Spartans were defeated 3-0 by Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday night before falling to Penn State 3-1 on Sunday night in Happy Valley.
MSU took set one off of the Nittany Lions and kept things close in sets three (25-21) and four (25-23).
Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston had a season-best performance against Penn State last Sunday turning in a season-high 18 kills on .317 hitting alongside seven digs and two blocks.
IN THE B1G RANKINGS
Nalani Iosia is #2 in digs/set in the B1G at 4.26.
Evie Doezema ranks #7 among B1G players in hitting percentage this season hitting .381 through 13 matches (41 sets).
Zuzanna Kulig ranks #4 in the B1G in blocks thus far at 1.40 blocks/set.
Kulig's .371 hitting ranks #9 in the B1G this season.
Taylor Prestons ranks #9 in the B1G in kills per set through the first weekend of conference play at 3.57 in two B1G matches.
LAST ONE, BEST ONE
Fifth-year libero Nalani Iosia saved her best for last, averaging a career-high 4.26 digs per set. Her previous career-high was 4.16 set in 2023.
If the season ended today, Iosia's 4.26 digs/set would rank No. 8 in the program history book for a single season.
Against UNC on Sept. 22, Iosia moved into No. 10 in career digs at MSU and now has 1,150 in a Spartan jersey. Kelly Collister is No. 9 with 1,196.
Iosia is second in the B1G in digs per set (Zeynep Palabiyik, 4.33) and is third in total digs (200) behind Joy Galles (Iowa, 225) and Palabiyik (208).
Iosia entered the season ranked second in the B1G in career digs among active players with 1,504 (now 1,704).
Iosia ranked fifth in the B1G last season in digs/set at 4.16.
Iosia was an AVCA All-North Region honorable mention following the conclusion of the 2023 season, the first Spartan to earn a regional honor since 2017 and the first libero since 2014.
Iosia's 483 digs last season ranked No. 8 all-time for a single season at MSU.
Iosia twice tallied a career-best 27 digs in a match in 2023.
LAST FIVE UPDATE
Michigan State is 2-3 in its last five matches with wins over Purdue Fort Wayne (3-1) and Duke (3-2). The Spartans have lost three straight at North Carolina (3-1), Michigan (3-0) and Penn State (3-1).
Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson leads the team in kills over that stretch with 56 on 2.80 kills/set.
Among outside hitters, junior Taylor Preston is hitting the most efficiently over that span at .275 on 2.65 kills/set and 53 kills.
In the last five matches, MSU middle blockers Zuzanna Kulig (.368) and Evie Doezema (.413) are both hitting efficiently.
Kulig's 1.45 blocks/set (4 solo, 25 assisted) lead the team in the last five matches.
Iosia has posted double-digit digs in four of the last five matches including three of 20+. Her 4.60 digs per set in that spans leads the team.
We are FINALLY back home this month, we can’t wait to see you all soon ??#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/1II0SoNMkk
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 1, 2024
KULIG AS A CUCUMBER
Throughout the non-conference schedule sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig inserted herself into the conversation as one of the best in the country.
Kulig ranks No. 21 nationally and No. 4 in the B1G in blocks per set (1.40) and her .371 hitting percentage ranks No. 9 in the B1G
Kulig's 57 total blocks rank No. 57 nationally and No. 5 in the B1G.
Kulig also inserted herself among the most valuable servers in the country entering last weekend, ranking No. 10 in Expected Points Added via Chad Gordon (@ChadGordon09) with 8.3. Teams were passing just a 1.90 rating on 93 serves.
Kulig was the only middle blocker to rank in the Top 10.
DOEZEMA DOES IT ALL
Junior middle blocker Evie Doezema hit .467 in non-conference action.
Doezema is hitting .381 overall which ranks No. 7 in the B1G in hitting percentage among players averaging more than 3.00 attempts/set trailing Jackson (NEB), Trammell (PSU), Ofoegbu (ORE), Colvin (PUR), Nyambio (UM) and Hunt (UW).
Doezema started her career as a six-rotation outside as a freshman, before playing middle and settling in on right side during her sophomore campaign. Now a junior, Doezema moved back inside and plays middle for the Spartans in 2024.
Head Coach Leah Johnson has lauded Doezema's willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team, and her drive to be the best at whatever position she is playing.
