Friday, October 17
East Lansing, Mich.
7 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Nebraska
Photo by: Ynhi Le
Spartans Host Top-Ranked Nebraska, Maryland This Weekend
10/15/2025 1:41:00 PM | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball (14-2, 4-2) ends a four-match home stand this week, hosting No. 1 Nebraska on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. before welcoming Maryland to the Breslin Center on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.
Both matches will stream on B1G+. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app for both matches.
Fans are encouraged to wear green for Friday's match against Nebraska and pink for MSU's Breast Cancer Support Match on Sunday. Fans can also donate items like water bottles, lemon hard candy, fuzzy socks, lip balm, ginger tea, or unscented lotion to receive complimentary admission on match day against Maryland.
Friday's match against the Cornhuskers will be the third of five Big Ten | Discover Volleyball Challenge matches for MSU. Select conference matches played during the month of October will count toward the inaugural Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. Each team will play five designated challenge matches throughout the month, with the winner determined by the highest win total across the five games. MSU is 2-0 in Discover Challenge matches so far, defeating Northwestern on the road on Oct. 3 and Iowa at home on Oct. 10, and will travel to Iowa on Friday, Oct. 24 for its fourth match in the challenge.
MSU went 2-0 in conference action at home last weekend, defeating Iowa in five sets on Oct. 10 before sweeping then-No. 20 Indiana on Oct. 12. The Spartans' sweep of the Hoosiers was their first over a ranked team since defeating No. 25 Missouri State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 1, 2017, and first win over a ranked team since a 3-2 win at USC on Oct. 24 last season. MSU held the Hoosiers to a season-low .067 hitting clip and dealt Indiana its first conference loss of the season, snapping a six-match winning streak.Â
MSU's 4-2 start to Big Ten play is its best start through its first six conference matches since going 5-1 during the 2017 season. Undefeated Nebraska currently holds the top spot in the conference standings, while MSU sits in a five-way tie for fifth place alongside Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue and UCLA.
Middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig was one of three Spartans to post a team-high 13 kills against Iowa, which was a career high for the junior, and also hit a team-best .667 (13-1-18) in the win. Across MSU's two matches last week, Kulig totaled 20 kills while recording just two errors to post a .581 hitting percentage, the best combined hititng clip in the conference last week.Â
Redshirt freshman Malayah Long continues to prove herself as one of the top setters in the conference this season, totaling 75 assists (9.38 assists/set) over MSU's two wins last week to earn her second-career Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Oct. 13. She is the first Spartan to win multiple Freshman of the Week honors from the league since Biamba Kabengele during the 2019 season and first setter to do so since Rachel Minarick in 2014. Against the Hawkeyes, Long tallied 54 assists, her second time eclipsing the 50-assist mark in a single match this season.
The RPI Has Arrived!
MSU moved up eight spots in the NCAA RPI this week, breaking into the top 30 at No. 27. The Spartans are one of 12 Big Ten teams inside the top 50, while Nebraska (No. 2) and Indiana (No. 10) sit inside the top 10. Texas is currently No. 1 in the RPI.
The Spartans have two wins over RPI top 25 teams (No. 10 Indiana and No. 23 Michigan) and one win over a top 50 team (App State, No. 39).
About Nebraska
Nebraska is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA (Texas) at a perfect 16-0 and 6-0 in conference play. The Huskers earned sweeps over Washington at home and then-No. 12 Purdue on the road last week.
The Huskers lead the all-time series, 28-2-2, including an 8-2 record in East Lansing. MSU's last and only wins in the series came on Nov. 4, 2012 (3-2) and Oct. 12, 2013 (3-1), both at home.Â
MSU and Nebraska will meet twice over the next eight days, with MSU traveling to Lincoln to face the Huskers again on Oct. 25.
Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly is in her first season at Nebraska.
About Maryland
Maryland is 7-9 overall and 0-6 in the conference this season, dropping home contests to Illinois and then-No. 7 Wisconsin last week. The Terrapins will play Rutgers at home on Oct. 15 before traveling to East Lansing this weekend.
MSU is 16-4 against Maryland and holds a 7-1 record in the series in East Lansing. The two teams met twice last season and went 1-1, with MSU falling on the road, 3-1, on Nov. 7 before earning a home sweep on Nov. 23. The Spartans' only home loss in the series came in a 3-1 result on Oct. 16, 2021.
Adam Hughes is in his eighth season as head coach in 2025.
Up Next
MSU travels to Coralville, Iowa, to take on Iowa on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Both matches will stream on B1G+. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app for both matches.
Fans are encouraged to wear green for Friday's match against Nebraska and pink for MSU's Breast Cancer Support Match on Sunday. Fans can also donate items like water bottles, lemon hard candy, fuzzy socks, lip balm, ginger tea, or unscented lotion to receive complimentary admission on match day against Maryland.
Friday's match against the Cornhuskers will be the third of five Big Ten | Discover Volleyball Challenge matches for MSU. Select conference matches played during the month of October will count toward the inaugural Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. Each team will play five designated challenge matches throughout the month, with the winner determined by the highest win total across the five games. MSU is 2-0 in Discover Challenge matches so far, defeating Northwestern on the road on Oct. 3 and Iowa at home on Oct. 10, and will travel to Iowa on Friday, Oct. 24 for its fourth match in the challenge.
MSU went 2-0 in conference action at home last weekend, defeating Iowa in five sets on Oct. 10 before sweeping then-No. 20 Indiana on Oct. 12. The Spartans' sweep of the Hoosiers was their first over a ranked team since defeating No. 25 Missouri State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 1, 2017, and first win over a ranked team since a 3-2 win at USC on Oct. 24 last season. MSU held the Hoosiers to a season-low .067 hitting clip and dealt Indiana its first conference loss of the season, snapping a six-match winning streak.Â
MSU's 4-2 start to Big Ten play is its best start through its first six conference matches since going 5-1 during the 2017 season. Undefeated Nebraska currently holds the top spot in the conference standings, while MSU sits in a five-way tie for fifth place alongside Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue and UCLA.
Middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig was one of three Spartans to post a team-high 13 kills against Iowa, which was a career high for the junior, and also hit a team-best .667 (13-1-18) in the win. Across MSU's two matches last week, Kulig totaled 20 kills while recording just two errors to post a .581 hitting percentage, the best combined hititng clip in the conference last week.Â
Redshirt freshman Malayah Long continues to prove herself as one of the top setters in the conference this season, totaling 75 assists (9.38 assists/set) over MSU's two wins last week to earn her second-career Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Oct. 13. She is the first Spartan to win multiple Freshman of the Week honors from the league since Biamba Kabengele during the 2019 season and first setter to do so since Rachel Minarick in 2014. Against the Hawkeyes, Long tallied 54 assists, her second time eclipsing the 50-assist mark in a single match this season.
The RPI Has Arrived!
MSU moved up eight spots in the NCAA RPI this week, breaking into the top 30 at No. 27. The Spartans are one of 12 Big Ten teams inside the top 50, while Nebraska (No. 2) and Indiana (No. 10) sit inside the top 10. Texas is currently No. 1 in the RPI.
The Spartans have two wins over RPI top 25 teams (No. 10 Indiana and No. 23 Michigan) and one win over a top 50 team (App State, No. 39).
About Nebraska
Nebraska is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA (Texas) at a perfect 16-0 and 6-0 in conference play. The Huskers earned sweeps over Washington at home and then-No. 12 Purdue on the road last week.
The Huskers lead the all-time series, 28-2-2, including an 8-2 record in East Lansing. MSU's last and only wins in the series came on Nov. 4, 2012 (3-2) and Oct. 12, 2013 (3-1), both at home.Â
MSU and Nebraska will meet twice over the next eight days, with MSU traveling to Lincoln to face the Huskers again on Oct. 25.
Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly is in her first season at Nebraska.
About Maryland
Maryland is 7-9 overall and 0-6 in the conference this season, dropping home contests to Illinois and then-No. 7 Wisconsin last week. The Terrapins will play Rutgers at home on Oct. 15 before traveling to East Lansing this weekend.
MSU is 16-4 against Maryland and holds a 7-1 record in the series in East Lansing. The two teams met twice last season and went 1-1, with MSU falling on the road, 3-1, on Nov. 7 before earning a home sweep on Nov. 23. The Spartans' only home loss in the series came in a 3-1 result on Oct. 16, 2021.
Adam Hughes is in his eighth season as head coach in 2025.
Up Next
MSU travels to Coralville, Iowa, to take on Iowa on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
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