Michigan State University
15-5,5-5Big Ten
Nebraska
20-0,10-0Big Ten
Spartans Fall at No. 1 Nebraska
10/25/2025 10:23:00 PM | Volleyball
LINCOLN, Neb. -Â Michigan State volleyball dropped a three-set match to top-ranked and undefeated Nebraska (15-25, 15-25, 18-25) Saturday night inside Nebraska's Bob Devaney Center.Â
MSU drops to 15-5 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten with the result, while Nebraska moves to 20-0 and 10-0 in the B1G.Â
Nebraska hit .382 to MSU's .118 for the match and led in kills (53-to-27), digs (46-27) and total blocks (11-9). Neither team recorded a service ace in the match.Â
Junior middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig posted a team-high seven kills on .368 hitting and a team-best seven total blocks. Freshman outside hitter Bianca Mumcular also added seven kills, while junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska added six and sophomore middle blocker Carmen Waye posted five. Staniszewska led MSU in digs with 11, her seventh match of the season with double-digit digs.Â
Redshirt freshman setter Malayah Long, who made her hometown return to Lincoln Saturday night, posted a team-high 20 assists. Â
Nebraska got out to a 4-0 start in the first set before kills from Kulig and Staniszewska made it 6-2 in favor of the Huskers to get the Spartans on the board. MSU called a timeout after Nebraska used a pair of kills to take a six-point lead at 8-2. The Huskers scored three straight out of the timeout, but the Spartans followed with a 5-2 run with a block from Waye and Long, kills from Mumcular and Staniszewska and a pair of Nebraska errors to close the gap to six at 13-7. MSU was forced to call a timeout after the Huskers followed with a 4-0 run. A Mumcular kill, blocks from Kulig and Long and Caroline Formankova and Kulig along with a Nebraska service error helped MSU to a 5-2 run at the end of the set, but Nebraska used a block and kill to end the first, 25-15.Â
MSU opened up a 5-3 lead in the second set with kills from Staniszewska, Long and Mumcular and a pair of Nebraska errors before Nebraska followed with a 5-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. A Nebraska service error, kill from Formankova and Kulig solo block got the Spartans within a point at 9-8 before a Kulig kill got MSU within one again at 10-9. After a Waye kill closed the gap to a point again at 11-10, the Huskers responded with a pair of kills to force an MSU timeout at 13-10. Nebraska extended its lead to 17-11 out of the timeout and forced another MSU timeout after taking its largest lead of the set, eight points, at 20-12. Back-to-back Kulig kills fought off two Nebraska set points before a Husker kill ended the second, 25-15.Â
A Staniszewska kill following a pair of Husker errors helped the Spartans to a 4-2 lead before a block from Kulig and Scheck and Waye kill made it 6-3 in favor of MSU. The Spartans continued to hold the lead until Nebraska scored four straight to take an 11-9 lead and force a Spartan timeout. A Kulig kill helped the Spartans get back within a point at 11-10 after the timeout, but a 4-2 Husker run to follow extended the Nebraska lead back to four. MSU followed with a 5-3 run to get back within two points, using a Husker service error, kills from Staniszewska and Kulig, a block from Formankova and Waye and a Kulig and Formankova block, at 18-16. Nebraska followed with two kills to force an MSU timeout at 20-16. A Mumcular kill out of the timeout got the Spartans within three at 20-17, but the Huskers closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the final frame, 25-18.Â
Up next, MSU returns home to host Purdue on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. inside the Breslin Center.Â
