Michigan State University
16-6,6-6Big Ten
Rutgers
11-13,2-10Big Ten
Volleyball Sweeps Rutgers
11/1/2025 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball got back into the win column with a sweep over Rutgers (25-21, 25-18, 25-22) Saturday night inside the Breslin Center.Â
MSU improves to 16-6 overall with the win and 6-6 in the B1G, while Rutgers falls to 11-13 and 2-10.Â
The Spartans hit .354 for the match, their second-best single-match hitting clip this season, and led the Scarlet Knights in kills (45-to-40), digs (37-34), service aces (7-4) and total blocks (9-7).Â
Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska led MSU in kills with 13, her 13th match of the season posting double-digit kills, and hit .391 for the match while adding six digs. Freshman outside hitter Bianca Mumcular added 11 kills on .409 hitting, while senior opposite Evie Doezema hit .300 and added eight kills. Junior middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig posted a team-leading four total blocks and Doezema and sophomore middle blocker Carmen Waye each recorded three.Â
Junior libero Lia Schneider posted a team-high eight digs. Setters Cam Berger and Malayah Long each provided 18 assists with MSU running a 6-2 system for the second-straight match. Long and Berger also each added a team-leading two service aces apiece, while Schneider, Kulig and junior defensive specialist Zuzanna Kulig each totaled one.Â
Rutgers scored four-straight points to take a 10-5 lead early in the first set before MSU used a solo block from Kulig and block from Kulig and Doezema to cut the deficit to three at 10-7. A pair of Staniszewska kills, Kulig service ace and Doezema kill then helped the Spartans to a 4-1 run to get within a point at 12-11 before the Scarlet Knights followed with a 3-1 run to take a three-point lead at 15-12 at the media timeout. Mumcular added a kill out of the timeout and Rutgers responded with a kill of its own before the Spartans fired off four-straight points with a Long service ace, Danyle Courtley kill and back-to-back Doezema kills to take a 17-16 lead and force a Rutgers timeout. A second ace from Long out of the timeout followed by a Scarlet Knight error then gave the Spartans a three-point lead at 19-16. Rutgers used a 4-1 run to get within a point at 21-20, but MSU closed the set on a 4-1 run of its own, ended by a block from Courtley and Waye, to take the first, 25-21.Â
Carmen and Dani with the block to end the first! pic.twitter.com/A8DdYIB0WO
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 1, 2025
MSU used kills from Waye and Mumcular to take a 7-4 lead early in the second set and extended its lead to four at 9-5 with a Mumcular kill and Schneider service ace. Rutgers responded with a 3-1 run to cut the MSU lead to a pair at 10-8, but MSU followed with kills from Kulig, Waye and Staniszewska and a block from Staniszewska and Kulig to take a five-point lead at 14-9. MSU forced a Rutgers timeout at 19-15 after back-to-back kills from Mumcular and Courtley and put down back-to-back Staniszewska kills to get to set point at 24-18 before a Clayton service ace ended the second set, 25-18.Â
An ace for Ky to take set two! pic.twitter.com/TcdPRX6MRr
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 2, 2025
The Scarlet Knights got out to a six-point lead in the first set to force an MSU timeout at 11-5. A Doezema kill and three-straight Rutgers errors helped MSU to a 4-0 run to get within two at 11-9. After a Rutgers kill to extend the Scarlet Knight lead back to three, the Spartans used kills from Staniszewska, Berger and Doezema, a Berger service ace and a Rutgers attack error to take a one-point lead at 14-13. Rutgers responded with a kill to tie the set back up at 14-14 before MSU used two Mumcular kills, a Mia Hood and Mumcular block and Taylah Holdem kill to take an 18-14 lead and force a Rutgers timeout. A Rutgers attack error then gave MSU a 19-15 lead, but Rutgers followed with a 5-1 run to get within a point at 20-19. Back-to-back Waye kills and a block from Waye and Doezema helped the Spartans respond to take back a 23-19 lead before Doezema's eighth kill of the night got MSU to match point. Rutgers fought off MSU's first match point with a kill but followed with a service error, giving MSU the final set, 25-22.Â
DENIED 🙅‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/74hp5xpvDe
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 2, 2025
Up next, MSU travels to Seattle to take on Washington on Friday, Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. ET on B1G+.Â
