Saturday, September 27
East Lansing, Mich.
8 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Michigan
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell
Volleyball Hosts Michigan for Battle at Breslin Saturday
9/26/2025 2:55:00 PM | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -Â Michigan State volleyball (10-1, 0-1 B1G) returns to the Breslin Center for the first time since August to host Michigan (10-2, 0-1 B1G) on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. for the Battle at Breslin.Â
Saturday's match will air on the Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Audrey Flaugh (analyst) on the call. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app.
MSU opened Big Ten action on Thursday, Sept. 25 with a three-set loss at No. 12 Minnesota, dropping just its first match of the season after opening the 2025 campaign with a perfect 10-0 non-conference record. The Spartans hit .211 for the match and led the Gophers in total kills (45-40) and digs (39-37). Overall in 2025, MSU is hitting .267 as a team and holding its opponents to a .153 clip, the 20th-best opponent hitting percentage in the NCAA.Â
Senior opposite Evie Doezema led MSU in kills at Minnesota with a match-high 13 on a team-high .345 hitting. Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska added 11 kills for her sixth time in MSU's last seven outings with double-digit kills, while freshman outside hitter Bianca Mumcular provided eight and sophomore middle blocker Carmen Waye tallied seven. Junior libero Lia Schneider posted a team-best 12 digs.
For the fifth time this season, redshirt freshman Malayah Long recorded a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs against Minnesota. MSU is currently ranked ninth in the NCAA and second in the conference behind Wisconsin in assists per set with 13.33.
ABOUT THE STATE PRIDE SERIES
Saturday will be the first of two contests in the annual State Pride Series between the Spartans and Wolverines. Beginning in 1990, the two state of Michigan B1G institutions began a "State Pride" season series to celebrate the in-state rivalry. A state of Michigan flag bearing the motto "Tuebor" or "I will defend," serves as a symbol of the volleyball rivalry with the winner of the season's face-to-face matches retaining possession of the flag for a year. In addition to the State flag, each school's winning year is listed on its half of a special Michigan State-Michigan banner.
The school that wins both matches will be declared the "State Pride" winner. If teams split the matches, the school that wins the greatest number of games will be declared the "State Pride" winner. If both teams have won the same number of games, the school with the most total points is the "State Pride" winner.
Michigan leads the series, 19-14-1, and won last year's edition, 4-3 (total sets), after the teams split the series with wins at each home site. MSU won the State Pride Series for the first time since 2015 in 2023 after winning both matches.
This year's State Pride Series will be the 35th overall. A winner will be determined after MSU visits Michigan later this season in Ann Arbor on Nov. 16.
ABOUT MICHIGAN
Michigan is 10-2 this season and 0-1 in the B1G after dropping its conference opener at Nebraska in three sets on Sept. 24. The Wolverines received votes in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll.
Saturday will be the 110th all-time meeting between the two schools. MSU holds a 57-51-1 all-time record in the series, incluidng a 37-17 record at home. The Spartans have won three of the last four contests against the Wolverines, including the last meeting between the two squads in East Lansing Nov. 15, 2024. MSU had lost the last 10 meetings in the series up until Sept. 22, 2023, having last won at home on Oct. 18, 2017.
Head coach Erin Virtue is in her third season with the Wolverines in 2025. Virtue and MSU head coach Kristen Kelsay have a Chicago connection, having both attended St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois.
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Saturday's match will air on the Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Audrey Flaugh (analyst) on the call. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app.
MSU opened Big Ten action on Thursday, Sept. 25 with a three-set loss at No. 12 Minnesota, dropping just its first match of the season after opening the 2025 campaign with a perfect 10-0 non-conference record. The Spartans hit .211 for the match and led the Gophers in total kills (45-40) and digs (39-37). Overall in 2025, MSU is hitting .267 as a team and holding its opponents to a .153 clip, the 20th-best opponent hitting percentage in the NCAA.Â
Senior opposite Evie Doezema led MSU in kills at Minnesota with a match-high 13 on a team-high .345 hitting. Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska added 11 kills for her sixth time in MSU's last seven outings with double-digit kills, while freshman outside hitter Bianca Mumcular provided eight and sophomore middle blocker Carmen Waye tallied seven. Junior libero Lia Schneider posted a team-best 12 digs.
For the fifth time this season, redshirt freshman Malayah Long recorded a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs against Minnesota. MSU is currently ranked ninth in the NCAA and second in the conference behind Wisconsin in assists per set with 13.33.
ABOUT THE STATE PRIDE SERIES
Saturday will be the first of two contests in the annual State Pride Series between the Spartans and Wolverines. Beginning in 1990, the two state of Michigan B1G institutions began a "State Pride" season series to celebrate the in-state rivalry. A state of Michigan flag bearing the motto "Tuebor" or "I will defend," serves as a symbol of the volleyball rivalry with the winner of the season's face-to-face matches retaining possession of the flag for a year. In addition to the State flag, each school's winning year is listed on its half of a special Michigan State-Michigan banner.
The school that wins both matches will be declared the "State Pride" winner. If teams split the matches, the school that wins the greatest number of games will be declared the "State Pride" winner. If both teams have won the same number of games, the school with the most total points is the "State Pride" winner.
Michigan leads the series, 19-14-1, and won last year's edition, 4-3 (total sets), after the teams split the series with wins at each home site. MSU won the State Pride Series for the first time since 2015 in 2023 after winning both matches.
This year's State Pride Series will be the 35th overall. A winner will be determined after MSU visits Michigan later this season in Ann Arbor on Nov. 16.
ABOUT MICHIGAN
Michigan is 10-2 this season and 0-1 in the B1G after dropping its conference opener at Nebraska in three sets on Sept. 24. The Wolverines received votes in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll.
Saturday will be the 110th all-time meeting between the two schools. MSU holds a 57-51-1 all-time record in the series, incluidng a 37-17 record at home. The Spartans have won three of the last four contests against the Wolverines, including the last meeting between the two squads in East Lansing Nov. 15, 2024. MSU had lost the last 10 meetings in the series up until Sept. 22, 2023, having last won at home on Oct. 18, 2017.
Head coach Erin Virtue is in her third season with the Wolverines in 2025. Virtue and MSU head coach Kristen Kelsay have a Chicago connection, having both attended St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois.
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
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