Volleyball Hosts Miami, LIU to Open 2026 Season

Friday, August 28

East Lansing, Mich.

6 PM

Michigan State University

Miami

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Photo by: Ynhi Le

8/26/2026 5:24:00 PM | Volleyball

Michigan State Notes Watch - Miami (B1G+)Live Stats - Miami Listen - Miami Watch - LIU (B1G+)Live Stats - LIU Listen - LIU

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball welcomes a pair of 2025 NCAA Tournament teams, Miami (Aug. 28, 6 p.m.) and LIU (Aug. 29, 3 p.m.), to the Breslin Center this weekend to kick off the 2026 season.

Both matches will stream on B1G+ with a free stream of Friday's match available via the Big Ten Network YouTube channel as part of BTN's B1G+ Free Friday. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app for both matches.

PROMOTIONS
Friday, Aug. 28 vs. Miami
Welcome Back Spartans: Join Michigan State volleyball back at the Breslin Center as we kick off the 2026 Season! Michigan State students, be sure to check into the student rewards app for DOUBLE POINTS!
Go Green, Wear Green: Fans are encouraged to wear green to the match.
MSUFCU Night
Saturday, Aug. 29 vs. LIU
Hometown Heroes, Presented by Rocket: Join us at the Breslin Center as we celebrate the heroes of our community. Veterans or active military, retired and current law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, and 911 dispatchers can claim complimentary admission by claiming tickets by using VetTix and 1stTix.

FIRST SERVE
The Spartans return 10 letterwinners and seven players who started at least 10 matches from last season's squad that recorded an 18-12 record, the most wins in a season since 2017. MSU also posted its best team hitting efficiency (.222), kills per set (12.83), assists per set (11.99) and service aces per set (1.71) since 2017 in 2025.

Head coach Kristen Kelsay enters her second season with the Spartans in 2026 after posting the best start by a first-year head coach in MSU volleyball history last season, leading MSU to a perfect 10-0 non-conference record. Individually, then-junior Karolina Staniszewska was named Second Team All-Big Ten and was an American Volleyball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-Region selection, while setter Malayah Long was twice named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

MSU welcomes six newcomers to its 2026 roster - three transfers (Hayley Ogden, Jr, MB/OPP / CSUN; Alanna Bankston, Sr., OH / Louisville; Zora Hardison, Sr., MB / Rutgers) and three freshmen (Madi Andrews, OH / Happy Valley, Ore.; Colbie McKenna, OH / York, Pa.; Alana Whitfield, DS/L / Bloomington, Ill.).

The Spartans return their top two scorers in Staniszewska (405 points, 3.62 points/set) and sophomore pin Bianca Mumcular (297 points, 3.09 points/set) as well as their leaders in assists (Malayah Long, 983 assists, 8.7 assists/set), digs (Lia Schneider, 343, 3.04 digs/set) and service aces (Long, 31). The Spartans lose just one starter, Evie Doezema, to graduation.

The Spartans received votes in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll released on Aug. 10. This is the first time MSU has received votes in the AVCA Poll since the 2018, which was also the last time the Spartans were ranked inside the top 25.

ABOUT MIAMI
Miami posted a 27-6 (16-4 ACC) record in 2025 and earned its fifth-straight bid to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Tulsa in the first round before falling to Kansas in the round of 32 as a No. 5 seed. Redshirt junior setter Ariana Rodgriguez was named First Team All-ACC and AVCA South Region last season and earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition from the AVCA.

The Hurricanes were picked to finish seventh in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll and received votes alongside the Spartans in the AVCA Preseason Poll.

Friday's meeting between the Spartans and Hurricanes will be the third all-time meeting and first since 2006. MSU is 2-0 against Miami, last defeating the Hurricanes in a sweep in East Lansing on Sept. 2, 2006. MSU also won the first meeting between the two schools on Sept. 17, 2005 in Coral Gables, 3-1.

Head coach Keno Gandara is in his 13th season leading Miami.

ABOUT LIU
LIU finished the 2025 season with a 20-9 overall record and near-perfect 15-1 mark in Northeast Conference action. The Sharks captured the NEC regular-season title and won the NEC Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in the first round to Nebraska.

The Sharks return four all-conference selections from 2025 - senior outside hitter Sara van Gisteren, senior middle blocker Yasmeen Muhammad, junior libero Miabella Musignac and junior outside hitter Bella Correia. Musignac was the 2025 NEC Defensive Player of the Year.

LIU leads the all-time series, 1-0, winning in five sets (then as LIU-Brooklyn) on Sept. 19, 2014 in East Lansing in the only meeting between the two teams.

The Sharks are led by second-year head coach Tony Trifonov.

UP NEXT
MSU heads to Ann Arbor for a pair of neutral-matches as part of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week. MSU will take on LSU on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 4:30 p.m. on BTN and play South Carolina on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 4 p.m. Both matches will take place inside Michigan's Crisler Center.