Waye Posts Double-Double, Spartans Take Down Golden Grizzlies in Four Sets

Tuesday, September 15

East Lansing, Mich.

6 PM

Michigan State University

9-0,0-0Big Ten

Oakland

4-6,0-0Horizon

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Oakland	16	26	16	21	1
Michigan St.	25	24	25	25	3

Photo by: Ynhi Le

Waye Posts Double-Double, Spartans Take Down Golden Grizzlies in Four Sets

9/15/2026 9:41:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score MSU 3, Oakland 1

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball took down Oakland in a four-set battle (25-16, 24-26, 25-16, 25-21) Tuesday evening inside the Breslin Center.

MSU moves to 9-0 (0-0 B1G) with the win, while the Golden Grizzlies drop to 4-6 (0-0 Horizon). The Spartans are 9-0 to start the season in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1975-76.

The Spartans hit .247 for the match and held Oakland to .082 hitting while leading in kills (57-42), service aces (8-4) and total blocks (16-3). The Golden Grizzlies held a 67-59 advantage in digs. MSU's 16 blocks were a season high.

Junior middle blocker Carmen Waye had a standout performance Tuesday night, recording her first-career double-double with team and career-highs in kills (16 on .552 hitting) and total blocks (10). She just missed a triple-double with a career-high seven digs. Waye's 10 blocks were the most by an MSU player in a match since Zuzanna Kulig (12) against Illinois during the 2024 season.

Sophomore outside hitter Bianca Mumcular posted a season-high 12 kills and added six digs, while senior outside hitter Karolina Stansizewska put up nine kills and 12 digs and senior middle blocker Zora Hardison had nine kills and six total blocks. Junior opposite Hayley Ogden recorded eight kills and five total blocks.

Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long led MSU in assists with 46 and was one of five Spartans to record at least one service ace. Staniszewska, redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Vellucci and senior libero Lia Schneider each posted a team-high two service aces, while Schneider also recorded a team and season-high 17 digs.

The Golden Grizzlies called a timeout after MSU used a 3-0 run with kills from Hardison and Ogden and a Hardison solo block to take a 10-4 lead in the first set. Oakland put down a kill out of the timeout to cut the advantage to five before a 5-1 MSU run highlighted by a Hardison and Long block and Staniszewska service ace took the teams to the media timeout at a 15-6 MSU lead. Oakland then fired off a 5-1 run out of the timeout to force an MSU timeout at 16-11. Back-to-back Mumcular kills out of the timeout brought the MSU advantage back to seven at 18-11 before a Hardison kill and Ogden service ace forced a second Oakland timeout at 22-14. Hardison put down her fourth kill of the set to get the Spartans to set point an a Waye kill ended the set, 25-16.

MSU was forced into an early timeout after Oakland jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the second set. Oakland extended its lead to six with back-to-back points out of the timeout before a 3-1 MSU run with kills from Waye and Mumcular and an Oakland attack error cut the deficit to four at 11-7. The Golden Grizzlies responded again with two-straight points, but kills from Ogden and Waye and a Long service ace helped MSU cut the deficit to three. The Golden Grizzlies followed with back-to-back kills to take a 15-10 lead at the media timeout. MSU called another timeout after back-to-back errors gave the Golden Grizzlies a 19-14 lead. A successful MSU challenge on an Oakland block touch and back-to-back Ogden and Waye kills helped the Spartans to a 3-0 run to force an Oakland timeout at a 22-19 Golden Grizzlies lead before an Ogden kill and blocks from Waye and Ogden and Mumcular and Ogden tied the set at 22-22. MSU stopped Oakland's set point at 24-23 with a block from Waye and Ogden, but two-straight Oakland kills helped the Golden Grizzlies take the set in extras, 26-24.

After a back-and-forth start to the third set, MSU began to pull away with a 3-1 run with a dump from Long and block from Waye and Mumcular to take a three-point, 12-9 lead. A pair of MSU errors cut the lead to one at 12-11 before three-straight MSU kills gave the Spartans a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. The Spartans extended their lead to six with an Ogden kill and block from Staniszewska and Hardison to force an Oakland timeout at 19-13. MSU used a block from Mumcular and Hardison, two Schneider service aces and Oakland attack error to reach set point at 24-15 and ended the set with a Mumcular kill to take a 2-1 lead, 25-16.

Oakland used a four-point swing to force an MSU timeout at a 10-7 Golden Grizzly lead in the fourth set. The Spartans followed with a 6-1 run with two Staniszewska kills, a pair of aces from Staniszewska and Vellucci and Oakland attack error to take a one-point lead at 13-12. Oakland stormed back to take a one-point lead at the media timeout at 15-14 after back-to-back points, but a 3-1 run out of the timeout from the Spartans with a Waye solo block, Hardison and Ogden block and Oakland error helped the Spartans to a 17-16 lead. The Golden Grizzlies responded with a 4-2 run to take a 20-19 lead and force an MSU timeout. MSU tied the set at 20-20 and again at 21-21 before an attack error from the Golden Grizzlies gave the Spartans a 22-21 lead. A Mumcular kill and second Oakland attack error pushed the MSU lead to 24-21 to get to match point before Waye's 16th kill ended the set and match, 25-21.

Up next, MSU begins action in the Kathy DeBoer Invitational presented by Auto-Owners Insurance with a 6 p.m. match against Drake on Friday, Sept. 18 inside the Breslin Center. The match will stream on B1G+.