Freshman middle blocker Autumn Christenson, left, and freshman middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer, right, go up for a block during the game against Michigan on Oct. 23, 2013, at Jenison Field House. The Spartans fell to the Wolverines, 3-1. Khoa Nguyen/The State News
—The No. 10 volleyball team (17-4 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) will look to snap a three-match losing streak Saturday when they face Indiana (8-12, 0-9) at Jenison Field House.
After starting conference play 6-0, the Spartans have run into a rough patch in the season. Errors have been a major factor in the losing streak — MSU had 18 service errors alone in the loss to No. 17 Michigan Wednesday night.
Head coach Cathy George said players are over-extending themselves on the court, which had led to sloppy play.
“People are trying to do a little bit too much more than they have to,” George said. “You don’t have to press to get things done. You have to execute to get things done. There has to be patience in your game.”
The balance the team showed before the losing streak has largely disappeared as well. George said the team has been relying too heavily on senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski, who had 62 attempts against Michigan and 70 against Wisconsin on Sunday.
MSU will try to regain that balance against a struggling Indiana team, which is winless in Big Ten play.
“We’ve been good because of our balance,” George said. “We didn’t have that balance (on Wednesday.) So everybody’s gotta be in a part of the offense to feel that they’re ready and they have their cues and their movements. We’ve got to get back to what made us strong in the first place.”
MSU will play the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
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