After their first weekend of Big Ten play, which included battles against No. 6 Minnesota and a feisty, unranked Iowa squad, the MSU women’s volleyball team has another weekend of stiff competition.
The No. 22 Spartans (9-3 Big Ten, 1-1 overall) are at Jenison Field House, but their competition consists of No. 16 Ohio State (6-5, 0-2) and Indiana (11-3, 1-1), a surprise team receiving votes in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll.
“The Big Ten doesn’t get any easier,” MSU head coach Chuck Erbe said. “But we are at home and we always seem to play better at home.”
The numbers agree with Erbe this season as MSU is 4-0 at Jenison Field House.
However, playing at home doesn’t eliminate the fact both matchups will be challenges. Add to that, the MSU-Ohio State matchup will be broadcast by Fox Sports Chicago, and MSU has more pressure.
The Buckeyes were picked to finish first in the conference and have three members on the 2001 All-Big Ten Team. Led by Stacey Gordon, Ohio State will bring a potent offensive attack into East Lansing.
Gordon has 244 kills on the year, a blistering 5.95 per game, which puts her fourth in the nation. Teammates Suzie Stiling and Katie Virtue also were picked on the preseason All-Big Ten squad.
The Buckeyes are coming off two heartbreaking losses this past weekend. Ohio State went into Bloomington, Ind., on Sept. 25, and lost in four games to the surprising Hoosiers. The Buckeyes then had to suck up the fact they lost to the Hoosiers, who were picked to finish ninth in the preseason conference poll, and head to Happy Valley to take on perennial power Penn State.
The Buckeyes had the undefeated Nittany Lions down 2-0, but couldn’t hold the lead. Ohio State lost the final three games en route to their 0-2 conference start.
Indiana is coming into Jenison Field House with a different attitude. Although they didn’t defeat the Nittany Lions, they did knock off Ohio State.
“Indiana is 11-3 and off to their best start in their volleyball history,” Erbe said. “That is going to be another tough matchup. I expect a challenge.”
Indiana brings a quartet of hitters to the floor. Christina Archibald leads the way with 250 kills, a solid 4.72 per game, while Melissa Brewer isn’t far behind with 189 kills. Archibald and Brewer played the biggest roles in the Hoosiers’ upset over Ohio State, as they had 21 and 24 kills, respectively.
But MSU has history on its side. The Spartans won both meetings last year by scores of 3-1. MSU has won the last seven matches against Indiana, but what’s even more staggering is that the Spartans have won 16 of the last 17.
Just a win against Indiana might not be enough to boost MSU up in the coaches poll. MSU knows they’ll need two victories to move up in the poll for the first time in five weeks.
To do so, however, the team knows they need to focus and play solid volleyball on their side of the court.
“We can’t look past either one of them,” junior setter Nikki Colson said. “We have to take one game at a time and we definitely can’t look past Indiana because of their confidence right now. They’re on a roll.”
