Luckily for the Spartans, they don’t have time to dwell on their humiliating loss to the Wolverines on Wednesday evening.
The No. 18 MSU volleyball team, which lost in three games to Michigan, has to refocus for a road contest against national perennial powerhouse No. 9 Penn State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in University Park, Pa.
Despite Wednesday’s loss, the Spartans (11-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) still have some momentum coming into this contest against the Nittany Lions (14-1, 4-0).
In what some players have highlighted as their favorite Spartan moment, MSU defeated the then-No. 14 Nittany Lions a day after stunning then-No. 9 Ohio State on a weekend road trip last year.
It’s true that was a year ago, but the Spartans haven’t forgotten the magical moment.
“I wasn’t on the floor last year, I know everyone still remembers,” freshman defensive specialist Marley Bellwood said. “But this is this year and we just have to go out and play our game.
“We need to stop worrying about what every one player on the other team is doing and just play our game. Doing that will hopefully get us a win.”
This season is much different from last. With their 14-1 mark, it’s true the Nittany Lions haven’t played the stiffest competition. Their only loss on the season was at the hands of then-No. 3 Florida in a five-game thriller.
“Certainly they showed they are a good team when they went five games with Florida,” MSU head coach Chuck Erbe said. “And they had a chance to beat Florida with Florida being one of the most athletic teams in the country.”
When they take the court Saturday night, the Spartans will be going up against a vicious Penn State attack. As a team, the Nittany Lions are hitting .338 on the season, led by three players with over 150 kills.
Outside hitter Mishka Levy leads the charge, scoring just over four kills per game.
Outside hitters Syndie Nadeau and Cara Smith come in with 3.50 and 3.14 kills per contest, respectively.
Penn State’s serving also will play a huge factor in the contest. With 2.42 service aces a game and many near ones, they can force a team out of system, something the Spartans know they can’t afford to be lured into doing.
“They’re legitimate,” Erbe said. “They’re a very athletic team and we have to be ready to play.”
