Slowly, the No. 23 Spartans have been trying to figure out what has gone wrong this season.
They started out the season as the 15th-ranked volleyball team in the nation and were ranked as high as 12th. But since their highest ranking, the Spartans have fallen short nearly every week.
The MSU volleyball team (11-5 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) has been battling injuries, but still doesn’t feel a .500 mark in the conference is acceptable.
To make matter worse the Spartans are heading into a tough road trip with games against No. 18 Wisconsin (12-5, 3-3) and Northwestern (11-7, 4-2). MSU was swept at the hands of Michigan on Oct. 9, and then-No. 9 Penn State last Saturday.
“In the Big Ten, you can never look back, you always have to look forward,” junior setter Nikki Colson said. “You have to learn from your mistakes.
“I think after the Penn State loss, mentally and emotionally, we really had to give ourselves a gut check.”
MSU went on with its normal practice routine this week, but threw some changes into the mix. With the struggling offense, MSU head coach Chuck Erbe said he’s trying to find a group that will not only provide a more potent offensive attack, but also will generate some wins.
Junior middle Jenny Rood will be moving to one of the left outside hitter positions. This will leave a hole in the middle, one that will be filled by either redshirt freshman Brooke Langston or redshirt freshman Megan Wallin. The choice will be a game-time decision.
“It’s just like a fresh start, and I feel like we’re not completely lost,” senior outside hitter Kyla Smith said. “We’ve had a couple setbacks, but it’s just a matter of rebuilding our confidence.”
The rebuilding process will have to start Friday night against Wisconsin. Even though the Badgers have lost most of their offensive weapons from last year’s team, which finished 19-1 in conference play, they still are putting up stellar numbers.
The Badgers rank first in the Big Ten with 17.43 kills per game and have a .294 kill percentage. Wisconsin boasts outside hitter Erin Byrd who is fifth in the Big Ten with 4.11 kills per game and the nation’s third best setter, Morgan Shields (13.7 assists per game).
And recent history hasn’t been on MSU’s side. The Spartans have dropped the last five meetings to the Badgers, including last year’s second-round NCAA Tournament matchup.
To make matters worse, MSU hasn’t won at Wisconsin since 1996, and have only won two times in Madison since the teams’ first meeting in 1975.
“Wisconsin is a well-known powerhouse,” junior defensive specialist Emmy Miller said. “They’ve been on top of the nation for a couple of years now, and we know that’s going to be a tough matchup.”
Added senior outside hitter Kyla Smith: “Having never won at Wisconsin, I just want to go in there and take them down on their own court.”
Northwestern provides an interesting matchup for the Spartans. Aside from the loss against the Wildcats last year - a 3-0 sweep in Evanston, Ill. - MSU hasn’t lost a match against Northwestern since 1994.
“We need to be at the top of our game and step up the challenge this weekend,” Miller said. “To regain our confidence and get back on track, we need to get a win out of this weekend, if not two.”
