Even after a somewhat disappointing 1-2 record at the U.S. Bank/Arby's Classic, the No. 15 Spartans learned if they calm down, they step up.
MSU head coach Chuck Erbe knew the weekend would be the most difficult one of the season. But he also knew that if his team was relaxed, they would be able to compete with top-level teams, such as No. 5 Georgia Tech, No. 8 Nebraska and No. 17 Santa Clara.
"We were anxious and nervous going into the match with Georgia Tech," Erbe said. "We had a little bit more of it than I anticipated for that match. Nebraska, I knew we would be anxious. I knew there would be a lot of tight-lipped players on the floor."
Although Erbe contributes MSU's two losses to nervousness and anxiety, those feelings are supposed to be there for players, especially in the first big matches of the season.
Erbe took a realistic approach to the tournament, knowing if MSU (6-2) could play well and come away with one win, the weekend could be dubbed a success. MSU couldn't get a handle on things until the third game in its match against Nebraska.
"When we did calm down, we were competitive with them," Erbe said. "We were able to execute our system, we played defense and we rallied with them."
MSU clearly got better as the match went along, something the coaching staff and players felt was a positive.
The effort in game three against Nebraska came up short, but they carried over the play into their match with Santa Clara, a battle of survival between the two teams who had lost their previous two matches.
The Spartans pulled out the match after trailing two games to one. They dominated game four and then held off Santa Clara in game five.
"Our kids took the attitude that they were going to win the match, no matter if it took three, four or five games," Erbe said.
The polls
Despite dropping two of three games over the weekend, MSU moved up to No. 15 in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches' Poll.
Before the rankings were released, Erbe felt that although his Spartans lost twice, they lost to superior teams.
The No. 15 ranking is MSU's highest since the first week of September last season.
Five in a row
MSU plays No. 21 San Diego Saturday, and that match will be the fifth straight against a ranked opponent for the Spartans. MSU played then-No. 17 North Carolina two weeks ago and then-No. 13 Santa Clara, then-No. 10 Georgia Tech and then-No. 5 Nebraska this weekend.
Around the Big Ten
Minnesota (3-5), the Big Ten preseason favorite, is the only team in the conference with a losing record. Penn State (8-1) has the best overall record despite being upset by unranked Brigham Young.
