The MSU volleyball team is traveling to the Carolina Classic in Columbia, S.C., this weekend with one goal in mind - move up in the rankings.
After a 3-0 start to the season, MSU had failed to move up in the rankings, holding steady at No. 25. Head coach Chuck Erbe gets the feeling that people look at MSU as a top 25 program - nothing more.
"I kind of get the feeling that Michigan State is the mystery team," Erbe said. "We've got good athletes, we lost some people and we're expected to be good but not top-notch."
The team also feels the frustrations that Erbe expresses but knows that all it can do is continue to play with consistency, not worry about what the voters think.
"As long as we prepare well and come out with a lot of fire this weekend, we'll have similar results as we did last weekend," junior outside hitter Kim Schram said.
Host South Carolina (1-2) and No. 17 North Carolina (3-0) will provide a greater challenge to Erbe's team than last week's threesome of Villanova, Tennessee and Maryland.
Not only will MSU face its first ranked opponent of the season, but it will also play a familiar foe in South Carolina. Last year, the Spartans and Gamecocks played in an instant classic. The dual lasted four games, and despite dropping the first game 20-30, the Spartans rallied, winning each of the last three games using extra points, 31-29, 33-31 and 34-32.
"The South Carolina match last season really sprung us into the season," senior setter Nikki Colson said.
South Carolina is an extremely young team that boasts only one senior: Outside hitter Mariana Branquinho. They are one of the younger squads in the nation, with six freshmen and four sophomores on the 12-person roster.
The player to watch is sophomore Nicole Miller, who had 31 kills, 28 digs, six blocks and a .271 hitting percentage last weekend in the Holiday Inns of Greater Los Angeles tournament. The numbers helped place her on the all-tournament team.
Although young, the Gamecocks will be playing at home and Erbe knows the match will be tough.
"Our match with South Carolina is going to be in a hostile environment," Erbe said. "The crowd is going to heckle us and say things to the players, but we have to have an attitude that we're not going to pay attention to those things."
Last week, South Carolina lost to No. 1 Southern California and No. 6 Northern Iowa but beat Ball State.
North Carolina moved up three spots in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll after sweeping Oregon, James Madison and Temple at its own Glaxo/Smith/Kline UNC Volleyball Classic. One of the Tar Heels' best players is junior outside hitter Molly Pyles, who won MVP at the UNC Volleyball Classic while collecting 38 kills. North Carolina is the supposed favorite at this weekend's tournament, but the Spartans didn't receive that memo.
"I didn't even know they were ranked," Colson said.
The Spartans will get a chance to find out how good North Carolina is, but their main concern is finding just how good they are.
"To come out of this weekend with wins over South Carolina and North Carolina would be a feather in our cap," Erbe said. "It would get people's attention, that maybe this Michigan State team is a little better than we gave them credit for being."
