Just two weeks into their respective seasons, the MSU volleyball and field hockey teams have collected a combined nine wins and each are off to strong starts in their young seasons.
The No. 18 volleyball team followed an MSU Showcase title from last weekend with a 3-0 showing at the Cleveland State Invitational, where they defeated Syracuse as well as host Cleveland State twice.
The No. 8 field hockey team scored five goals in each of its games this weekend, hammering No. 14 American 5-1, and defeating host Ohio 5-2.
Karaba leads sweep
The volleyball team began a monthlong stretch of games away from home this weekend and got off on the right foot after a 3-2 win against Syracuse and 3-1 and 3-0 wins against Cleveland State.
Head coach Cathy George said her team started slowly Friday after making the trek down to Cleveland but responded well and is in good shape through the six games it has played so far.
Junior Allyson Karaba was named the tournament MVP after posting 57 digs during the weekend. Senior Vanessa King and junior Megan Schatzle also received all-tournament honors.
After beginning the past two seasons 0-3, Karaba said she’s glad to be off to a 6-0 start.
“Since my freshman year, we’ve started off 0-3 through the first tournament,” Karaba said. “I’ve had a lot of experience with that, but this is nice.”
George said Karaba played well late in games when her team needed it and has been putting in a lot of effort.
“Allyson really studied the game this weekend and took it to heart,” George said.
Rijpma rips American
Senior Floor Rijpma showed why she’s considered one of the top field hockey players in the Big Ten by posting a hat trick in MSU’s 5-1 victory against American on Saturday.
She added a goal and an assist in Sunday’s game against Ohio and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts.
The Spartans already have gotten a hat trick this season from freshman Manouk Vernij, who notched one last weekend in a win over Delaware.
“It’s a nice thing that players are stepping up when we need them,” head coach Rolf Van De Kerkhof said. “It’s good to be able to rely on different players.”
The Spartans now are 3-1 and already have tangled with two ranked opponents. The schedule doesn’t get much easier from here, however, as the Spartans are set to face No. 16 Old Dominion and No. 3 Syracuse next weekend.
MSU has completed two weekends of action but still has to wait to play its first home game until Sept. 25 versus Northwestern.
“We can see the MSU home turf on the horizon,” Van
De Kerkhof said. “So far the season has been very good for us.”
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