Freshman outside hitter Chloe Reinig bumps the ball during the Green and White match, Aug. 24, 2013, at Jenison Field House. White team won the scrimmage 2-1. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
With national championship runner-up Oregon coming to town, the MSU volleyball team will be in for a challenging matchup Friday.
The No. 20 Spartans (3-1 overall) will face No. 12 Oregon and Oregon St. in a Pac-12/Big Ten showdown Friday and Saturday. Oregon and Oregon St. also will face MSU’s in-state rival Michigan this weekend.
After playing their first four games at home, East Lansing will be the first road stop for Oregon before heading to Ann Arbor on Saturday.
It remains to be seen which line-up head coach Cathy George will use this weekend, as George expressed concern over her rotation after injuries forced lineup changes last weekend during the Hokie Invitational at Virginia Tech.
“(We’re) not sure what the status of the weekend is with those injuries, but we will persevere and do whatever we need to do, so it is what it is,” George said Tuesday at a press conference. “I know that the experience that we had this weekend will serve us well as the season goes on.”
The team lost junior outside hitter Taylor Galloway to injury vs. Pacific last Saturday. Freshman middle blocker Autumn Christenson filled in out-of-position and performed admirably, and can potentially continue to play at that spot this weekend.
Freshman middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer and junior defensive specialist Ryian Hubbard also played key minutes last weekend, and might be in position this weekend to do the same.
Fresh off a 30-5 season that ended in a national championship appearance, Oregon (3-1 overall) is led by senior setter Lauren Plum, who George praised as one of the top setters and leaders in the country.
The first-team All-American and Pac-12 Setter of the Year was the national leader in assists last year (13.37 per set) and helped Oregon achieve the highest kills per set mark in the country.
The Spartans will face Oregon rival Oregon State on Saturday.
Oregon State (4-0) struggled last season, winning just four of 20 conference games. However, the team is off to its best start since 2008 and will certainly look to keep the momentum going against MSU.
“Oregon State is huge,” George said. “They have the size and they got off to a good start this preseason, and are very talented.”
Friday is MSUFCU night, and members who show their MSUFCU card at the gate can receive two free tickets. On Saturday, fans who show their South Florida football game ticket also will receive free admission.
MSU will play Oregon at 7 p.m. Friday and Oregon State at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jenison Field House.
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