“I think we all know in our heads what we need to do better,” senior libero Kori Moster said.

Last weekend was the first time MSU lost consecutive non-conference games since 2010 (Sept. 3 vs. Hawaii and Sept. 4 vs. USC).

Moster, a co-captain has been a reliable veteran in a lineup, which mostly features underclassmen. She has played in all 21 sets this season and defensively leads MSU in digs.

Moster ranks seventh in the Big Ten in digs per set (3.86), she currently sits at 14th all-time in the conference.

The Spartans are also using the early portion of the season to build camaraderie with a team which welcomed four freshman in the fall and has to replace four letterwinners.

Senior co-captain Jazmine White said “getting to play together and having a better relationship as a team” have been emphasized this week in practice.

White has 18 kills on the season with a .333 hitting percentage and three digs.

MSU looked like a team out of sync against UNC but showed significant improvement against Duke, the team captain continued to see that progress this week in practice.

“We’re starting to improve everyday,” White said. “We’re excited for good competition.”

The matchup with Oregon will mark the third consecutive game for MSU against a ranked opponent, Oregon State also received four votes for the top 25.

Oregon already has a victory against a Big Ten team on their resume. The Ducks defeated Ohio State in the Oregon Invitational, 3-0. 

The Spartans will look to continue their ascent at 10:30 p.m. against Oregon. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.