“I am incredibly proud of what this year’s team accomplished under such challenging circumstances. While we could have participated in postseason play, after talking with our senior student-athletes (and our entire team), it truly is in our student-athletes’ best interest right now to rest, recover and then we can begin to prepare for the future as the spring unfolds,” Merchant said in a press release.

MSU finishes the season ranked ninth in the conference, led by sophomore guards, Aerial Powers and Tori Jankoska, the top two scorers from a group of eight healthy Spartans.  

Powers ended the regular season second in the conference in both scoring with 21.9 points per game and rebounding with 12.1 rebounds per game. She also was named to the first-team All-Big Ten by the media and coaches. 

Jankoska was named to the second team, while senior Becca Mills earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree for MSU. 

A 16-15 overall record this year is the worst finish by Merchant in her eight years since coming over to East Lansing from Eastern Michigan. This will also be the first time in which the Spartans will not compete in any postseason tournament in Merchant's tenure. 

Two wins over opponents ranked in the top 25 highlight the 2014-15 season, as well as finishing with a winning record (10-6) at home in the Breslin Center and a 7-11 record in conference play. 

MSU will say goodbye to six graduating seniors, including Mills, Anna Morrissey, Madison Williams and Kelsey Kuipers, the former volleyball player who joined the roster midway into the season.