When the athletics department scheduled the MSU volleyball team for two games at Breslin Center, it called it an experiment. The experiment was a success as more than 9,000 fans filled the arena for two games against Ohio State and Michigan.
When sophomore outside hitter Jenilee Rathje fell to the ground holding her knee early in the fourth set against Ohio State last Friday, the team was left to scramble for answers.
After being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for three straight weeks, senior running back Javon Ringer wasn’t able to earn a fourth one this week. Ringer racked up 198 yards on 44 carries and recorded a touchdown in the Spartans’ 42-29 victory over Indiana on Saturday, but didn’t do enough to win over Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher.
Drawing more than 9,000 fans at Breslin Center during the weekend, the MSU volleyball team set the school’s single-game attendance record while picking up a pair of 3-1 victories over Ohio State and No. 21 Michigan. Aided by more than 1,500 students, many coming from the Izzone campout at Munn Field, the goal to “Bust Breslin” was achieved when the team drew 5,335 fans to Saturday’s matchup against U-M.
With a record crowd supporting them, the MSU volleyball team upset No. 21 Michigan on Saturday at Breslin Center 3-1.
The MSU volleyball team started off the Big Ten season with a win Friday, beating Ohio State 3-1 at Breslin Center.
The last time the MSU volleyball team played at Breslin Center was Nov. 4, 1995. That was four days before Tom Izzo coached his first game at MSU and the same weekend the MSU football team beat Michigan 28-25 at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans will look to “Bust Breslin” in two games this weekend: Friday against Ohio State and Saturday against No. 21 U-M.
The MSU volleyball team struggled to extend its winning streak Tuesday night with a 3-1 defeat of Oakland. After a slow start, the team dominated the first set, rallying from a 7-7 tie early on to win the set 25-15.
The MSU volleyball team will finish its nonconference schedule this week with matches against Oakland and Central Michigan, the first of which will be played tonight at Jenison Field House.
The MSU volleyball team continued to roll this weekend, winning the MSU Showcase at Jenison Field House for the fifth straight year. The Spartans didn’t drop a set on the weekend, defeating Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Florida A&M and Connecticut to claim the title and stretch their winning streak to six.
After starting the season 0-3, the MSU volleyball team began to work more on teamwork and defense, something head coach Cathy George said helped the team slow down the action on the court. The change worked, as the Spartans moved to 3-3 on the season last weekend, winning the Delaware Invitational.
Last week’s tough tournament hasn’t dimmed the MSU volleyball team’s outlook on the season. The team, which lost to No. 10 Cal Poly and No. 22 Wichita State on way to an 0-3 start, will work on limiting errors if it wants to turn its season around when it travels to the Delaware Invitational this weekend.
The MSU men’s soccer team opened up the regular season this weekend with a win and a loss in the MSU/Radisson Fall Classic at the new DeMartin Soccer Complex.
The resounding theme of the offseason for the MSU volleyball team has been youth. In the offseason, the team brought in the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com, a major collegiate volleyball recruiting site. Every one of those players will have to contribute to a squad with only three upperclassmen.
New players and new rules will dictate the beginning of the season for the MSU volleyball team. The Spartans, who held their annual Green and White game Saturday, only have three upperclassmen on the team this season and have been picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten.
The MSU women’s volleyball team has landed the seventh best recruiting class in the nation for the upcoming season, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
Former MSU volleyball standout Katie Johnson will be putting her last semester on hold to follow her dreams.
The No. 24 MSU volleyball team is looking to make its trip to Wisconsin a long weekend.
What a difference a year makes. The conference records are identical at 10-10 and the overall records are very similar from this season to last.
The MSU volleyball team will head to Dayton, Ohio to face Kentucky in round one of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.