“A game of inches.” It’s popular sports cliché, and for good reason — MSU head coach Mark Dantonio is never shy to break out the ruler when determining the margin in a close victory or a narrow defeat. And when it comes to playing Iowa, the margins for Dantonio are about as close as they come.
Warrior. Enforcer. Competitor. Those are words that can be used to describe sophomore defender Mary Kathryn Fiebernitz. In only her second year of game action after redshirting her freshman year, Fiebernitz is bringing her competitive nature to the MSU women’s soccer team.
There’s a story of two different Branden Dawsons. One is of a high-flying acrobat with the body of a running back, able to make plays near the basket reminiscent of NBA Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson. The other is of a timid guard/forward rising to the basket for a dunk, but instead settling for a soft layup in hopes his legs won’t collapse beneath his natural force on the dismount.
Following a successful weekend that saw upset wins over No. 1 Penn State and No. 13 Ohio State, the volleyball team has moved up six spots in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and now are ranked No. 9.
She grew up a Spartan, and now is the starting midfielder for the MSU women’s soccer team. Sophomore midfielder Sarah Kovan spent her childhood around MSU athletics. Her father, Jeff Kovan, has been a part of the sports medicine program since 1995, and has been mainly working with men’s basketball since 1996, along with other sports.
September 27, 2011 is a date junior Kyle Rutz will never forget.
A couple months from now, last weekend might be considered the moment when the MSU volleyball team proved themselves a national powerhouse. Prior to Friday, their 11-1 preseason record wasn’t good enough to top a historically competitive Big Ten.
Ryan Keener is a warrior. Three jerseys and three stitches later, the junior defender led the MSU men’s soccer team (5-1-1 overall) to a 2-0 win against Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium.
The MSU’s men’s basketball team is expected to be among the nation’s best teams for the 2013-14 season, but head coach Tom Izzo wants to keep expectations in perspective. The Spartans are opening up a new campaign and are anticipated to be among the top five teams in the country. They are even being touted as the No. 1 team in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Preseason Top 25, ahead of Kentucky, Louisville, Duke and Arizona, respectively.
The MSU women’s soccer team couldn’t pick up the weekend sweep as the Spartans lost to No. 18 Wisconsin, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans (7-2-2 overall, 1-2-0 Big Ten) won their first Big Ten game in nearly a year Friday against Minnesota, 3-0, but head coach Tom Saxton said tired legs hit the young squad Sunday against the Badgers (7-1-2, 2-0-1).
The MSU field hockey team stated earlier in the week that they wanted to put their preseason record behind them as they enter Big Ten play. Thanks to the continued strong play of junior forward Allie Ahern, the Spartans were able to do so Saturday.
MSU basketball is back. With it comes high expectations, a beloved coach and the return of one of the best student sections in college basketball. It all got kick started Friday night with the annual Izzone Campout.
It’s been nearly a year, but the MSU women’s soccer team was able to finally pick up a Big Ten win.
They attacked, and they conquered. The MSU volleyball team (12-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten), showed their resiliency in a thrilling five-game upset (25-23, 26-24, 19-25, 19-25, 15-9) over No.
During MSU’s bye week, quarterbacks coach Brad Salem told his players to focus on improving one aspect of their game following the loss to Notre Dame. Sophomore quarterback Connor Cook chose two: footwork and accuracy.
With the overall strong preseason performance of the Big Ten conference, it’s been questioned just how good the No. 15 Spartans (11-1 overall) actually are. A clearer picture will come to focus this weekend as the Spartans travel to take on No. 1 Penn State Friday and No. 13 Ohio State Sunday.
For a team to be elite, every player needs to be as great as the one in front of them. For the last three games, junior midfielder Fatai Alashe moved into the spot senior defender Kevin Cope left because of an injury.
This will be a crucial weekend for the women’s soccer team as they prepare to face Big Ten opponents Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Spartans (6-1-1 overall, 0-1-0 Big Ten) dropped their first match of the season last week against Nebraska, 1-0. With only one game last weekend, MSU got a couple of extra days to rebound and freshen up for this weekend’s slate.
The Spartans have their next young point guard. Making his announcement Thursday morning at Christian Sunrise Academy in Wichita, Kan., 2014 recruit LouRawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr. said he will be attending MSU next fall.
Tom Anastos is a man who likes experience, and fortunately for him, this year’s MSU hockey team is gaining in that area. “This year, for the most part, we have guys that know what the expectations are,” Anastos said. “We have guys that have college experience now, where last year we didn’t have that.”