With a third-consecutive loss, head coach Cathy George said it’s time for the volleyball team to get back to basics — and back to work. “People are trying to do a little bit too much more than they have to,” George said. “You don’t have to press to get things done. You have to execute to get things done. There has to be patience in your game.”
After nearly a decade at MSU, Cathy George is in special territory. By building the MSU volleyball program into a serious Big Ten contender and starting the season off with the best record of any Spartan team since 1996, the volleyball head coach has the opportunity to place the program among the national elite – a path not unlike the one taken years ago by men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo.
For the No. 10 MSU volleyball team, the memory of falling to Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament last year hasn’t faded. The Wolverines ended an MSU season that had been marked by success: defeating three top-10 teams, finishing No. 16 in the AVCA coaches poll, knocking off defending national champion UCLA in the tournament, and winning 25 matches — the program’s highest win total since 1996. Senior setter Kristen Kelsay said the feeling of defeat has been burning for the team since the Sweet Sixteen loss.
Head coach Cathy George is dangerously close to having the program where she wants it to be. With a hot start that included wins over reigning national runner-up Oregon and perennial powerhouse Penn State, the volleyball team has been nothing short of stellar this fall. Here is what the team has accomplished on the hardwood:
One of the season’s most defining characteristics has been the mental toughness the volleyball team displayed in several hard-fought matches. So fittingly, it was mental mistakes that cost the team its previous two Big Ten games.
The volleyball team dropped its first Big Ten game Thursday night against Minnesota. Now they face something they have yet to see on their schedule — a two day break in-between games.
After a thrilling 14-4 comeback in the first set, it seemed as though the Spartans were on their way to another Big Ten victory. Perhaps the improbable first set comeback drained them. Or maybe it was simply an off-night.
The No. 5 MSU volleyball team will resume its Big Ten season tonight, taking on No. 10 Minnesota (16-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) on the road. The match will be televised on ESPN2 live at 8 p.m.
From the word “go,” it was immediately apparent why No. 7 Michigan State and No. 9 Nebraska were the last undefeated teams remaining in Big Ten play.
With pink accompanying the usual green and white uniforms, MSU topped Iowa for their fourteenth straight win. During “Dig Pink Night,” a game dedicated to breast cancer awareness, the No. 7 Spartans (16-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) remained undefeated in Big Ten play as they beat Iowa (9-8, 0-5) in straight sets (25-14, 25-13, 25-21).
This weekend, the No. 7 MSU volleyball team (15-1 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) will stay at home as they take on Iowa (9-7 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) on Friday and No. 9 Nebraska (11-2 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) on Saturday.
The MSU volleyball team is off to a perfect 4-0 start in Big Ten play, the program’s best start since 1996. On Saturday, the volleyball team will face the other undefeated Big Ten volleyball team, No. 9 Nebraska.
Six victorious sets, two interceptions and one game-winning goal later, three athletes have won Big Ten honors from the weekend. All three Spartans contributed in giving their teams a combined four victories on the weekend, putting them on top of the conference.
Though she was listed as a starter early in the season, a bout with mononucleosis delayed freshman Chloe Reinig’s season debut. But judging by her performance since returning to the lineup three weeks ago, it’s easy to see why PrepVolleyball.com rated her the No. 4 recruit of the 2013 class.
1996 saw one of the greatest years in MSU volleyball history. With a 26-7 overall record and dominant 12-0 Big Ten start for a team that finished 18-2, then-head coach Chuck Erbe took his team to an Elite Eight finish.
For the second straight weekend, the MSU volleyball team went 2-0 in Big Ten play. After opening Big Ten season with wins over then-No. 1 Penn State and then-No. 13 Ohio State last weekend, the No. 9 Spartans (15-1 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) continued their success this weekend. MSU followed their 3-0 sweep over Illinois on Friday night with another 3-0 sweep over Northwestern Saturday (25-20, 25-12, 25-20).
From the beginning of preseason, senior setter Kristen Kelsay had Oct. 4 marked on the calender. The date marked more than a rematch against Illinois, who beat the Spartans last season in a stunning 2-3 comeback victory.
If resuming Big Ten play against Illinois and Northwestern this weekend isn’t enough to motivate senior setter Kristen Kelsay, a certain player on the Illinois roster certainly will provide some additional motivation.
Last weekend’s victories over then-No. 1 Penn State and then-No. 13 Ohio State represented just the beginning of what the volleyball team is working for this season — an extended tournament run.
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.