Junior outside hitter Ashley Schatzle was named the Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week after leading the Spartans to wins against Michigan and Iowa. The honor is the first for an MSU volleyball player since the 2003 season. Schatzle averaged 6.5 kills per game and hit .423 for the week.
After sweeping Illinois on Friday, the MSU volleyball team ended on a sour note by losing to Northwestern in five sets Saturday at Jenison Field House. After starting the season 10-1, MSU (11-5 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) has dropped four of its last six matches. Behind a spirited home crowd, the Spartans won the first and third games Saturday, but lost the second, fourth and fifth games to drop their third five-game match of the season. MSU head coach Cathy George and the Spartans were visibly upset when they emerged from the locker room following the loss.
After winning a majority of its nonconference games, the MSU volleyball team finds itself struggling heading into its weekend matches. The Spartans have lost three of their four Big Ten matches, giving them a 1-3 record in the conference. "I think we have had great opportunities to win every game," head coach Cathy George said.
The MSU volleyball team fought hard this weekend, ending with a 3-1 victory against Indiana. But first on Friday, the Spartans took on No.
Watching junior outside hitter Katie Johnson on the volleyball court, you would never know she spent much of this year recovering from surgery on her elbow. In a match against Illinois last December, Johnson collided with teammate Nicole Colaluca.
Former Okemos volleyball star Allison Ianni found her way home when she returned to the Lansing area earlier this year. Ianni grew up following MSU athletics because she lived minutes from the campus.
After losing their final match on Saturday, MSU's volleyball players wiped the tears from their eyes and began to form a circle.
The MSU volleyball team didn't get the magic it was hoping for on the road this weekend. Instead, Northwestern and nationally-ranked Wisconsin appeared to have borrowed Harry Potter's broom as both teams swept the Spartans. The Spartans' hopes of making it to the NCAA Tournament vanished as they dropped both matches on the road, giving them 11 losses in their last 14 matches. The Spartans (12-16 overall, 5-13 Big Ten) were hoping to win the remainder of their last four games but unfortunately it won't be happening this season.
With four games remaining in its Big Ten regular season, the MSU volleyball team is hoping for a fairy tale ending. The Spartans (12-14 overall, 5-11 Big Ten) have been struggling to find their groove, but a win over Indiana last weekend showed they're not giving up on the season just yet. The Spartans will look to continue their success on the road when they take on Northwestern (16-10, 7-9) and nationally-ranked Wisconsin (19-6, 1-5) this weekend. MSU beat Northwestern in five sets back on Oct.
The MSU women's volleyball team (12-14 overall, 5-11 Big Ten) easily defeated Indiana (9-19, 2-14 Big Ten) for the second time this season, sweeping them 3-0 at Jension Field House on Saturday. It was the Spartans' first Big Ten sweep at home this season. After jumping out to an early 11-9 lead in the first set, the Spartans' offense caught fire, hitting at a .286 clip to give them the 1-0 advantage.
Having won only two of its last 10 matches in conference play, the floundering MSU volleyball team will head to Ann Arbor on Wednesday in an attempt to resurrect its season. The Spartans (11-13 overall, 4-10 Big Ten), sitting in a three-way tie for eighth in the Big Ten, will face off against Michigan at 7 p.m.
The MSU volleyball team secured a five-game victory over Iowa on Friday night, but failed to ride the wave of momentum on Saturday, falling to No.
The MSU volleyball team will look to rebound from a pair of road losses last weekend when it hosts Iowa and No.
Despite a roller coaster season thus far, MSU head coach Cathy George isn't hanging her head. She still has the same grin on her face that she had at the beginning of the season.
The MSU women's volleyball team wasn't pleased with the first half of its season and will be looking to turn it around.
The MSU volleyball team earned a split this weekend, losing to No. 7 Wisconsin on Friday, then beating Northwestern on Saturday in a five-game thriller at Jension Field House. The Spartans (10-10 overall, 3- 7 Big Ten) snapped their five-game losing streak when they defeated the Wildcats (12-8, 3-7). Starting Homecoming weekend off, the Spartans dropped a five-game nail biter to Wisconsin (16-2, 8-1). The Spartans had controlled most of the game but the Badgers would make plays at key moments to give them the 3-2 edge to win the game.
In the midst of studying for midterms and coming off a tough road trip where it dropped back-to-back matches, the MSU women's volleyball team is ready to get back in action during Homecoming weekend. MSU (9-9 overall, 2-6 Big Ten) takes on No.
The MSU women's volleyball team fell to No. 19 Ohio State on Friday and was then swept by No. 4 Penn State on Saturday. The losses drop MSU to 9-9 overall, 2-6 in the Big Ten. They were playing without sophomore outside hitter Katie Johnson who suffered a undisclosed left arm injury last week against Illinois.
Coming off a weekend in which it lost both its home matches, the MSU volleyball team won't find things any easier when they head on the road for two games against nationally-ranked opponents. The Spartans (9-7 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) will kick off their two-game road trip tonight against No.
Mickey Davis, Brooke Langston, Megan Wallin and Marley Bellwood came into MSU together. They learned to play volleyball at a college level together.