SPORTS
Penn State on a roll after worst start in years
Last year’s game against Penn State still doesn’t sit well with MSU sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker.
SPORTS
Cross country teams take 11th, 18th at NCAAs
The MSU men’s and women’s cross country teams placed 18th and 11th, respectively, at the 2001 National Championships in Greenville, S.C., on Monday. MSU freshman Chris Toloff paced the Spartan harriers, placing 54th with a time of 30:33 in the 10K race.
SOCCER
Ecstatic team wins first NCAA bid since 1969, faces Butler
For a team that didn’t know if they would be on the list, the expectations were high.The MSU men’s soccer team congregated at Trippers, 354 Frandor Ave.
ICE HOCKEY
Miller ignores Hobey talk, focuses on team play
Granted, it’s still early in the season, but Ryan Miller said the H-word hasn’t come up too much so far. Last season, the goaltender stormed through the regular season and set numerous team, conference and national records en route to winning the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s outstanding player. Now a junior, Miller is subject to the question that nags every underclassman who wins a major award... Can he do it again? “Some people were asking me before the season, before they saw what kind of team I have to play with,” Miller said last week.
VOLLEYBALL
Morley racks in awards
The wins keep on coming for the MSU volleyball team. But this time, it’s personal. Junior middle blocker Angela Morley was named the National Volleyball Player of the Week on Monday for her 31 kills and .558 hitting percentage in MSU’s weekend upsets of No 9.
FOOTBALL
Medical redshirt not an option for Van Dyke
Senior quarterback Ryan Van Dyke announced Monday that he won’t pursue the possibility of being granted a medical redshirt to play next year. Van Dyke, who broke his jaw Oct.
FOOTBALL
Dowdell humbled in debut
Some players try to control their nerves by puking or taking naps before games. But all Damon Dowdell needed to shake his jitters in his first collegiate start was a love tap from Purdue defensive end Akin Ayodele.
BASKETBALL
Team drags to 72-62 OT victory
TV cameras weren’t around to witness this one.And that was probably a good thing - the MSU men’s basketball team didn’t feed the net until the 15:54 mark of the first half.
FOOTBALL
Fumbling Spartans in bowl bind
West Lafayette, Ind. - One inexperienced quarterback and loads of mistakes left MSU one more week out of the bowl hunt. The Spartans (5-4 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) racked up six turnovers Saturday as they failed to clinch the sixth win needed to become bowl eligible for the second straight week.
SPORTS
One win away from destiny
Do players and coaches realize how much a bowl game can mean to a fan? I’m not sure. But I know, (dramatic pause) I owe my life to one. Let me explain. In 1965 the MSU football team was phenomenal.
ICE HOCKEY
Miller reigns over RedHawks
Apparently new players and a fresh season don’t make much difference - at least not for MSU and Miami (Ohio).The fourth-ranked Spartans blanked Miami 3-0 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday, extending their defensive dominance over the RedHawks (6-5-1 overall, 4-3-1 CCHA) to four straight games.MSU also shut out Miami twice last January - 1-0 and 5-0 - and the RedHawks haven’t scored against the Spartans in 292:07 minutes of hockey, dating to the first period of a 5-1 MSU win on March 11, 2000.All five games in the streak have been played at Munn Ice Arena.“I’m always surprised we get a shutout,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said.
SPORTS
Two Spartans grapple to second-place
The MSU wrestling team opened its season Saturday with the MSU Wrestling Open, where nine Spartans advanced to Sunday’s semifinals.
VOLLEYBALL
Stunning upsets elate Spartans
It’s the trip no volleyball team wants to make - traveling to No. 9 Ohio State and No. 13 Penn State on consecutive nights. Only three teams have ever survived the weekend with two wins.
SPORTS
Spartans bury Bruins in home tournament
The statistics didn’t look like those of a winning team.But with some unseemly numbers, the MSU women’s basketball teams beat Buffalo 50-42 and UCLA 67-63 to take first in the season-opening Spartan Chevrolet Classic on Friday and Saturday at Breslin Center.The team began the tournament at 8 p.m.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans blank RedHawks at Munn for second straight night
Ryan Miller seems to have turned the usually potent Miami (Ohio) RedHawks into his personal statistic-padding team.The junior goaltender recorded another shutout over the RedHawks - his fourth straight whitewash of Miami - in Saturday night’s 2-0 MSU win at Munn Ice Arena.The Spartans (8-2-1 overall, 7-2-1 CCHA) have now held Miami (6-5-1, 4-3-1) scoreless for 292:07 minutes of hockey, dating to March 11, 2000.Miami came into the series averaging 3.90 goals per game, but Miller made 28 saves Saturday for his 23rd career shutout.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans blank RedHawks at Munn for second straight night
Ryan Miller seems to have turned the usually potent Miami (Ohio) RedHawks into his personal statistic-padding team. The junior goaltender recorded another shutout over the RedHawks - his fourth straight whitewash of Miami - in Saturday night’s 2-0 MSU win at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans (8-2-1 overall, 7-2-1 CCHA) have now held Miami (6-5-1, 4-3-1) scoreless for 292:07 minutes of hockey, dating to March 11, 2000. Miami came into the series averaging 3.90 goals per game, but Miller made 28 saves Saturday for his 23rd career shutout.
FOOTBALL
Spartans fumble five times in 24-14 loss to Boilers
West Lafayette, Ind. - The MSU football team failed to become bowl eligible for the second straight week Saturday as it fumbled the ball five times in a 24-14 loss to Purdue at Ross Ade Stadium.Redshirt freshman quarterback Damon Dowdell started the game because sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker sprained his left shoulder last week against Indiana.
FOOTBALL
Dortch finally home from hospital, contemplating playing future
Sophomore cornerback Tyrell Dortch had a lot of time to think as he lay in a Madison, Wis. ,hospital bed for more than two weeks.
ICE HOCKEY
Miami weekend series first in cluster matchups
Miami (Ohio) rolls into East Lansing tonight with a high-octane offense and one of the CCHA’s premier players in forward Jason Deskins. But the RedHawks (6-3-1 overall, 4-1-1 CCHA), who finished second to MSU in the CCHA last year, were the pupils of a Spartan defensive clinic in the teams’ last meeting.