SPORTS
Parity flip-flops standings
The days of looking at the Big Ten Conference schedule and knowing which games will be won and lost are over.
SPORTS
MSU gets no goals, satisfaction from scoreless draw with Irish
It's the same old story for the MSU men's soccer team. The Spartans exited Tuesday's affair against Notre Dame at Old College Field with a 0-0 tie — their fifth tie in 12 games this season. "I'm getting tired of these," MSU head coach Joe Baum said.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers ascend rankings after tournament win
The MSU hockey team jumped seven spots to No. 10 in the www.uscho.com Division I Poll following wins against Wayne State and last year's national runner-up, North Dakota. With the victories, the Spartans captured the Lefty McFadden Invitational title in Dayton, Ohio, and now stand 2-0.
FOOTBALL
Goss still in as kicker, but several new faces nipping at his heels
After a week off, MSU's kicking game remains where it was before - on the foot of junior John Goss. But the competition is far from over, according to head coach John L.
SOCCER
MSU prepares for defensive battle
After getting shutout by the Fighting Irish in their past two meetings, the MSU men's soccer team will be looking for revenge at 4 p.m.
SPORTS
4-goal weekend earns Harris Player of Week
MSU senior forward Emma Harris was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after scoring four goals in a weekend sweep of Wisconsin and Northwestern. Harris leads the women's soccer team in points with 21 (10 goals and one assist). She has scored a goal in four of the past six games, and in that span, the Spartans are 4-1-1. MSU (8-3-3 overall, 4-1-0 Big Ten) heads to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on Friday and then travels to Illinois on Sunday to face the Fighting Illini.
SPORTS
Monday musings
• Minnesota knocked off Michigan this weekend, effectively slicing the Little Brown Jugular on the Wolverines' season.
SPORTS
Field hockey losing skid now at 3 games
The MSU field hockey team extended its losing streak to a season-long three games Saturday as they fell 4-2 to Connecticut in Ann Arbor. The No.
VOLLEYBALL
MSU drops both matches on weekend homestand
This past weekend is one the MSU volleyball team would probably like to forget. After getting swept by Purdue on Friday, the Spartans (9-7 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) dropped a tough five-game match to Illinois on Saturday at Jenison Field House. Head coach Cathy George said the games were a sloppy effort from her team. "We had some unforced errors and hitting errors that were pivotal to the play," George said. MSU won the first game against Illinois (11-6 overall, 2-4 Big Ten), then lost the second. In the pivotal third game, the Spartans played well with a .396 hitting percentage and a team total of three blocks, but Illinois made several key plays down the stretch to give them the lead. With their backs against the wall, the Spartans bounced back, taking the fourth game from the visiting Illini. But Illinois again took control, winning the final game 15-12 for the victory. Illinois proved to be too strong defensively for the Spartans as they outblocked them 11-8. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Schatzle provided some offensive spark for the Spartans.
SPORTS
Fluky win doesn't satisfy Lions fan
The Detroit Lions are now 2-2, and still in good shape in the NFC North. Gulp. They beat the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, which has everyone riding high once again on this franchise that's gone so wrong ever since Matt Millen took over as team president and general manager. I didn't count on them to beat Baltimore yesterday and I was a little surprised when I saw they were up 14-0 early on in the game.
SPORTS
Just for kicks
The MSU women's soccer team extended its winning streak to three games on Sunday by defeating Northwestern 2-1 at Old College Field. Despite being winless in the conference, the Wildcats presented problems for the Spartans throughout the game. "Northwestern is an excellent team - there's no way they should be struggling in the Big Ten," head coach Tom Saxton said.
SPORTS
Icers win tournament to open up season
The MSU hockey team won the Lefty McFadden Tournament, sweeping Wayne State on Saturday and North Dakota, the 2005 national runner-up, on Sunday in Dayton, Ohio. MSU sophomore forward Bryan Lerg (four points), senior forward David Booth (three) and junior defenseman Tyler Howells (two) were named to the all-tournament team. Sophomore forward Chris Mueller recorded two goals against the Fighting Sioux, and junior goaltender Dominic Vicari recorded the shutout with 25 saves in the 3-0 victory.
SOCCER
Tillman's shutout and McMahen's two goals give MSU its first Big Ten win of the season
The Spartans used stingy defense and two goals from senior co-captain and midfielder Ryan McMahen to defeat Ohio State 2-0 at Old College Field yesterday. The Spartans (4-3-4 overall, 1-1-1 Big Ten) took the lead off the foot of McMahen about 30 minutes into the contest.
SPORTS
Tickets for Palace game on sale today
Tickets for the Spartan Clash, the event that will pit the men's basketball team against Wichita State, go on sale today at www.palacenet.com, the Palace of Auburn Hills box office, Ticketmaster or by calling (248)645-6666. The third-annual Spartan Clash is at 7 p.m.
SPORTS
Men's tennis plays well during weekend
The MSU men's tennis team recorded wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles' matches in the Spartan Invitational while also getting the victory in two of the three doubles matches against Western Michigan on Sunday. MSU sophomores Nick Rinks and Adam Monich each went 3-0 in singles' play during the weekend and also partnered to go 4-0 in doubles' play. The junior duo of Michael Flowers and Joseph McWilliams recorded the other MSU doubles victory.
FOOTBALL
Fish and Bish working during MSU bye week
No. 6 Ohio State at No. 16 Penn State Fish: This game has potential to be quite a low-scoring affair. The Buckeyes have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, and after last week's throttling of Minnesota, Penn State comes into the game with a little more swagger. People have been writing Penn State off the last few years, but these Nittany Lions could spoil Ohio State's chances of winning the Big Ten. I see this game coming down to who has the better offense, and although both teams have made steps in the right direction in this area, Ohio State's offensive tandem is more proven. Look for a late Teddy Ginn Jr.
FOOTBALL
Luxurious lockers
In 1991, Greg Bria was sitting in Munn Ice Arena watching the MSU hockey team practice when then-head coach Ron Mason skated to him. At that time, Bria was just a fan but had spent a lot of time around the team and had developed a reputation around the program as a handyman. "Hey, we need some new lockers for the locker room," Mason said.
ICE HOCKEY
Hockey is back with authority
To put it lightly, I was excited. My anticipation level was soaring as I pulled my car into the Joe Louis Arena parking garage.
VOLLEYBALL
Shoulder injury didn't slow down transfer from WMU
Ashley Schatzle first felt that something was wrong with her shoulder in her later high school years. But after having surgery last winter, this outside hitter for the MSU volleyball team said her game has improved. "I had a fray in my rotator cuff," said Schatzle, a nursing sophomore, describing her shoulder injury.
FOOTBALL
Offense questioned after tough loss to U-M
Despite a 4-1 record, the second guessing of the MSU football team's coaching staff has begun after some failed plays in its 34-31 overtime loss to Michigan last week. Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin has taken a bulk of the heat, but said if given the chance to recall any plays of the game, he would decline. The general feeling among Spartans fans is that the play calling has been a bit conservative, especially during the second half of MSU's win over Notre Dame and the second half of the U-M game. "To say we were conservative is ludicrous," Baldwin said.