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.
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.
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.
After an 11-game preseason, it’s finally here. The Big Ten volleyball season has arrived, and it’ll start off with a bang. No. 15 MSU will take on No. 1 Penn State Friday and No. 13 Ohio State on Sunday.
In addition to winning MVP honors in MSU’s 3-0 sweep of the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski reached a major milestone.
Another week, another sweep. The Spartans (11-1 overall) won the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational last weekend. The wins over Eastern Michigan, Duquesne and Cincinnati come a week after sweeping the Butler Invitational.
After a shaky win against Duquesne earlier in the day, MSU (11-1 overall) bounced back to beat Cincinnati, 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-19) to take the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational title.
Duquesne ended MSU’s run of 17 undefeated sets, but with the help of freshman outside hitter Chloe Reinig’s promising debut, the Spartans ultimately prevailed.
Sixteen straight home non-conference wins, 16 straight undefeated sets, 16 kills from senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski. It’s a night of victory — and a night of 16’s — for the streaking Spartans.
In the last weekend before Big Ten play commences, the No. 14 MSU volleyball team (8-1 overall) will host Eastern Michigan, Duquesne and Cincinnati at Jenison Field House at the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational. It could be a big weekend for senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski, who is 10 kills away from reaching the 2,000 kill career milestone.
The volleyball team continues to rely on their nationally seventh-ranked freshman class, and the class continues to deliver. Though early injuries have forced head coach Cathy George to give freshman middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer and freshman middle blocker Autumn Christenson, who has played outside hitter thus far, larger roles than what was initially expected, the talented recruits have handled the grind of the season with grace.
A No. 14 ranking certainly isn’t anything to be ashamed of. But for volleyball head coach Cathy George, MSU’s No. 14 ranking only highlights the amount of work that needs to be done before Big Ten play begins Sept. 27. Despite the strong start, MSU (8-1 overall) is only ranked fifth in a stacked Big Ten conference as of Sept. 14.