Following four impressive weekends of play to start the season, the No. 16 MSU volleyball team got its first taste of the Big Ten in two losses this weekend.
The No. 16 volleyball team is off to the program’s best start since 1976 and has turned some heads across the country en route to a 12-0 nonconference opening.
In the midst of a nine-game winning streak and driven by the play of its top scorer — sophomore Jenilee Rathje — the MSU volleyball team appeared poised for a solid Big Ten run last season when Rathje suddenly went down with a torn ACL in a September game against Ohio State.
MSU volleyball junior Allyson Karaba was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following her 52-dig effort this weekend at the Clemson Classic in Clemson, S.C.
The No. 17 MSU volleyball team completed an undefeated nonconference schedule this weekend with its fourth straight tournament win, earning three victories at the Clemson Classic in Clemson, S.C.
Entering last season with only three upperclassmen and significant holes to fill from the previous year’s NCAA Tournament team, the MSU volleyball program turned to a promising freshman class to step in and make contributions immediately.
Nine up. Nine down. The No. 18 MSU volleyball team’s season has gone accordingly, playing up to task in each of its nine games this fall, en route to a 9-0 start.
As the No. 18 MSU volleyball team travels to Chicago this weekend and looks to improve on its 6-0 start, it can draw on experiences from last season as a guide.
For the MSU volleyball team, defense starts with a capital K. That’s because the Spartans defense is anchored in part by the sister duo of Allyson and Mandi Karaba, who were born about 10 months apart and have helped lead the way to a 6-0 start for MSU. Allyson, a junior libero, was named the tournament MVP for this past weekend’s Cleveland State Invitational, which the Spartans won by winning all three of their games.
Just two weeks into their respective seasons, the MSU volleyball and field hockey teams have collected a combined nine wins and each are off to strong starts in their young seasons.
Long road trips can be difficult and overbearing, but as the No. 20 MSU volleyball team stares down a monthlong stretch of games away from Jenison Field House, head coach Cathy George is optimistic her team will develop a good road routine in time for the tough Big Ten Conference schedule ahead.
The Spartans volleyball team entered this weekend’s MSU Showcase with new faces, different opponents and a new outlook. But in the end, the result was the same.
Two members of the MSU volleyball team were named to postseason all-conference teams.
Despite having a young team this season, the MSU volleyball team will be stacked with talent next season, as it will return its top eight point-scorers while losing only one senior. “Losing Heather (McDaniel) is really hard — just because she’s such a great leader and she has a lot of heart and she’s so inspiring to all of us, but we’re going to come on strong next year,” sophomore libero Allyson Karaba said.
There was an outside shot at getting into the NCAA Tournament when the MSU volleyball team began play Saturday against No. 12 Minnesota. Halfway through the fourth set it looked almost possible. The Spartans needed to win both of this weekend’s matches and have Indiana lose both of its matches to slide into the sixth spot in the Big Ten and have a shot at getting into the NCAA Tournament.
It’s not over ‘til it’s over. That’s the attitude the MSU volleyball team is taking into the last two weeks of the regular season. The team (14-13 overall, 6-10 Big Ten) still holds an outside chance of making the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid and is looking to take every opportunity to slip into the Big Dance.
Momentum isn’t something the MSU volleyball team has had for a while. Heading on the road this weekend for games against No. 19 Michigan and Ohio State, the team is looking to build on the last two weeks, where it beat then-No. 25 Wisconsin, Indiana and took No. 1 Penn State to the brink in two sets.
The deck was stacked against the MSU volleyball team in its 3-1 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
There’s something to be said for effort when you’re playing the top team in the land.
Though playing No. 1 Penn State is never easy, MSU volleyball head coach Cathy George said her team needs to go after the defending national champions. “You need to be aggressive,” George said. “It’s more about the way you go about playing them, and that’s what I’m looking forward to, to challenge them at every step.”