Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball To Hunt Badgers and Wildcats This Weekend
10/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 11, 2000
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For Updated Michigan State Records from the media guide please see the second PDF attachment.
On the road again: The Spartans hit the dusty trail again this weekend with an 11-4 overall record and a 4-2 slate in the Big Ten, tying them for fourth with Iowa. After hosting the first three matches of the year, MSU will have been on the road for 11 of its next 14 matches. This weekend, Michigan State travels to Wisconsin and Northwestern. Both matches will be carried live on the radio by WVFN-730 AM East Lansing and www.msuspartans.com. The Wisconsin match can also be seen live on the Midwest Sports Channel (MSC) at 8 p.m. ET. Satellite coordinates are Telestar 5, Transponder 12.
No. 7 Wisconsin is 15-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten (t-2nd). The Badgers handed Minnesota its first loss of the season last Friday, winning 15-13, 15-1, 15-13, and defeated Iowa, 15-7, 15-8, 17-15. Both matches were on the road. Wisconsin is led by Sherisa Livingston at 5.02 kills and 1.25 blocks per game. Livingston is hitting .393 on the season and 26 kills against Minnesota last week. Lizzy Fitzgerald averages 13.37 assists per game, while Erin Byrd leads the defense with 3.15 digs per game. The Badgers are hitting .271 on the season and .269 in conference matches. Wisconsin leads the series with Michigan State 27-16. MSU is 2-15 in Madison. The teams have split the last 10 meetings, 5-5, and have split the matcups the last two seasons with both teams winning at home.
Northwestern is 4-12 overall, 1-5 in the Big Ten Conference (t-8th). NU is led by Erika Lange at 3.25 kills and 1.28 blocks per game. Setter Kelli Meyer averages 10.66 assists pg, while Carmen Burbach sends up 2.55 digs per contest. The Wildcats are hitting .161 on the season and .123 in conference matches. Northwestern leads the series with Michigan State 25-14. The Spartans are 6-11 in Evanston but have won the last 11 matchups dating back to Nov. 25, 1994.
Saturday Night Is All Right: MSU is 6-1 in Saturday matches in 2000.
Sanborn Digs It: Senior Jessica Sanborn notched her 500th career dig in MSU's 1-3 loss to Penn State on Oct. 6. The middle needs just 165 kills to become the 11th Spartan with 1,000 for her career.
A Disappointing Split at Home: The Spartans lost to No. 12 Penn State 15-11, 6-15, 10-15, 7-15 on Friday night before bouncing back with a 15-3, 15-4, 15-2 win over Indiana on Saturday. Against PSU, the Spartans played solidly in game one and looked to have the advantage but fell apart both offensively and defensively, including 14 service errors. MSU clicked on Saturday, hitting .378 against the Hoosiers while holding them to .012. Sarah Gustin led MSU with 16 kills on .609 hitting, while Jessica Sanborn contributed 10 kills and seven blocks.
Blazing Hands: Jessica Sanborn's torrid hitting pace continues. To date she is hitting .422 on the season and has raised her career hitting percentage to .305. That's second-best in MSU history behind Val Sterk's .379. She hit .400 against Penn State with 13 kills and .474 versus Indiana with 10 kills.
Rood Awakening: Freshman Jenny Rood, filling in for an injured Amy Sibbernsen, started both MSU matches last weekend at L2. Against Penn State, the outside hitter scored a career high 10 kills to go with two blocks while playing just the front row. Playing all the way around against Indiana, Rood tallied six kills, seven digs and four blocks.
Score No More: Indiana scored just nine points against the Spartans on Oct. 7. That's tied for the third-fewest points ever tallied against an MSU team since the inception of the best of three format.
Closing In on 3,000: Christie Landry needs just 86 more assists to reach 3,000 for her career. The Spartan record is 4,151 by Judy Doles (1985-88). Landry will become just the third Spartan ever to reach the mark.
20-kill Matches: Sarah Gustin has four 20-kill matches on the season and 12 in her career, fifth-best all-time.
1K Club: Senior outside hitter Sarah Gustin recorded her 1,000th career kill in MSU's second game against Purdue on Sept. 29. She now has 1,021 for her career, ninth best all-time. She is just the 10th player in Spartan history with 1,000 career kills.
In The Big Ten: As of 10/9, the Spartans are second in the conference with a .280 hitting percentage and lead the league in blocking at 3.07 per game. Jessica Sanborn is second in the Big Ten with a .425 hitting percentage and second at 1.30 blocks per game. Angela Morley ranks fifth at 0.47 service aces per game, setter Christie Landry is sixth at 12.62 per game while Sarah Gustin is eighth at 3.98kills per game.
In The NCAA: As of10/8, Jessica Sanborn is 7th in the country in hitting percentage at .425. As a team, MSU is 12th in the nation in hitting percentage at .280 and 12th in blocks at 3.07 per game.
Rankings: The Spartans are ranked No. 19 in the USA Today/AVCA poll. MSU plays seven of the current USA Today/AVCA top 25 teams this season.
