Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Final Big Ten Matches
11/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 21, 2000
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Updated Records
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Final Big Ten Matches: The Spartans host Northwestern and No. 6 Wisconsin in their final Big Ten matches of the season. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. There will be no television or radio.
Northwestern 5-23 overall, 2-16 (11th) in the Big Ten and 0-11 in away matches. The Wildcats broke a 14-match losing streak last weekend with a 3-1 win over Illinois, but lost to Purdue 0-3. The team is led by Carmen Burbach and Erika Lange at 3.69 and 3.54 kills per game, respectively. Setter Kelli Meyer averages 10.80 assists per game, while Burbach and Lindsay Pavlik are the leading diggers at 2.75 and 2.61 per game, respectively. Leading the way in blocking is Lange ant 1.45 per game and Sarah Ballog at 1.12 pg. Michigan State won the teams' last meeting 3-1 (7-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-8) on Oct. 14 in Evanston. Sarah Gustin led four Spartans in double figure kills with 21, while Christie Landry tallied six kills, 62 assists 10 digs and six blocks. Angela Morley had 11 kills and eighth blocks. NU was led by Erika Lange with 17 kills and eight blocks. Northwestern leads the series 25-15. The Spartans are 7-9 at home against the Wildcats. MSU has won the last 12 matches in a row between the two teams.
No. 5 Wisconsin is 26-3 overall, 16-2 (T1st) in the conference and 10-2 in away matches. The Badgers are led by Sherisa Livingston and Jenny Maastricht at 5.03 and 4.41 kills per game, respectively. Setter Lizzy Fitzgerald averages 13.73 assists per game while Erin Byrd and Meggan Kohnen lead the team in digs at 2.99 and 2.83, respectivley. Livingston leads three UW players in blocking over one per game at 1.31 pg, followed by Kohnen (1.13) and Claudia Rodriguez (1.01). Wisconsin won the teams' last meeting 3-1 (15-9, 15-12, 13-15, 15-6) on Oct. 13. Sarah Gustin led MSU with 20 kills, 10 digs and five blocks, while Jenny Rood had 16 kills and 18 digs. For Wisconsin, Livingston had 25 kills, while Maastricht added 22 kills and 13 digs. Wisconsin leads the series 28-16. The Spartans are 8-10 at home against the Badgers. MSU is 2-3 against UW in the last five matches in the series.
Tough Finale: Three of the Spartans' final five opponents in the 2000 regular season are ranked in the top 10, and four of the five teams were in the upper half of the Big Ten conference standings. Michigan State had beaten only Northwestern this season, but can now add OSU and Iowa to the list.
Date Opp. H/A Rank Big Ten (Record) Overall Record W, 3-1 11/8 Ohio State H 13th 3rd (11-3) 21-3 W, 3-0 11/17 Iowa A - 5th (7-7) 11-11 L, 1-3 11/18 Minnesota A 8th 2nd (12-2) 23-2 11/24 Northwestern H - 11th (1-13) 4-20 11/25 Wisconsin H 4th 1st (13-1) 23-2
Another Split: The Spartans defeated Iowa, 3-0, on Friday night but fell to No. 8 Minnesota on Saturday. Against the Hawkeyes, MSU tallied school records for a three-game match with 34 block assists and 18 total blocks. The block assists total is tied for third-best ever in a match of any length. Sarah Gustin led the team against Iowa with 16 kills and nine blocks. Against Minnesota it was Erin Hartley with a season-high 19 kills and eight blocks.
Here a Block, There a Block...: Against Iowa on Nov. 17, MSU tallied school records for a three-game match with 34 block assists and 18 total blocks. The block assists total is tied for third-best ever in a match of any length. Against Minnesota on Nov. 18, MSU knocked down a season-high 21 blocks, including seven block solos. In both matches, four Spartans had five or more blocks each.
...Everywhere a Block, Block: As a team, MSU is averaging 3.32 blocks per game. That figure is second-best in school history for a single-season. The team's block solos (103) and block assists (478) rank sixth-best in a single-season, while its total blocks (342) is seventh-best.
Morley Moves Up: Angela Morley tallied 15 blocks last weekend against Iowa and Minnesota combined and is now eighth on the MSU all-time blocks list (311) and seventh on the all-time block assists list. She also maintained her solid hitting numbers and is second-best in career hitting percentage at MSU with a .313 average. Hartley Playing Smartly: Erin Hartley played two solid matches last weekend, combining for 30 kills, 21 digs and 13 blocks. She leads the team in digs at 2.80 per game, is third on the team in blocks (0.97 per game) and fourth on the team with 3.21 kills per contest. She currently has 1,032 career kills, just the 11th Spartan to reach the 1,000 mark.
More Rood Play: Jenny Rood showed why she has been starting at outside hitter much of the last part of the season. Against Iowa, the freshman 15 kills, and career highs in digs (18) and blocks (6). Versus Minnesota she tallied 17 kills, 13 digs and three blocks. Rood is third on the team with a 3.26 kills per game average, while contributing 2.34 digs and 0.57 blocks per game. Her kills per game and attempts per game (8.84) averages are fourth-best by a freshman in school history.
Senior Career Updates: Career numbers (place on MSU all-time list) Sarah Gustin: Has 1,205 kills (7th), 2,790 attempts (7th), .297 hitting percentage (5th), 76 block solos (8th), 331 block assists (4th), 407 total blocks (5th), 3.27 kills per game (7th), 7.56 attempts per game (10th), 1.10 blocks per game (5th). Has 17 20-kill matches (4th), Nine 20-kill matches this season (5th on seasonal list) Second all-time with 13 blocks in a match (0-13) v. Illinois on Nov. 14, 1998, tied for third-all-time with 12 blocks in a match (2-10) v. Illinois, Sept. 28, 1997. Second all-time with 13 block assists in a match with 13 v. Illinois on Nov. 14, 1998. Tied for third all-time with 11 block assists in a match v. Indiana on Oct. 23, 1999. Current .323 hitting percentage is tied for seventh best in school history in a single season.
Christie Landry: Has 3,559 assists (3rd), 223 block assists (11th), 258 total blocks (11th), 9.47 assists per game (4th). Has fourth-best single-match assists mark in school history with 80 v. Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2000. Currently has 1,301 assists on the season, fifth-best in a single season in school history. 12.07 assists per game in 1999 was eighth-best in a single-season.
Jessica Sanborn: Has .306 hitting percentage (3rd), 68 block solos (10th), 353 block assists (3rd), 421 total blocks (3rd), 1.18 blocks per game (4th). Hit .882 against Southern Mississippi on Sept. 10, 1999, fourth-best ever in a single-match. Had five block solos against Illinois on Sept. 25, 1998, a Jenison Field House record and tied for fourth-best ever in a single match. Currently hitting .420, the second-best seasonal mark in school history, and averaging 1.28 blocks per game, eighth-best in a single season.
Vicki Basil: Has 2,408 assists (4th), 12.44 assists per game (1st). Holds school record with 86 assists in a single match v. Illinois on Nov. 20, 1999. Had the sixth-most assists (1,297) and seventh-best assists per game mark (12.24) in a single-season in 1997. Averaged 12.85 assists per game in 1999, sixth-best in a single-season.
Gustin At Home In The Middle: Sarah Gustin returned to play middle hitter for MSU on Nov. 11 due to an injury to Maren Witzel. Despite not playing there for nearly two years after switching to outside hitter, she looks right at home. Last weekend, she led the team with 16 kills against Iowa and had another nine versus Minnesota. In both matches combined, she gave the Spartans the presence in the middle they had been missing since Jessica Sanborn broke her foot, blocking 17 balls, (1-8) vs. Iowa, (1-7) vs. Minnesota.
In The Big Ten: As of 11/13 MSU was second in blocks per game at 3.16, third in hitting percentage at .271, fifth in kills per game (16.43), sixth in assists (14.71), seventh in service aces (1.39) and seventh in digs per game (14.85). Individually, Jessica Sanborn leads the conference with a .420 hitting percentage, while Sarah Gustin is eighth at .328. Gustin is fifth in kills per game at 4.24, while Christie Landry is sixth in assists at 13.01 per game. Sanborn is fifth in blocks per game at 1.28, while Angela Morley is eighth at 1.25 pg. Morley is also seventh in service aces per game at 0.37.
In The NCAA: As of11/12, Michigan State was 17th in the country in hitting percentage as a team at .271 and tied for 10th in blocks per game at 3.16.
