Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Volleyball Visits Illinois And Purdue This Weekend
11/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 21, 2002
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Michigan State (16-10, 8-8 Big Ten)vs. Illinois (11-14, 5-11)Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. CSTChampaign, Ill.Huff Hall (4,500)
vs. Purdue (11-18, 1-15)Saturday, Nov. 23, 12 p.m.West Lafayette, Ind.Intercollegiate. Ath. Facility (1,696)
Internet Broadcast: The matches will be broadcast live on www.msuspartans.com with John Kreger calling the play-by-play action.
SPARTANS LOOKING TO MAKE NCAA TOURNAMENT RUN: After splitting its two matches last weekend vs. Iowa and Minnesota, Michigan State (16-10, 8-8 Big Ten) needs an impressive showing in its last four games to make a run for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans head to the road this weekend to face Illinois (11-14, 5-11 BT) Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. and Purdue (11-18, 1-15 BT) Saturday, Nov. 23 at noon. MSU defeated both squads at Jenison Field House earlier this season and has a 3-1 mark against the remaining teams on its schedule.
Although Minnesota claimed a share of the Big Ten title on Saturday, there is plenty left to decide for the rest of the standings. Michigan State is in the middle of a logjam in the middle of the Big Ten standings, tied for seventh with Indiana with an 8-8 record. Just above MSU, three teams are 9-7 (Ohio State, Northwestern and Michigan), while Penn State and Wisconsin are tied for second with 11-5 records.
WEEKEND UPDATE: The Spartans topped Iowa in three games Friday at Jenison Field House (30-20, 30-26, 30-17), but fell to No. 6 Minnesota in four games Saturday (24-30, 30-27, 27-30, 21-30).
MSU outplayed Iowa in seemingly every facet in the first match of the weekend. The Spartans hit .287 on 49 kills, while Iowa managed just a .120 attack percentage on 36 kills. MSU had edges in digs (47-44), blocks (8-4) and service aces (8-3). Junior Jenny Rood had a team-high 12 kills while redshirt freshman Megan Wallin pounded 11 kills to pace MSU. Junior Nikki Colson recorded her team-best 11th double-double with 37 assists and a team-high 11 digs. The Spartans also had a spark from junior Stephanie Knopp, who collected seven kills and seven digs while playing L2 for the first time in her career.
The Spartans had opportunities to pull the upset against Minnesota, but didn't execute properly in key moments, and as a result lost in four games. Rood had a team-high 15 kills and added a career-best eight blocks for the Spartans, while sophomore Kim Schram pounded 13 kills.
MSU had a chance to seize control of the match in the pivitol third game, with the match tied at one game each. A Smith kill had given MSU a 26-25 edge and the Spartans were on the brink of taking a two-games-to-one lead, but after a timeout, Minnesota slammed three straight kills followed by a service ace to take a 29-26 lead, and MSU couldn't recover.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: ILLINOIS: The Illini (11-14, 5-11 Big Ten) stand at ninth place in the Big Ten standings after losing to Wisconsin and Northwestern last weekend.
Lisa Argabright leads the Illinois offense, averaging 3.23 kills per game along with a .313 hitting percentage. She is also the most dominant player at the net with 1.18 blocks per game. Argabright pounded 20 kills against MSU in the first meeting.
Sue Weber and Melissa Vandrey, who had 15 kills each against the Spartans Oct. 26, also head the offensive attack, averaging 3.04 and 2.99 kills per game, respectively. Betsy Eiserman paces the offense with 11.60 assists per game.
HEAD COACH: Don Hardin (Illinois, 1982); Record (Overall - 304-167, 15th year; at Illinois - 112-91, seventh year)
SERIES HISTORY VS. MSU: Illinois leads, 30-17. The two teams have split the season series the past four years. The last time a team swept the season series came in 1997 when MSU beat the Illini twice. MSU's last win at Huff Hall was Sept. 30, 2000, and it got swept there last season. The Spartans are 6-12 all-time at Huff Hall.
LAST MEETING: Angela Morley became the school's all-time leader in blocks as MSU outlasted Illinois in a five-game marathon, 38-40, 30-22, 30-21, 25-30, 16-14, Oct. 26 at Jenison Field House. Morley also had 11 block assists, helping MSU set a school record for total blocks in a match, as the Spartans collected 24.5 blocks. Morley's 11 block assists tied the school record for most block assists in a five-game match.
In addition to blocking records, records were also set for length of match. The opening game score of 40-38 was easily the longest game in terms of points scored in MSU history, and the Spartans' total of 139 points scored during the match smashed the previous high of 126 set during a five-game win against Ohio State earlier this season.
PURDUE: The Boilermakers (11-18, 1-15) are once again struggling in the Big Ten season after going 10-3 against non-conference action. Purdue has lost five straight and its lone win in the conference came Nov. 1 against Iowa. The Boilers dropped matches against Northwestern and Wisconsin last weekend.
Kim McConaha is having a stellar offensive season for Purdue,, averaging 3.51 kills per game combined with a .344 hitting percentage. She also leads the team in blocks with 106 (0.95 pg). Joanna Lowry leads the team in kills with 430 (3.87 pg) and is second in digs with 310 (2.79 pg). Renata Dargan paces the offense with 11.29 assists per game.
The Boilermakers are only hitting .199 as a team in Big Ten play while allowing opponents to hit at a .278 clip.
HEAD COACH: Jeff Hulsmeyer (Kentucky, 1988); Record (Overall - 201-144, 10th year; at Purdue - 43-61, 4th year)
SERIES HISTORY VS. MSU: Purdue leads, 32-23. MSU has won six straight against the Boilermakers and 18 of its last 19. MSU's last loss to PU came Oct. 1, 1999, on the road. The Spartans are 8-14 all-time at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility.
LAST MEETING: MSU defeated Purdue in three games, 30-23, 30-23, 30-19, Oct. 25 at Jenison Field House. Angela Morley led a balanced offensive attack that featured five Spartans with eight or more kills, pounding 12 kills while hitting .417. Kim Schram had 11 kills, Megan Wallin had 10, Jenny Rood had nine and Kyla Smith had eight for MSU, which hit .328 as a team. MSU's defense was stellar as the Spartans collected 63 digs in the three-game match, led by a career-high 14 from Marley Bellwood. Emmy Miller had 13 and Nikki Colson had 12 to go along with 43 digs, giving Colson her ninth double-double of the season.
EXTRA POINTS ARE EXTRA GOOD: By winning game two at Ohio State Nov. 9, 31-29, MSU continued its impressive play in games that go to extra points. The Spartans are now 10-2 in such games, with the only losses coming in game two at Northwestern (31-29) and game one vs. Illinois (40-38).
KEEP ON BLOCKING IN THE FREE WORLD: Angela Morley broke the school record for total blocks Oct. 26 against Illinois, collecting 11 block assists to push her career total blocks mark to 589. Morley, who also owns the school record for career block assists, is now fourth in Big Ten history with 534 block assists and her total blocks mark is fifth in league history (614). She needs just five blocks to move into fourth place all-time in Big Ten history.
Morley is third in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally in blocks (1.43 per game). She has twice hit the 12-block plateau in matches this season (9/14 vs. South Florida; 10/4 vs. Ohio State), which is tied for the fourth best performance in a single match in MSU history.
Morley reached another milestone in the South Carolina match Aug. 31 as she recorded her 500th total block, becoming only the third Spartan in school history to do so.
In addition to blocking, Morley is also a superb hitter at the net. Her .330 hitting percentage is sixth in the Big Ten and she is second in MSU history with a .311 career percentage (893 kills, 304 errors, 1,896 attempts).
PERFECT SETUP: Co-captain and setter Nikki Colson, who ranked third in the Big Ten and 12th nationally in assists last season (12.99 per game), is putting up even better numbers in 2002. Colson leads the team with 1,250 assists (13.02 per game) in 26 matches this season. She recorded a career-high 68 assists against No. 11 Penn State Nov. 1. The junior ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists and 20th nationally.
Colson recorded her 2,000th assist against Ohio State Oct. 4 and moved into fourth place on the all-time MSU assists chart (currently: 2,651 assists) vs. Michigan Oct. 30. Her 1,250 assists in 2002 are already good for seventh best in an MSU season. Colson also leads the team with 12 double-doubles (assists-digs) on the year.
VILLWOCK SIDELINED: MSU added a powerful punch to the lineup with the addition of outside hitter Sara Villwock, a junior transfer from Colorado. But injuries limited Villwock to eight matches this season, and it appears now she will seek a medical redshirt for this season due to a stress injury to her foot.
Villwock had made an impact this season for the Spartans, collecting six double-doubles in eight matches. In her first weekend as a Spartan, Villwock was named the MVP of the MSU Volleyball Classic after posting double-doubles in two of the weekend's three matches. Villwock blasted a season-high 18 kills in MSU's win at South Florida Sept. 14.
Villwock was a two-year starter with Colorado and led the Buffaloes to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2001. The Fort Collins, Colo., native averaged 2.73 kills and 2.35 digs during her stint in Boulder, and was a Fab 50 selection by Volleyball Magazine in high school.
SUPER SOPH: Sophomore Kim Schram made a big splash in her rookie season for the Green and White by earning All-Big Ten freshman honors with 285 kills, which was the fifth best total in Spartan freshmen history. Schram is proving once again that she is an integral part of the team as she is leading the team with 323 kills (3.40 per game, x in Big Ten). She has led the Spartans in kills in eight matches and posted a career-high 21 kills at Iowa Sept. 28. Schram has posted double-digit kills in 19 of MSU's 24 matches this season. She recorded her 600th career kill Nov. 16 vs. Minnesota and pounded 20 kills vs. Penn State Nov. 1.
MILESTONE WATCH: While Angela Morley has already claimed ownership of the MSU block and and block assist records this season, she is still climbing up the charts in the Big Ten record book. Morley racked up six more blocks last week, giving her 614 for her career and becoming only the fifth player in Big Ten history to amass at least 600 career total blocks. She is currently fourth in Big Ten history in block assists (528) and fifth in total blocks (614).
Kim Schram, who blasted 13 kills vs. Minnesota Nov. 16, recorded her 600th career kill in just under two seasons during the match with the Gophers. Two Spartans are approaching the 900-kill plateau, as Angela Morley needs seven and Jenny Rood needs 11 to reach 900. Kyla Smith needs 15 kills to amass 700 for her career, while Emily Engel recorded two aces in last week's action and is six away from the 100 mark.
HOME SWEET HOME: MSU split two matches at home last weekend but has an impressive 10-2 mark at home this season. The Spartans went 14-3 at home in 2001, and are 107-37 (.746) all-time at Jenison Field House. Michigan State closes out the regular season at home vs. Northwestern Nov. 29 and No. 14 Wisconsin Nov. 30.
SPECIAL K: Senior Kyla Smith, MSU's breakout performer of the year in 2001, is making the most of her last season with the Green and White. Smith pounded a season-high 18 kills to go with 10 digs vs. Illinois (Oct. 26) and added a career-best eight blocks. She has recorded eight double-doubles this season, is second on the team in digs with 222 (2.39 pg) and is third in kills with 281 (3.02 pg).
ROOD AWAKENING: Junior Jenny Rood has been unkind to opponents at the net this season as she is second on the team in blocks with 91 (23 solo, 68 assists) and in kills with 321 (3.57 per game, 11th in Big Ten). Rood has hit for double-digit kills in 20 of the 24 matches she has played in, including a career-high 24 kills vs. Penn State Nov. 1.
Rood switched from middle to outside hitter Oct. 18 at Wisconsin for the first time since her freshman year. In the first match in her new spot, Rood pounded a team-best 19 kills. Against Indiana Oct. 5, Rood hit for an astounding .600 (14 K - 2 E - 20 TA).
ACES WILD: Senior Emily Engel, whose 65 service aces in 2001 were second in the Big Ten and the most by any Spartan since 1983, is once again leading the team with 25 service aces this season. Engel needs six more aces to reach 100 for her career.
AND THE EMMY GOES TO...: Defensive specialist Emmy Miller, who has seen the most time at the new libero position, has fit in well to her spot, as she is first on the team in digs with 256 (2.98 per game, 10th in Big Ten). Miller posted a career-high 20 digs against Georgia Tech Sept. 14 and was also named to the WMU Invitational All-Tournament team.
THE WALL - REUNION TOUR: Redshirt freshman Megan Wallin collected a career-high nine blocks (one solo, eight assists) Oct. 19 at Northwestern, then added eight in the Oct. 26 vs. Illinois. Wallin has started the last 10 matches after Jenny Rood switched to outside hitter. Wallin, who had a career-best 13 kills vs. the Illini, also smashed 11 kills and hit .562 vs. Oakland in her first collegiate match (8/31).
IF YOU WIN, THEY WILL COME: The Spartans are once again of the nation's leaders in attendance (12th in the nation, 1,735 per game). Last week, the Spartans averaged 2,284 fans in the two matches against Iowa and Minnesota. Over 2,984 attended the Michigan match Oct. 30, which was the largest crowd of the season and 11th in Jenison Field House history.
HITTING FOR NUMBERS: In 2001, Michigan State's season-best hitting percentage was .353, which occured during a four-game victory against Winthrop. This season, MSU has surpassed the .400 mark twice, including a season-best .442 in a three-game sweep against DePaul Sept. 6. The Spartans hit .378 in an Oct. 4 win against Indiana and are 14-0 when outhitting their opponent, including an 8-0 mark when hitting over .300. The Spartans are fifth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.243).
MSU VS. RANKED TEAMS: MSU is 3-4 vs. ranked teams this season. The Spartans defeated No. 24 Kansas State (Sept. 14), No. 16 Ohio State (Oct. 4) and No. 11 Penn State (Nov. 1), while falling to No. 8 Minnesota (Sept. 27), No. 9 Penn State (Oct. 12), No. 18 Wisconsin (Oct. 18) and No. 6 Minnesota (Nov. 16). MSU is 2-3 in its last five matches against ranked opponents and 5-5 in its last 10, dating back to last season. In its last five matches against Top 10 teams, MSU is 1-4. MSU's last win over a Top 10 team was against No. 9 Ohio State Nov. 16, 2001.
WE PLEAD THE FIFTH: By winning in five games against Penn State Nov. 1, MSU continued its clutch play in fifth games. The Spartans are now 3-0 in Big Ten matches to go the distance, including victories against Ohio State Oct. 4 and Illinois Oct. 26.
200 AND COUNTING: MSU head coach Chuck Erbe claimed his 200th victory at MSU Sept. 20 as the Spartans defeated Northern Illinois, 3-0. Erbe, who is in his 10th season as the Spartan mentor, is only the second coach in MSU history to amass 200 wins and is currently only 43 victories away from becoming the school's all-time winningest coach. Annelies Knoppers is the all-time leader with 250 wins in 11 years at MSU.
