Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Travels To Northwestern, Wisconsin
11/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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FINAL ROAD TRIP - Michigan State volleyball (11-13, 6-10 Big Ten) makes its last road trip of the 2004 regular-season with a final swing to Northwestern (8-18, 3-13 Big Ten) on Friday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. EST and Wisconsin (16-8, 10-6 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 8:30 p.m. EST. Both teams were 2003 NCAA Tournament participants.
Fox Sports Chicago will televise State's match at Wisconsin on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m.
Radio for all MSU volleyball matches can be found live on the internet at www.msuspartans.com with John Kreger handling the play-by-play.
STRONG SECOND-HALF START - After picking up just two wins in the first half of the Big Ten season, the Spartans have recorded four wins in the second half of league play. MSU is 4-2 in the first three weeks of the second half of the Big Ten.
BIG DIGS - Junior libero Marley Bellwood posted at least 15 digs in seven matches, dating from Oct. 2-Nov. 12, including a career-best 27 against No. 21 Illinois (Oct. 29). Bellwood had 20 against both Purdue (Nov. 5) and Indiana (Nov. 6); 19 each against Northwestern (Oct. 23) and Michigan (Oct. 27); and 17 against Iowa (Nov. 12) and Wisconsin (Oct. 22).
SCHRAM TIES SCHOOL RECORD - Kim Schram averaged 7.17 kills and 4.0 digs per game in State's 1-1 weekend against Iowa and No. 5 Minnesota. She had 43 kills and 24 digs in the six games on the weekend, and her 28 kills against Iowa Friday tied a school record for kills in a three-game match.
NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THAT? - Freshman setter Maggie Griffin has 1,150 assists on the season, second in the MSU all-time freshman records book. Vicki Basil (1997) holds the freshman record at 1,297, and Griffin's current pace of 12.92 puts her just 11 games away from topping that mark. In MSU single-season records, Griffin is 31 from entering the top 10 list (1,181).
LOOKING AT NORTHWESTERN & WISCONSIN
ON THE ROAD AGAIN, FOR THE LAST TIME - State (11-13, 6-10 Big Ten) heads to Northwestern (8-18, 3-13 Big Ten) on Friday, Nov. 19 before continuing its weekend at Wisconsin (16-8, 10-6 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 20. Friday's match begins at 8 p.m. EST, while Saturday is an 8:30 p.m. EST start. Northwestern stands in ninth place in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin is tied with Illinois for fourth in the league. State is in eighth place after its 1-1 weekend at home against Iowa and Minnesota.
NORTHWESTERN (8-18, 3-13 Big Ten) - 8 p.m. EST - Friday, Nov. 19
A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN - The Wildcats are struggling with a four-match losing streak, and have dropped eight of their last 10, with those wins coming against Iowa (3-0) and Purdue (3-1).
Lindsay Anderson leads Northwestern with 3.05 kills per game, and 223 on the year. Courtnie Paulus has 224 kills. Libero Christie Gardner averages 4.26 digs per game, while setter Drew Robertson has 1,003 assists (11.14apg).
The Wildcats average 14.50 kills per game, compared to their opponents' 15.31. As a team, NU is hitting .170 on the season, and average 2.06 blocks per game.
HEAD COACH: Keylor Chan (Florida, 1995) is in his fifth season at NU, and owns a 60-89 record in that time. As a collegiate head coach, he is 78-104 in six years.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: State defeated Northwestern in East Lansing, 3-1 (30-24, 30-27, 26-30, 30-25), on Oct. 23, the start of State's three-match mid-Big Ten season winning streak. Kim Schram had 29 kills for State in the match, while Michelle Kopka added 18. Maggie Griffin had 64 assists, and Marley Bellwood had 19 digs. Northwestern's Lindsay Anderson and Stephanie Jurvich each had 14 kills.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Northwestern leads the all-time series, 27-21.
THE LAST 10 YEARS: MSU has a 18-3 advantage against NU in the last 10 years.
LAST YEAR: The teams split with each team winning in three games on its home court.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Northwestern Northwestern Michigan State Michigan State Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.) Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.)Kills 1305/795 14.50/14.20 1389/931 15.61/15.78Total Attacks 3764/2371 41.82/42.34 3504/2389 39.37/40.49Att. Pct. .170/.164 N/A .225/.220 N/AAssists 1193/737 13.26/13.16 1287/872 14.46/14.78Service Aces 56/103 1.14/1.00 111/58 1.25/0.98Digs 1417/923 15.74/16.48 1296/873 14.56/14.80Total Blocks 185.5/120.0 2.06/2.14 208.0/143.0 2.34/2.42
WISCONSIN (16-8, 10-6 Big Ten) - 8:30 p.m. EST - Saturday, Nov. 20
A LOOK AT WISCONSIN - Wisconsin has faced the top teams in the Big Ten, and has struggled of late, as the Badgers have dropped their last three to Illinois (3-0), Penn State (3-1) and Ohio State (3-0). Prior to that skid, though, UW won eight consecutive matches, and 10 of its last 11.
Sheila Shaw leads Wisconsin at 3.88 kills per game, and 334 on the season, while hitting at a .310 clip. Jill Odenthal averages 3.05 kills. Setter Jackie Simpson has 957 assists on the year, an average of 12.93 per game. Libero Jocelyn Wack has 408 digs this season, and averages 4.74 per game.
The Badgers average nearly 1.50 kills per game more than their opponents, and are out-hitting their opponents, .256-.190. They also out-block opponents, 3.14-2.36, on average.
HEAD COACH: Pete Waite (Ball State, 1981) is in his seventh season at Wisconsin, with a 146-44 record in that span. He is 412-146 in his 18 years as a collegiate head coach.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Wisconsin swept State, 30-27, 30-23, 30-26, on Oct. 22 in East Lansing. MSU was held to a .131 attack percentage in the match, as Kim Schram and Michelle Kopka led the Spartans with 10 kills apiece. UW's Maria Carlini had a match-best 17 kills.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 35-18.
THE LAST 10 YEARS: Wisconsin has a 15-7 lead in the series in the last 10 years.
LAST YEAR: State swept Wisconsin, 3-1 in East Lansing and 3-2 in Madison.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Wisconsin Wisconsin Michigan State Michigan State Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.) Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.)Kills 1394/949 16.21/16.65 1389/931 15.61/15.78Total Attacks 3478/2378 40.44/41.72 3504/2389 39.37/40.49Att. Pct. .256/.252 N/A .225/.220 N/AAssists 1303/892 15.15/15.65 1287/872 14.46/14.78Service Aces 93/60 1.08/1.05 111/58 1.25/0.98Digs 1338/925 15.56/16.23 1296/873 14.56/14.80Total Blocks 270.0/167.0 3.14/2.93 208.0/143.0 2.34/2.42
OFF TO A GOOD START - State has an 8-0 record in matches in which it wins game one. Four of those game one wins came in 3-0 match sweeps for MSU.
IMPROVEMENT IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS - State is 4-2 in its last six matches, and in that span, is out-hitting its opponents, 17.00-16.39 kills per game and .265-.255. Additionally, the Spartans have posted half a block more than their opponents (2.74-2.39) and a dig more per game (15.87-14.83).
ROAD WEARY - State is 2-8 in road games this season, with wins at Wichita State and Indiana.
 Kim Schram tied a school record with 28 kills in State's 3-0 win against Iowa on Nov. 12.  | |
QUALITY ATTACKS - Kim Schram and Brooke Langston both hit better than .333 in State's 1-1 weekend against Iowa and Minnesota, as Schram hit .372 with 7.17 kills per game (43) and Langston hit .333 with 2.33 kills per game (14).
20 KILLS AND COUNTING - Senior Kim Schram has 25 career 20-kill matches, including eight this season. She is currently third on the all-time 20-kill match list, and five out of second (Veronica Morales, 1993-97). Jenna Wrobel (1995-98) holds the record at 54.
GRIFFIN HITS 50 - Freshman setter Maggie Griffin has posted at least 50 assists in 11 of State's 24 matches this season, including a career-best 68 against Purdue (Oct. 2). She had 64 against Northwestern (Oct. 23) and 57 against Michigan (Oct. 27).
BELLWOOD ON RECORD-SETTING PACE - Junior libero Marley Bellwood is currently on a record-setting pace in digs per game, as she is averaging 4.08 on the year. The standing MSU record for digs per game is 3.68, set by Jill Krumm in 1989, when she posted 409 digs in 111 games. Bellwood has 322 digs in 79 games played this season.
 Freshman Maggie Griffin is about 11 games from tying the MSU record for assists by a freshman. | |
AAUGH! - Service errors have plagued MSU this season, as the Spartans have 236 on the season, an average of 2.65 per game. State had 15 in its 3-2 win against Michigan (Oct. 27).
FAN PRESENCE - MSU is averaging an attendance of 1,707 per match--18,772 total--in Jenison Field House this season, including a season-high of 3,517 on Oct. 27 against Michigan. In its eight Big Ten matches, State has a total attendance of 15,950, and averages 1,994 fans.
BUILDING BLOCKS - Freshman Meghan Schoen continues to lead the Spartans' blocking efforts with a team-best 74 blocks on the season, and 61 in conference play. She is ranked 10th all-time in the freshman record book, and is tied for ninth (66) in block assists. Her eight block solos on the year are four from the 10th place spot on that list.
JENISON, SWEET JENISON - State has an 8-3 record in matches held in Jenison Field House this season, with five of those wins coming in a three-game set. MSU has an 122-46 record in the facility since 1993. In State's 11 matches at home this year, the Spartans average 16.70 kills per game and are hitting .281. Additionally, they average 15,58 assists, 2.89 blocks, 14.21 digs and 1.27 service aces per game.
DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING - The Spartans have had at least three players record 10-plus kills in 13 of their 24 matches.
QUALITY OVER THE LONG HAUL - Junior Brooke Langston has been the Spartans' hitting leader in their four five-game matches, boasting the team's best attack percentage in each match. She hit .421 (20-4-38) against Wichita State, .400 (18-4-35) at South Carolina, .529 (10-1-17) against Purdue and .579 (12-1-19) against Michigan.
550 REACHED - Head coach Chuck Erbe reached his 550th career victory with State's 3-2 win against Michigan on Oct. 27. At the start of the season, Erbe's .684 career win percentage (542-245-3) was 27th all-time in the NCAA, while his wins total of 542 was 14th all-time.
SCHRAM CARRIES THE BULK - Kim Schram is averaging 5.17 kills per game in Big Ten matches, an MSU best. In 16 matches, she has 305 kills to go along with 131 digs and 40 blocks.
 Meghan Schoen is ranked 10th all-time in the freshman record book with 74 blocks on the season. | |
WALLIN SETS SCHOOL RECORD - Junior middle Megan Wallin set a school record against St. John's, as she posted 13 kills and no errors on 14 attacks on Sept. 4. Wallin's attack percentage of .929 bettered the former single-match record of .923 (12-0-13) by Corie Richard against Maryland on Sept. 15, 1995.
CAPTAINS - Juniors Brooke Langston and Megan Wallin will serve as the Spartans' 2004 captains.
SMART OFF THE COURT, TOO - MSU had nine volleyball players honored as Academic All-Big Ten selections in 2003. Mickey Davis, Stephanie Knopp, Michelle Kopka, Brooke Langston, Jenny Rood, Kim Schram, Diana Steplyk and Megan Wallin were all named to the team. All nine student-athletes were named to the team in 2002 as well.
