Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Final Home Weekend, Nov. 26-27
11/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 24, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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FINAL HOME WEEKEND - Michigan State volleyball (12-14, 7-11 Big Ten) hosts its final regular-season weekend of the year Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27. The Spartans take on No. 4 Penn State (25-2, 16-2 Big Ten) Friday at 7 p.m. and face Ohio State (25-3, 15-3) Saturday at 7 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.
SENIOR SALUTE - State's matches against Penn State and Ohio State this weekend mark the last for the 2004 seniors - Michelle Kopka, Kim Schram and Diana Steplyk.
OFF TO A GOOD START - Until Nov. 20 at Wisconsin, a first-game win was a harbinger of a match victory for MSU. Until the match with the Badgers, in which MSU won game one but lost the match, State had a 9-0 record in matches in which it won the first game. Five of those game one wins came in 3-0 match sweeps for the Spartans.
IMPROVEMENT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE BIG TEN - After picking up just two wins in the first half of the Big Ten season, State is 5-3 in the second half of the Big Ten, 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).
BACK ON THE BLOCKING TRACK - State posted 10.0 team blocks in its 3-0 win at Northwestern (Nov. 19) and 12.0 at Wisconsin (Nov. 20), marking the fifth and sixth times in MSU's last eight matches the Spartans hit double-figure blocks totals. The Spartan had a five-match streak of at least 10.0 team blocks that lasted from Oct. 23-Nov. 6, and was snapped with just six blocks against Iowa on Nov. 12.
MUST-WIN WEEKEND - The Spartans face a tough task as Nov. 26-27 is a must-win if they have any hope of making an 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
LOOKING AT THE WEEK AHEAD HOME FOR THE LAST TIME - State (12-14, 7-11 Big Ten) hosts No. 4 Penn State (25-2, 16-2 Big Ten) and No. 8 Ohio State (25-3, 15-3) for the final weekend of the 2004 Big Ten season. MSU takes on Penn State Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. and Ohio State Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. in Jenison Field House. Penn State is in first place in the Big Ten, while Ohio State is in second place. State is in eighth place after its 1-1 weekend against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
PENN STATE (25-2, 16-2 Big Ten) - 7 p.m. - Friday, Nov. 26
A LOOK AT PENN STATE - The Nittany Lions stand alone at the top of the conference after a 3-1 win at Ohio State on Nov. 17. Their only two losses on the season were five-game sets to then-No. 1 Minnesota (Oct. 2) and No. 7 Ohio State (Oct. 20).
Kate Price (4.00kpg), Ashley Pederson (3.88kpg) and Syndie Nadeau (3.06kpg) lead PSU's offense, while setter Sam tortorello averages 13.88 assists per game. Libero Kaleena Walters has 520 digs on the season.
Penn State averages 17.30 kills per game, compared to its opponents' 14.26. The Nittany Lions also average more assists (16.10-13.45), service aces (1.32-0.72), digs (19.32-17.87) and blocks (2.97-2.61) per game than their opponents.
HEAD COACH: Russ Rose (George Williams, 1975) is in his 26th season as a head coach overall and at Penn State. He owns an 824-150 record.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Penn State defeated MSU, 3-1 (30-17, 30-24, 23-30, 30-22) on Oct. 16 in an match seen on ESPN2. MSU's Kim Schram and Meghan Schoen each had 14 kills, while Michelle Kopka and Katie Johnson had 12 apiece. PSU's Ashely Pederson had 24 kills in the match, while Sam Tortorello had 60 assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Penn State leads the all-time series, 22-6, and is 9-4 in East Lansing.
THE LAST 10 YEARS: PSU has a 15-6 advantage against the Spartans in the last 10 years.
LAST YEAR: Penn State swept MSU, winning five-game matches at home and on the road.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Penn State Penn State Michigan State Michigan State Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.) Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.)Kills 1609/1101 17.30/17.48 1498/1040 15.60/15.76Total Attacks 3993/2806 42.94/44.54 3786/2671 39.44/40.47Att. Pct. .288/.272 N/A .223/.218 N/AAssists 1497/1028 16.10/16.32 1385/970 14.43/14.70Service Aces 123/71 1.32/1.13 128/75 1.33/1.14Digs 1797/1270 19.32/20.16 1406/983 14.65/14.89Total Blocks 276.0/191.0 2.97/3.03 230.0/165.0 2.40/2.50
No. 8 OHIO STATE (25-3, 15-3 Big Ten) - 7 p.m. - Saturday, Nov. 27
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE - The Buckeyes have lost twice in their last five matches, falling in four games to both Minnesota (Nov. 6) and Penn State (Nov. 17). On the year, OSU had a 19-0 win streak to start the season.
Stacey Gordon leads the Buckeyes, the Big Ten and the nation with an average of 7.08 kills per game. Danielle Meyer, Ami Stevens and Maya Mapp each average better than 2.00 kills. Setter Marisa Main has 1,447 assists on the year, an average of 14.77 per game. Gordon also leads OSU's defensive efforts, with an average of 3.58 digs per game, while Meyer is the leading blocker (1.08bpg).
HEAD COACH: Jim Stone (Ball State, 1975) is in his 23rd season at Ohio State, with a 466-260 record in that time. In 26 seasons as a head coach, he is 516-302 all-time.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Ohio State swept State on Oct. 15, 30-26, 30-23, 30-26. MSU hit .213 on the night, compared to OSU's .328. Kim Schram posted 14 kills for MSU, while Marley Bellwood led the team with nine digs. OSU's Stacey Gordon had 25 kills on .404 hitting.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Ohio State leads the all-time series, 32-24.
THE LAST 10 YEARS: MSU has a 13-8 lead in the series in the last 10 years.
LAST YEAR: State swept OSU on the year, 3-1, both at home and on the road.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Ohio State Ohio State Michigan State Michigan State Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.) Overall/Big Ten PG (O/Conf.)Kills 1792/1192 18.29/18.34 1498/1040 15.60/15.76Total Attacks 3847/2636 39.26/40.55 3786/2671 39.44/40.47Att. Pct. .311/.294 N/A .223/.218 N/AAssists 1650/1094 16.84/16.83 1385/970 14.43/14.70Service Aces 149/80 1.52/1.23 128/75 1.33/1.14Digs 1530/1081 15.61/16.63 1406/983 14.65/14.89Total Blocks 240.0/174.0 2.45/2.68 230.0/165.0 2.40/2.50
 Senior Michelle Kopka has played in 65 matches in her career, and set her career-best kills total of 18 against Northwestern on Oct. 23, 2004.  | |
NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THAT? - Freshman setter Maggie Griffin has 1,244 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 12.96 puts her just four games away from topping that mark. In MSU single-season records, Griffin is 10th.
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).
ROAD WEARY - State is 3-8 in road games this season, with wins at Wichita State, Indiana and Northwestern.
JOHNSON SETS CAREER BEST - Freshman Katie Johnson hit .571 with eight kills and no errors on 14 total attacks at Northwestern on Nov. 19, a career-best attack percentage.
IN THE LAST FIVE - The Spartans are 3-2 in their last five matches. State has averaged better numbers than it opponents in every category throughout those five matches, including kills (16.82-15.88), attack percentage (.238-.235), assists (15.18-14.12), service aces (1.53-1.35), digs (16.41-15.06) and blocks (2.76-2.53).
QUALITY ATTACKS - Kim Schram and Brooke Langston both hit better than .333 in State's 1-1 weekend against Iowa and Minnesota (No.v 12-13), 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.
 Senior Diana Steplyk tied a career-best aces total with two against Michigan on Oct. 27, 2004. | |
BELLWOOD ON RECORD-SETTING PACE - Junior libero Marley Bellwood is currently on a record-setting pace in digs per game, as she is averaging 4.15 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 357 digs in 86 games played this season.
ONE OF FOUR - With 1,729 kills throughout her three-plus seasons, senior Kim Schram is one of just four Spartans in MSU history to post 1,525 or more career kills. Schram broke into the top three in career kills (1,669) Friday, Nov. 12 against Iowa. Jenna Wrobel (1995-98) holds the school record for kills at 2,292, while Veronica Morales (1994-97) is second at 2,006.
AAUGH! - Service errors have plagued MSU this season, as the Spartans have 250 on the season, an average of 2.60 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 84 blocks on the season, and 71 in conference play. She is ranked eighth all-time in the freshman record book, and is six (76) 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.
SCHRAM CARRIES THE BULK - Kim Schram is averaging 5.11 kills per game in Big Ten matches, an MSU best. In 18 matches, she has 337 kills to go along with 152 digs and 46 blocks.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES (AND NO, YOU'RE NOT AT IN-N-OUT BURGER) - Five Spartans have posted double-doubles on the season, led by Kim Schram`s nine (kills-digs) and Maggie Griffin's (assists-digs) eight. Katie Johnson and Michelle Kopka have each posted 10-plus digs and kills in two matches, while Brooke Langston has done so in one match.
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.
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.
