Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Ready For Big Ten Homestand
10/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 20, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
MSU vs. Wisconsin and Northwestern Game Notes
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The Spartan volleyball team will take part in Homecoming festivities this weekend when they play host to nationally-ranked Wisconsin and Northwestern at Jenison Field House Friday and Saturday. The Spartans enter play with the Badgers and Wildcats after a two game road trip resulting in losses to nationally-ranked Ohio State and Penn State. MSU stands with a 9-9 overall record and 2-6 Big Ten mark as the conference season nears the halfway point. Outside hitter Katie Davis continues to nurse a sore non-hitting elbow, however the remainder of the MSU team is injury free. Setter Mickey Davis ranks 23rd in the national standings with 13.00 assists per game, while Nicole Colaluca stays in the 16th spot with 5.43 digs per game after the Ohio State/ Penn State swing.
THE ROAD WEARY SPARTANS - State returns to Jenison Field House this weekend for two Big Ten Conference match-ups. First MSU will play host to the Wisconsin Badgers who boast a 7-1 Big Ten slate, before Northwestern visits East Lansing on Saturday night. The Wildcats are 2-5 Big Ten heading into weekend action.
BIG TEN RECAP - In Big Ten play thus far in 2005, State holds a 2-6 mark with victories over Indiana and Iowa, and most recently losses to nationally ranked powerhouses Ohio State and Penn State. Leading the way for MSU in conference action is setter Mickey Davis averaging 12.81 assists per game, while Katie Johnson, Ashley Schatzle and Megan Wallin average 3.89, 3.56 and 3.47 kills per game respectively.
NATIONAL SCENE - As of the Oct. 16th NCAA National Rankings, three Spartans ranked among the nation's elite. Katie Johnson ranks tenth in the nation with 5.21 kills per game, Mickey Davis boasts a 13.00 assists per game average - 23rd in the nation, while Nicole Colaluca ranks 16th at the libero position with 5.43 digs per game. (The NCAA releases national stats on Tuesday of each week.)
SCOUTING THE BADGERS - Wisconsin is 15-2, 7-1 in Big Ten play heading into action vs. the Spartans on Friday night most recently defeating both Northwestern and Indiana in 3-0 sweeps. The Badgers are paced by Audra Jeffers who averages 3.53 kills per game overall, while setter Jackie Simpson averages 11.98 dishes per contest.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS - Northwestern is 11-7 overall with a 2-6 Big Ten Slate as they travel to face Michigan on Friday and the Spartans Saturday night from Jenison. Lindsay Anderson averages 3.70 kills per game to lead the squad, while Christie Gardner holds a 4.48 digs per game tally.
TOUGH ROAD - The Spartan's faced tough competition last weekend traveling to battle nationally-ranked Ohio State and Penn State in Big Ten play. With losses to both squads, MSU stands with a 9-9 record, 2-6 Big Ten heading into weekend play with the Badgers and Wildcats.
INJURY REPORT - Outside hitter Katie Johnson suffered an injury to her non-hitting arm in the home contest vs. Illinois on Oct. 8. The injury caused Johnson to play sparingly vs. the Buckeyes, where she posted five kills and one block assist. Johnson did not see any time on the court vs. Penn State.
LOOKING AT THE BIG TEN - Penn State is the last remaining team in the Big Ten to hold an unbeaten record as the conference season approaches the half-way point for 2005. Wisconsin sits in second position with a 6-1 slate, while Minnesota is 6-2 in Big Ten play. The Spartans are currently ninth in the standings with a 2-6 conference record thus far in 2005.
way to go ACE! - Freshman outside hitter Melany Rarey made her collegiate debut against Ohio State last Friday and began her career with an ace at the service stripe. Throughout weekend play, Rarey tallied two kills vs. the Buckeyes adding four kills vs. Penn State.
SOLID ADDITION - Ashley Schatzle continues to post impressive numbers in Big Ten play. Her 3.10 kills per game average is third on the team behind Katie Johnson (5.21) and Megan Wallin (3.31) - however defensively her numbers continue to rise - heading into weekend action she averages 0.41 blocks per game and 0.42 digs per game.
WITH THE DISH - Setter Mickey Davis posted 35 and 30 assists respectively vs. Ohio State and Penn State last weekend sending her assists per game mark to an even 13.00 per game. The mark ranks her 23rd in the nation in the most current standings. Earlier in 2005, Davis ranked as high as 10th in the standings.
the DS DIG - Libero Nicole Colaluca ranks 16th in the nation with her 5.43 digs per game mark as the Spartans look to face Wisconsin and Northwestern. Colaluca continues her pace to shatter many of the all-time defensive dig records in the MSU books. Her current tally of 380 through the first 18 matches of the season has her on pace to reach 630 digs in 2005 - if Cola reaches the mark, she will shatter the previous MSU single-season dig record by nearly 200 digs.
BELLWOOD HITS 1,000 - Senior defensive specialist Marley Bellwood recorded three digs in the Spartan loss to Penn State last Saturday night - HOWEVER, her final dig of the night was her 1,000th dig of her career, congrats!
IF THE SEASON WERE TO STOP TODAY... - Setter Mickey Davis would hold the all-time lead for assists per game - 13.00, Katie Johnson would hold the all-time kills per game mark with 5.21, senior captain Megan Wallin would sit in seventh position with a career .284 hitting percentage, Nicole Colaluca would break every dig record MSU has, including digs per game with 5.43.
THE LAST TIME... - MSU holds a 2-6 record in Big Ten games heading into weekend play, other than the 2004 season when the Spartans finished with a 7-9 Big Ten tally, the team had not finished the season with a losing conference record since the 1994 season when State finished 9-11. Sidenote to that, the following season in 1995, MSU went 15-1 in Big Ten play advancing to the NCAA regional final. Keep that in mind!
the HALFWAY POINT TO THE TITLE - This weekend's action marks the halfway point in the Big Ten's 20-match conference schedule. No. 4 Penn State continues to remain undefeated in league play and atop the standings at 8-0. The Nittany Lions, 17-2 overall, are seeking their third consecutive Big Ten title. No. 7 Wisconsin sits in second place at 7-1, just ahead of No. 12 Minnesota at 6-2.
FIVE BIG TEN SCHOOLS RANKED IN NATION'S TOP 20 - For the fifth consecutive week, five Big Ten teams are ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Penn State (No. 3), Wisconsin (7), Minnesota (12), Purdue (17) and Ohio State (20) all found spots among the top 20 this week.
IT LOOKS LIKE THIS - At home, MSU is 4-3, on the road the Spartans are 3-4 and at a neutral site MSU is 2-2. MSU needs to get on its winning ways at home during conference season however, in 2005 MSU is 0-3 in home contests against Big Ten opponents.
LAST YEAR... - Last season vs. Wisconsin - the Badgers took victories both at Jenison and in Madison, while against Northwestern, MSU won both contests in 2004.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - `MSU struggled on the road last season finishing with a 3-9 record with wins over Wichita State, Indiana and Northwestern. Thus far in 2005, the Spartans are 3-4 away from Jenison Field House.
DID YOU KNOW? - Prior to the installation of the wooden playing surface this summer in Jenison, the Spartans had played their home matches on the sport court surface from 1993-2004, a span of 12 seasons. When volleyball started at MSU, the Spartans competed on the main wooden floor at Jenison.
CAPTAIN SALUTE - Senior middle blocker Megan Wallin and sophomore outside hitter Katie Johnson will share captain duties for the 2005 season.
GEORGE TRACK RECORD - First-year head coach Cathy George has a celebrated coaching record. She was the first woman to coach a team to the NCAA Final Four in just her first season at the helm of the Texas-Arlington program in 1989. Posting winning seasons and strong academic numbers are key aspects of any Cathy George run program. Student-athletes boasted a 100 percent graduation rate during her time at WMU - an amazing figure coaching at any level of athletics.
TOURNEY TALK - The 2004 campaign marked the first season in the last 10 that the Spartans did not participate in the NCAA Championship Tournament - an impressive run, and one of the longest streaks in the NCAA prior to missing tourney action in 2004. During that 10-year streak, the Spartans posted a combined 11 victories.
RECORD BREAKERS IN `04 - Senior Marley Bellwood enters this season as the new record holder for digs per game as she tallied 395 digs in 92 games last season for the Spartans. Her average, 4.29, breaks a 15-year old MSU record.
