Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Volleyball Set To Conclude 2005 Regular Season
11/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 25, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - -
MSU vs. Penn State and Ohio State Game Notes
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The Spartan volleyball team will play host to nationally-ranked Penn State and Ohio State this weekend at Jenison Field House in the final weekend of regular season play for the 2005 campaign. State enters weekend play with an overall 12-16 record and a 5-13 Big Ten mark. MSU fell to Northwestern and Wisconsin last weekend on the road and will enter the final home weekend on a 3-7 streak over the previous 10 contests. The Saturday night match-up with Ohio State will also mark the final contest of Marley Bellwood, Mickey Davis, Brooke Langston and Megan Wallin's careers in the Green and White.
REGULAR SEASON FINALE - State will play host to the nationally ranked duo of Penn State and Ohio State this weekend in the final weekend of regular season play in 2005. Penn State has already locked the Big Ten Championship, while Ohio State continues to battle for position. The Spartans will honor the parents during the Friday night match-up with PSU, while Senior Night festivities will take place after the Saturday night contest with OSU.
CONTRIBUTIONS ALL AROUND - In weekend play vs. Northwestern and Wisconsin a number of Spartans made considerable contributions in each contest. Defensive specialist Miken Trogdon added 11 digs vs. Wisconsin, while freshman Melany Rarey added one kill and 10 digs in the loss to Northwestern on Friday night.
SENIOR SALUTE - The four graduating seniors of 2005 - Marley Bellwood, Mickey Davis, Brooke Langston and Megan Wallin - have all contributed for the Spartans in 2005. Bellwood tallied her 1,000 career dig in early November, Davis has consistently ranked among the national elite in the assists per game category, while Langston and Wallin each pose offensive and defensive threats at the net.
NATIONAL SCENE - As of the Nov. 22nd NCAA National Rankings, three Spartans ranked among the nation's elite. Katie Johnson ranks 14th in the nation with 5.10 kills per game, Mickey Davis boasts a 13.16 assists per game average - 20th in the nation, while Nicole Colaluca ranks 21st at the libero position with 5.47 digs per game. (The NCAA releases national stats on Tuesday of each week.)
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS - At 18-0 in conference play Penn State has already captured the 2005 Big Ten volleyball title. For the series, Penn State leads the Spartans 24-6 as they have swept the Spartans the previous two meetings - Oct. 15, 2005 at Rec Hall and last season at Jenison Field House on Nov. 26.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES - The Buckeyes continue to battle for position in the Big Ten. OSU holds the 38-24 series advantage over the Spartans after winning the 2005 series opener 3-1 on Oct. 14 in Columbus.
THE DOUBLE-DIGIT DUO - The dynamic double-digit duo of Katie Johnson and Nicole Colaluca have posted numbers to impress in 2005. Colaluca has tallied double-digit dig totals in all of the Spartans' 28 matches this season with 13 contests with an above 20 total, three matches with an above 30 total and her career-best 45 dig effort vs. Sacramento State on Sept. 17. Johnson has tallied double-digit kill totals in 25 of 27 matches she's played in thus far in 2005. Johnson has 15 matches with at least 20 kills while she posted a career-high 33 kills vs. VCU and more recently 30 vs. Illinois on Oct. 28.
STATISTICS (TAKE ONE) - The Spartans hit rather well in the losses to Northwestern and Wisconsin last weekend, a combined .205 averaging 17.67 kills per game. However the opponents would also hit well - .271 combined - averaging 17.5 kills per game. The major difference was with the hitting errors - MSU committed 46, while NU and Wisconsin hit just 32 at the net.
DEFENSIVE ROLE - Senior Megan Wallin will play her final contest of her Spartan career against Ohio State on Saturday at Jenison Field House. Last weekend vs. the Wildcats and Badgers, Wallin led the Spartan defense with 1.17 blocks per game.
ALREADY A LOOK AHEAD - Although 2005 will come to an end without an NCAA tournament berth - the Spartans return a strong core of veterans next season - Hohl, Bellwood, Johnson, Trogdon, Colaluca, Belich, Rarey, McDaniel and Schatzle and will welcome many new faces to the bench in 2006.
MILESTONE MARKER - A number of Spartans are climbing the record books - senior setter Mickey Davis has 1,465 career assists - 1,421 of those in 2005. After posting a combined 82 assists vs. Michigan and Indiana - Davis moved into the 10th place spot on the all-time charts. Senior defensive specialist Marley Bellwood needs just 17 digs to move into 10th place all-time. Bellwood reached the 1,000 dig milestone vs. Penn State on Oct. 15, currently she has 1,049 career digs.
OVER THE PAST FIVE SEASONS... The Spartans have gone 1-4 in the previous five seasons in the regular season finale. Two of those losses came at the hand of the Wisconsin Badgers, State also lost to Illinois and Ohio State. The lone win came against Indiana when the Spartans took the 3-1 win at Jenison Field House in the 2001 regular season finale.
HEAD COACH Cathy George - Spartan head coach Cathy George is in her first season at the helm of the MSU volleyball program. During her time as a collegiate head coach, George holds an overall 377-240 record - a .611 winning percentage for her career. If the outcome of the year is up to George, MSU will finish with a better than .500 average - for her 19 year head coaching career, she has had just seven seasons with a below .500 finish.
IN 2005, AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS - Thus far in 2005, MSU is 0-8 against ranked opponents with losses to Louisville, Minnesota, Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Minnesota and most recently the 0-3 loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 19th.
SINCE THE GLORY DAYS OF SEPTEMBER - After opening the 2005 season with a 5-0 slate, MSU has failed to string two consecutive wins together since. MSU's longest losing streak of the year was from the Oct. 7th loss to Purdue until MSU captured a five game win vs. Northwestern on Oct. 22 at Jension Field House. In the last seven matches, MSU has gone 3-4 most recently with a victory over Indiana.
FINAL FOUR - In 2004, MSU went 1-3 in the final four contests of the season - a victory over Northwestern, then three consecutive losses to Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State... does that lineup sound familiar? Same lineup for the last four in 2005.
THE WOLVES' TOOK THE CAKE - Despite a valiant effort by the Spartans in 2005, the Michigan Wolverines captured yet another State Pride Flag. The win marks the fourth straight for the cross-town rivals, as the Spartans captured their last flag during the 2001 one season - get em' next year!
