Spartan Volleyball Faces Utah In NCAA Tournament First Round

Nov. 30, 2006

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

The Michigan State volleyball team (19-11) is set to face unseeded Utah (27-3) in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament on Friday, Dec. 1 at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA. Michigan State makes its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003, and 11th overall where it owns an 11-10 all-time record. The winner will advance to play No. 4 UCLA or unseeded UAB in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 2.

Spartan Tournament History
Michigan State makes its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and owns an 11-10 all-time record. The Spartans return to the national stage after failing to qualify during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Prior to the 2004 campaign, MSU made 10 consecutive appearances in postseason play (1994-2003), including one appearance in the national semifinal (1995) and two appearances in the regional round (1996, 2002).

The Spartans have posted impressive wins in tournament play, defeating San Diego State and host Hawaii in the regional semifinal and final rounds in 1995, and defeating Notre Dame, a yearly contender on the national stage, in consecutive seasons (2001-02). No current Spartans have postseason experience, as Jessica Hohl, Katie Johnson, and Miken Trogdon all utilized their redshirt year during the 2003 campaign.

MSU Against the 2006 NCAA Tournament Field
The Spartans are 3-10 this season against teams in the 2006 NCAA Tournament field. MSU lost its first match of the season to Arizona State, posted a 1-1 record against No. 14 seeded Purdue, won two contests against Michigan, and suffered two losses to No. 8 Minnesota, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 3 Penn State, and No. 10 Wisconsin.

All-Time Against Utah
The Spartans have played Utah twice, with the series tied 1-1. The two teams met for the first time during the 1979 season at the UCLA National Invitational Tournament, where Utah claimed a 2-0 victory over MSU with scores of 15-4 and 15-12. The most recent meeting between the two schools was during the 1998 Michigan State Invitational, where MSU swept Utah by scores of 15-2, 15-9, and 16-14 en route to the tournament title.

The UAB And UCLA Series
Michigan State has never faced UAB, while UCLA holds a 4-0 record in the all-time series with the Spartans. UCLA defeated the Spartans, 3-2, in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion.

How They Got There:
UCLA: The Bruins finished tied for second in the Pac-10 with a 15-3 conference mark and received an at-large bid.

UAB: UAB defeated Memphis to win the Conference USA Championship Tournament, earning an automatic bid to postseason play.

UTAH: Utah earned an at-large bid to the 2006 NCAA Tournament after finishing 16-0 in the Mountain West Conference this year.

Opponent NCAA Tournament History
UCLA: The Bruins are participating in their 25th NCAA Championship. UCLA has won three NCAA titles (1984, 1990, 1991) and six total National Championships in women's volleyball (1971-72 DGWS and 1974, 1975 AIAW). This is UCLA's first top-four national seed since 1994, which is also the year of UCLA's most recent trip to the semifinals.

UAB: The UAB Blazers are one of five teams making their initial appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

UTAH: Utah makes its ninth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Utes advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen during the 2001 season.

Michigan State At Pauley Pavilion
The Spartans have played two contests at Pauley Pavilion, both during the 2000 NCAA Tournament run. MSU defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee in first-round play, and suffered a 3-2 season-ending loss to host UCLA.

Among The Field
The Pacific-10 Conference, the Southeastern Conference, and the Big Ten Conference led all Division I conferences with seven teams selected to the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten conference has sent seven teams to the tournament three times (2003, 2004, and 2006).

Common Opponent
Michigan State shares a common opponent with just one of the four teams it may face during first- and second-round play. UCLA swept Tennessee Tech in its 2006 season opener on Aug. 26, while MSU swept the Golden Eagles at the Sports Import Classic on Sept. 9.

Right Side - Strong Side!
Spartan outside hitter Ashley Schatzle played a critical role in both Michigan State victories over Michigan in 2006. Schatzle had a breakout performance in the first contest between the two schools (Oct. 11). She contributed 8.00 kills per game, and garnered Big Ten Player of the Week accolades for her performance. In the most recent meeting, Schatzle tallied a floor-best 22 kills on 45 attempts (.378) to lead State to its first season sweep over the Wolverines since the 1998 campaign.

Outside hitter Katie Johnson

Spartan Leaders
Outside hitter Katie Johnson led the Spartan offense with 4.71 kills per game in regular-season play, while outside hitter Ashley Schatzle was just behind with 4.62 kpg. In her first season in the Green and White, setter Allison Ianni tallied 1,309 assists, directing State to a .279 regular-season attack percentage. Miken Trogdon posted a team-high 0.28 aces per game, libero Nicole Colaluca anchored the Spartan backcourt with 4.68 digs per game, and Jessica Hohl led MSU at the net with 1.03 blocks per game (9BS-94BA).

Lasting Mark
Libero Nicole Colaluca ends the regular season ranked first in Spartan history with 5.07 career digs per game, and second in the single-season record book with 4.68 digs per game, trailing only her own record set in 2005 (5.41). Outside hitter Katie Johnson also ranks among the best offensive performers in Spartan history. Her 4.24 kills per game ranks second in the career record book, while her 21 career 20-kill matches ranks third all-time.

The `King' Of The Net
Middle blocker Vanessa King posted one of the best defensive performances by a freshman in Michigan State history during her rookie campaign. The Spring Lake, Mich., native saw action in all 30 of MSU's regular-season contests, and enters postseason play ranked sixth in the Spartan freshman record book with 0.97 blocks per game and fifth with 79 block assists for the year.

Final Big Ten Statistics
In the final Big Ten statistics, Michigan State finished the season ranked first in kills per game (16.92), first in assists (15.63) and third in hitting percentage (.279). Among Big Ten competitors, Allison Ianni is third in assists per game (13.09), while Katie Johnson (4.71) and Ashley Schatzle (4.62) rank second and fifth, respectively, in kills per game. Defensively, libero Nicole Colaluca is sixth in digs per game (4.68).

Senior Setter Allison Ianni
Allison Ianni spent just one season in the Green and White, but made an immediate and lasting impact. She is one of 83 volleyball players from around the nation, and the only member of the Big Ten Conference, to record a triple-double thus far in 2006. Ianni kicked off the season by posting 11 kills, 55 assists and 10 digs on Aug. 25 against IPFW. The feat marked the first Spartan triple-double since the 2000 season, when Erin Hartley tallied 18 kills, 11 digs and 10 blocks. Ianni finished the regular season ranked sixth in the Spartan single-season record book with 13.09 assists per game.

Michigan State NCAA Timeline

In its first-ever bid in 1994, Michigan State traveled to College Station, Texas, where it lost in the first round to Texas A&M, 3-1.

In 1995, the Spartans received a first-round bye and defeated Brigham Young as the host school in the second round. In the Mountain Region Semifinal, MSU defeated San Diego State and then went on to defeat Hawaii in the Regional Final to earn the school's first-ever berth in the NCAA Final Four. The Spartans were defeated in the National Semifinal by Nebraska.

Michigan State again received a bye in 1996 and hosted Texas A&M in the second round, winning 3-0. In the Central Regional Semifinal in Gainesville, Fla., MSU defeated Long Beach State, 3-1, before being stopped in the Regional Final by host Florida, 3-1.

The Spartans received an at-large bid in 1997 and traveled to Lincoln, Neb., for the first round where they bea Butler, 3-0. The host Cornhuskers ended the Spartans' postseason run with a 3-0 win in the second round.

1998 marked the third time in four years that the Spartans hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State suffered a 3-2 loss to Pepperdine in the opening round.

In 1999, Michigan State was one of eight Big Ten teams to gain entry into the NCAA Tournament, making it as an at-large bid. The Spartans traveled to Malibu, Calif., defeating Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the first round, 3-1, but falling for the second consecutive year to Pepperdine, 3-1.

2000 marked the seventh consecutive NCAA bid for MSU. State defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3-1, in the opening round, but lost to UCLA in five games in second-round play.

The Spartans traveled to Madison, Wis., and defeated Notre Dame in the opening round of the 2001 tournment. Michigan State suffered its third loss of the season to Wisconsin, 3-0, in the second round.

The 2002 tournament appearance marked the last win in postseason play for the Spartans. State posted consecutive victories over George Mason and Notre Dame to open tournament play, but lost to USC in the West Region Semifinal.

Michigan State hosted an NCAA first and second round for the first time since the 1998 campaign in its last tournament appearance in 2003. MSU lost to Dayton, 3-2, in the opening round.

The Spartans make a return-trip to the NCAA tournament in 2006 after a two-year hiatus from the national stage. MSU travels to the campus of UCLA and will face Utah in the first round.

Here Are The Top 5 Things You Need To Know About MSU In the NCAA Tournament
1. MSU has made 10 appearances in postseason play, including one appearance in the national semifinal (1995) and two appearances in the regional round (1996, 2002).
2. State has hosted the first and second round of postseason play four times - 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2003.
3. The Spartans have faced 17 different opponents in tournament play, and faced only Nebraska and Pepperdine on more than one occassion.
4. MSU has a flawless record against opponents from the Big West, Big East, Horizon League, and Mountain West conferences, while State holds a 0-1 record against Big Ten opponents.
5. No members of the 2006 squad have postseason experience, as Jessica Hohl, Katie Johnson, and Miken Trogdon all utilized their redshirt year during MSU's last tournament appearance in 2003.

The complete Michigan State Volleyball Postseason Media Guide can be found at: Spartan Volleyball Postseason Media Guide