Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Travels to No. 19 Michigan and Ohio State
11/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 12, 2008
Volleyball Coverage
• Cathy
• Kyndra
• Becca
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Live Audio vs. Michigan |Live Audio vs. Ohio State
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 2008 Michigan State volleyball squad (13-12, 5-9 Big Ten) will hit the road this weekend as it begins a streak of four consecutive matches on the road. The Spartan's first scheduled stop will be at No. 19 Michigan (20-6, 8-6 Big Ten) on Friday night at Cliff Keen Arena. The road trip will conclude at St. John Arena as the Spartans will take on Ohio State (11-15, 2-12 Big Ten) on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.
"Every match right now is really important for us," head coach Cathy George said. "It is important that we go in there and play our best game. Both Michigan and Ohio State are very tough places to play, but our team has done a good job responding to that, so we will go from there."
The Spartans topped both Michigan and Ohio State in the opening weekend of Big Ten play back in September at the Breslin Center. The win over Michigan marked the first time this season that MSU has topped a ranked opponent. This weekend will mark the beginning of a streak in which the Spartans will see four ranked opponents in their next six matches. At 5-9 in the Big Ten, the Spartans sit one match out of sixth place in the conference.
The Spartans split their series with Penn State and Indiana last weekend. MSU dropped a three-set match to No. 1 Penn State on Friday, but rebounded to top one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten in Indiana, 3-1. Indiana had won four of its last five matches, including wins over two ranked opponents. In the match, the Spartans hit .288, their best since hitting .314 against Michigan on Sept. 27. Sophomore Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) had one of her best matches against Indiana, hitting .556 with 12 kills. Her 12 kills were just two off her career-best and her .556 hitting percentage was her career-best when she registers more than 10 attacks.
Friday's match with Michigan will mark a battle between two of the top setters in the Big Ten, the Spartans' Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) and Michigan's Lexi Zimmerman. Emro and Zimmerman are the only two setters in the Big Ten to account for more than 70-percent of their team's total offense as Emro (72.9) ranks just behind Zimmerman (73.8). On the season, Emro has totaled 980 assists, 106 kills, 19 aces and 63 blocks, accounting for 1,139.5 of the Spartans' 1,561 offensive points. In Big Ten play, Emro has accounted for 641 of the team's 844.5 total points, accounting for 76-percent of the team's offense.
Two Spartan upperclassmen, Mischelle Nelson (Naperville, Ill.) and Heather McDaniel (Madison Heights, Mich.), have stepped up their game as of late, each posting the bulk of their kill totals in the last eight matches. Nelson has totaled 29 kills, 19 blocks and 44.5 total points in the last eight matches. McDaniel, who posted just six kills in her first 17 matches, has totaled 39 in her last eight, including a career-best 10 against Indiana on Saturday.
Freshman Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) has also been a bright spot for the Spartans during Big Ten play. Abron has tallied 135 kills in Big Ten action, which ranks her second on the team behind Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.).
Michigan enters the week at 9-6 in the Big Ten and 21-6 overall. Last time out, Michigan defeated Northwestern and Wisconsin. The Wolverines are led by a pair of offensive weapons that rank among the conference elite, Beth Karpiak and Juliana Paz. Paz leads the team with 303 kills, averaging 3.33 per set. Paz is one of the more versatile player on the Michigan roster as she also averages 2.24 digs per set. She posted 18 kills and 19 digs in the Wolverine's win over Wisconsin on Saturday.
Karpiak is hitting .356 with 291 kills. Her .356 clip ranks sixth in the conference. She is also second on the team in blocks, averaging 0.79 per set. Michigan has won five of its last seven contests, losing to only nationally ranked Illinois and Purdue in that span.
The Buckeyes come in at 2-13 in the conference, tying them for last place with Northwestern. They boast two potent offensive weapons in Kristen Dozier and Katie Dull. Dull missed the first seven matches of the season with an injury, but since her return, Dull has tallied 251 kills in 19 matches, giving her 3.92 per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten. She has 251 total kills on the season. Complimenting Dull is Dozier, the only player to start all 26 matches for OSU. Dozier leads the team in kills (256) and total attacks (618).
The match against Michigan will also determine the winner of the "State Pride Series." Each year, the winner of the series gets possession of the State Pride Flag. With a win over Michigan already under their belt, the Spartans are in prime position to take home the prize this season. A Spartan win, or even a loss in five sets, will give the Spartans the "State Pride Series" title. Live audio with John Kreger along with live stats for both matches will be provided at www.msuspartans.com.
