Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Pair of Big Ten Foes
10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 15, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State returns home this weekend for Big Ten Conference action on Friday, Oct. 16, with an 6:30 p.m. match against Ohio State (14-5, 2-4). The following night the Spartans will host No. 1 Penn State (18-0, 6-0) for a match which is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. MSU is currently 5-0 at home and 2-0 against ranked opponents. This begin the longest Big Ten home stand for the Green and White this season, spanning three matches in six days, which concludes with a 7 p.m. match on Oct. 21 against Michigan at the Breslin Center.
This Week for the Spartans
(rv) Michigan State (14-4, 2-4) vs. Ohio State (14-5, 2-4)
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 • 6:30 p.m.
East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House
Live stats & broadcast: www.msuspartans.com
Series Information
• OSU leads 38-27
Last meetings:
Nov. 15, 2008 • Columbus, Ohio
MSU def. OSU, 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21)
Sept. 26, 2008 • East Lansing, Mich.
MSU def. OSU, 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23)
(rv) Michigan State (14-4, 2-4) vs. No. 1 Penn State (18-0, 6-0)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 • 6:30 p.m.
East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House
Live stats & broadcast: www.msuspartans.com
Series Information
• PSU leads 31-6
Last meetings:
Nov. 7, 2008 • East Lansing, Mich.
PSU def. MSU, 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-18)
Oct. 4, 2008 • University Park, Pa.
PSU def. MSU, 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-14)
Last Time Out
The Spartans returned to the road for matches against Wisconsin on Friday and Iowa on Sunday. MSU fell 3-0 to both the Badgers and the Hawkeyes. Even though Michigan State dropped both matches, MSU saw valiant efforts each night from different members on the roster. Sophomore Kyndra Abron led the Spartan attack against Wisconsin, tallying 10 kills. Against Iowa, sophomore Natalie Emro tallied seven kills while hitting .500.
Scouting the Buckeyes
The Buckeyes enter the weekend with a 14-5 overall record, while also posting a 2-4 conference record. Amanda Peterson is leading the team with 449 assists this season, while Ashley Hughes leads the team with 150 conference assists. Pacing the attack is Katie Dull who has tallied 89 kills in conference play and 267 overall. Kristen Dozier leads the team with 52 blocks, tallying 10 in the conference. Chelsea Noble anchors the last line of defense for the Buckeyes with her 264 overall digs, and 89 within the conference. At the helm of the Buckeyes is second-year head coach Geoff Carlston, who boasts a record of 26-20.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions have posted a perfect record of 18-0, with a 6-0 Big Ten record. Penn State is led up front by Megan Hodge who currently leads the team with 257 kills, 99 of those have occurred in Big Ten play. Alisha Glass quarterbacks the Nittany Lions offense, tallying 250 assists in conference play, and 683 overall. The backcourt is led by Alyssa D'Errico who currently averages 3.38 digs per set overall and 2.95 in conferences matches. Arielle Wilson has tallied 82 total blocks this season, while seeing 28 of those in Big Ten play. Head coach Russ Rose is currently in his 31st season with the Nittany Lions. Rose enters the weekend with a career record of 981-159. Penn State has been the No. 1 ranked team in the nation for 31 consecutive weeks, and are the two-time defending national champions.
Sister-Sister
Redshirt-freshman Mandi Karaba and junior Allyson Karaba are the third set of sisters to play under coach Cathy George during her Spartan tenure. The first pair of sisters occurred in 2005 when Marley Bellwood and Tracy Bellwood played with one another for 76 matches in Coach George's first season. The other pairing was of All-American Ashley Schatzle and current junior Megan Schatzle. Together, the Schatzle's have played in four sets together whereas the Karaba's have participated in 17 matches this season with one another. The Karaba's currently equate for 37 percent of the team's 881 digs this season. Allyson and Mandi know what it takes to be successful on the court, having led their North Muskegon high school team to a Class C state championship during the 2006 season.
On Deck
The Spartans remain at home for a 7 p.m. match at the Breslin Center against the Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 21. This marks the first of three matches the Green and White will have aired on the Big Ten Network. Two nights later, MSU will play its last road match of the month as it travels to Minneapolis, Minn. for a 8 p.m. ET match against the Golden Gophers. The match can be streamed live at BigTenNetwork.com.
Follow the Leader
Junior Megan Schatzle has followed in the foot-steps of older sister Ashley Schatzle. Ashley, a third-team AVCA All-American in 2007, led the team with 553 kills during the year. Megan, like her older sister, is currently leading the 2009 squad with 203 kills on the season. MSU hopes Megan follows the path her older sister paved for her, as the last time MSU made it to the NCAA Tournament was Ashley's senior season.
Sophomore Sensations
With the 2008 No. 7 PrepVolleyball.com recruiting class able to see ample amount of court time last season, the sophomore class seems to really be finding their element this season. Collectively, the class has amounted for 532 of the 951 team kills. Also, the sophomores have also accounted for 143 total blocks. Having added redshirt-sophomore Jenilee Rathje to their class, the Spartans are bound for success in the years to come. The class has collectively earned three of the four MVP honors this season for the Spartans.
Movin' On Up
Sophomore Natalie Emro currently ranks eighth all-time in career assists with 1,962. Senior Vanessa King recently moved into seventh place all-time with 403 total blocks in a career. King also ranks third all-time with 369 block assists.
And So It Goes
MSU recently saw its third-best start to a season snapped in the Big Ten opener on the road against Purdue. This marked the Spartans' first loss since Nov. 29, 2008, against Minnesota. The second longest occurred during the 1976, when the team started with a 15-0 record. The longest was during the 1975 season, when MSU posted a perfect 16-0 record, before suffering its first loss. The Spartans also saw their longest streak in the AVCA top-25 since 2003, when they were ranked for nine consecutive weeks, snapped after six consecutive weeks in the rankings.
Lucky No. 12
Both of the Spartans' upset wins over AVCA ranked opponents have been ranked 12th at the time of the match. The first meeting occurred on Aug. 28 in MSU's first match of the season against Southern California. This past weekend against Illinois on Oct. 2, Michigan State once against posted a win over a 12th-ranked team. Both matches have been 3-2 wins in favor of the Spartans.
Home Sweet Home
The Spartans will begin their longest home stand of the season when they close out the month of October with five of six matches in East Lansing. The total length of the time at home is 15 days.
It's All In the Rankings
MSU is currently tabbed as the 14th-ranked team in the recent NCAA Division I Volleyball RPI Rankings. The Spartans are one of five Big Ten schools to be ranked in the top-15, which tops any other conference in the nation. Michigan State trails only No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Minnesota within the conference.
