Spartans Host Indiana Saturday
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Michigan State vs. Indiana | |
| Date | Sat. Nov. 15, 7 p.m.; East Lansing, Mich. Jenison Field House |
| Tickets & Packages | Four Seats, Four Treats | Order Tickets |
| Television/Video Stream | BTN2GO |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network | Download the SSN App |
| Live Statistics | |
| Download Game Notes | Michigan State | Indiana |
| Previews | Cathy |
| Social Media | @MichStVB  | Facebook  |
| Promotions | Chili's MSU Volleyball Giveaway to the first 500 fans; MVP and Fast Break Club Night; Post-Game Autographs - Full Team |
SERIES NOTES
• Michigan State plays its fifth home game in six outings on Saturday, hosting Indiana at 7 p.m.
• The Spartans downed the Hoosiers 3-1 in the first Big Ten match of the season back in September.
• The match will have a radio broadcast on SpartanSportsNetwork.com, with play-by-play man Keaton Gillogly on the call. The game will also air live on BTN+, a subscription webstream.
• Entering the final three weeks of the Big Ten season, the teams have begun a new scheduling format, with one mid-week and one weekend match per week. Two of MSU's mid-week matches will be played on the road (at Nebraska and Northwestern), then a Friday affair at Iowa on the day after Thanksgiving. MSU will host Indiana and Rutgers the next two Saturdays, and Purdue on the night prior to Thanksgiving.
• The Hoosiers sit in a four-way tie for seventh-place in the Big Ten standings (along with Michigan State) with a 6-9 record, and own a 15-12 overall mark. Indiana won just one Big Ten match a season ago, and with six wins this year, has matched its Big Ten win total from the last three seasons combined.
Sophomore setter Megan Tallman recorded her 1,000th assist of the season and is now the 14th IU volleyball player to reach 1,000 for a season. Tallman has 1,010 for the season and 1,699 for her career. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Lebo had five service aces on Wednesday vs. Rutgers, and with 49 on the season is among the NCAA's top 10 and ranks ninth on the Hoosiers all-time list for single-season aces. As a team, the Hoosiers are second in the Big Ten in service aces (136, 1.35/set).
TEAM NOTES
• Michigan State fell in a tight four-set affair at No. 11 Nebraska on Wednesday evening (25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 23-25), as the Spartans put up a valiant effort in one of the Conference's toughest road venues.
• MSU opened the match in Lincoln hitting .400, but committed 29 errors in the next three sets, hitting .000, .149, and .071 in the final three frames. Chloe Reinig had 13 kills along with a pair of solo blocks, Allyssah Fitterer had 12 kills and two blocks, while freshman Alyssa Garvelink finished with 10 kills and five blocks, sharing the team blocking lead with senior Jazmine White. Rachel Minarick had 44 assists and eight digs, and Kori Moster had 14 digs. For the home team, Kelsey Fien had a match-best 17 kills, while Kadie Rolfzen had 15. Her twin, Amber, had five blocks and seven kills.
• MSU will look to snap a three-game skid, which matches its longest losing streak of the season. MSU has lost three in a row twice prior - but in those nine losses, only one was to an unranked opponent (vs. Minnesota, Nov. 7).
• Against Wisconsin last Saturday (Nov. 9), MSU hit .330 compared to .356 for the visitors, and both teams had five blocks. MSU struggled a bit at the service line, committing nine service errors in a three-set sweep in which MSU was within three points on two of the sets.
• MSU concluded the first half of Big Ten play at 5-5, and has gone 1-4 in the start of the second half. The Spartans were 6-4 at the midpoint of the 2013 season, and went 4-6 in 2012 before rallying for a 7-3 second half to finish 11-9.
• MSU has concluded its season meetings with its six "one-plays" on the schedule. In the scheduling format employed beginning in 2014, each team plays seven teams twice and six teams just once. The Spartans will not get a return game in East Lansing from Penn State, Ohio State, or Maryland; MSU's three home "one plays" are Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
• MSU's next victory will be the 750th in program history. This is the 42nd season of varsity volleyball at MSU.
• The first RPI for women's Division I volleyball was announced on Monday, Oct. 6, and the Spartans are 50th in this week's ranking, and was ranked a season-high 33rd in the first RPI release.
• MSU averages 2.62 blocks per set, good for fourth in the Big Ten and 29th nationally. MSU is behind B1G leader Minnesota (2.86 blocks/set), Illinois (2.85) and Nebraska (2.84). Overall, MSU's 236.5 team blocks is third in the Conference and 37th among Division I institutions.
• MSU has had double-digit blocks in nine of 15 Big Ten contests, and in 14 of 26 matches overall. The Spartans posted a season-best 15 blocks against Duke in the second week of the season, and their B1G best was 14.5 blocks in its previous meeting with the Hoosiers. MSU has put up double-digit blocking totals in four of its last five games, including 12 at Nebraska on Wednesday.
• MSU has had some strong hitting performances in recent matches. The Spartans hit .381 against Northwestern (Nov 1), its highest in a Big Ten match this season and third-best overall on the year. The Spartans had just eight attacking errors and three service errors, season lows in both categories. MSU hit .330 in its recent loss to No. 4 Wisconsin (Nov. 7), the first team to hit .300 or better against the Badgers this season. MSU's previous high in a loss was .247 at Penn State, with just 13 attacking errors (36-13-92). MSU has hit lower than .247 in five of its 13 victories this season.
• The Spartans have limited opponents to a .174 hitting percentage, which is fourth the Big Ten and ranks 61st nationally.
• This season, MSU has won the first set in 17 of 26 matches, and is 13-4 when winning the first set.
• The Spartans went 7-4 in non-conference action, but also played the perhaps the toughest pre-Conference schedule in Cathy George's tenure. In all, eight of MSU's 11 non-conference opponents won 18 games or more in 2013, and combined for a 63.1% winning percentage.
• MSU's final seven non-conference opponents (UNC, Duke, Oregon, Oregon State, Western Kentucky, LIU-Brooklyn, and Milwaukee) went a combined 61-21 (.743) in the non-conference portion the season. Three of those teams (No. 20 North Carolina, No. 19 Duke, and No. 18 Oregon) were in the top 25 when they played MSU, and two others (Oregon State and Western Kentucky) were receiving votes.
• Among other Big Ten teams, only Illinois also played five games against non-conference teams which appeared in the top-25 or are receiving votes. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nebraska are the teams which also played three top-25 teams in their non-conference schedule. Overall, MSU has the 16th-toughest schedule in the country.
• Michigan State's strong schedule was an effort to acclimate a young team to the rigors of Big Ten play. The Spartans have a seven-member freshman class, and have 12 freshmen and sophomores on an 18-player roster. MSU regularly has five freshmen or sophomores (and a senior libero) on the floor.
• Michigan State fell out of American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll on Sept. 22. The Spartans debuted at No. 16, and now after nine weeks MSU is no longer receiving votes. In a streak which was halted Sept. 22, MSU was in the AVCA top 25 for 21 consecutive weeks, the longest streak since appearing for 43 straight weeks from 1995-97.
• MSU lost 55.9% of its kills from its 2013 team to graduation (fourth nationally), 56% of its blocks (third), and 53.9% of its assists (13th).
• The Spartans rank eighth nationally in average attendance, (2,949), as 35,391 fans have taken in a volleyball match at Jenison Field House this season, the sixth highest total among Division I programs. MSU has three home matches remaining.
• MSU shattered its home attendance record in 2013, with 43,368 fans over 15 home matches. MSU brought nearly 10,000 more fans to Jenison Field House last year than it had in 2012. The 43,368 was 11th nationally in 2013; its average of 2,891 per game was also 11th.
PLAYER NOTES
• Kori Moster averages 4.53 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten overall (83th nationally) and her 4.55 in B1G matches ranks fourth.
• Moster surpassed the 2,000 digs mark in the first set against Penn State (Oct. 25), and her current total of 2,098 career digs ranks sixth all-time in the Big Ten annals, and is eighth among active Division I players.
• Moster has held the school's career digs record since her junior season, and holds three of the top seven single-season dig performances in school history. With 430 digs this season is ninth among single-season MSU marks - her career-best season of 602 came as a sophomore (second), and she posted 592 as a junior (third) and 474 as a freshman (seventh).
• On the night she was honored at Jenison Field House for surpassing 2,000 digs, Moster tied her career best with 29 digs against Illinois.
• Moster ranks sixth among active Division I players in career matches played (130), and 15th in sets played (471).
• Moster needs 80 digs to move into fifth place in the Big Ten career standings, as Michigan's Stesha Selsky, (2004-07) currently holds that spot with 2,178.
• Moster has posted double-digit digs in 23 of the 26 Spartan matches this season; In 130 career matches, Moster has been held with less than 10 digs only 18 times; six of those occasions were her first six collegiate matches.
• Moster is one of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. She was also an Academic All-America nominee, boasting a 3.65 GPA as an advertising major. Fans can vote daily at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/
• Moster is the only player in program history to be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and she has now done it in back-to-back seasons. She led the Big Ten in 2013 in digs per set (4.70), her career-best average and good for third in the MSU single-season recordbook.
• Chloe Reinig has averaged double-digit kills since Big Ten play began, and has just seven matches overall this season where she was held with nine kills or fewer. She ranks sixth overall in the Big Ten with 3.64 kills/s, and in B1G play alone, her 3.98 K/s is second to Maryland's Ashleigh Crusher (4.00)
• Reinig has gone for 20+ kills four times this season, including in back-to-back matches vs. Michigan. She has posted double-doubles in two of MSU's last five games, against Illinois (16K/10D) and Minnesota (13K, 10D)
• Reinig ranks sixth overall in points (4.06/s). In conference games only, she is averaging 4.41 points, good for third in the Conference. • Sophomore Autumn Christenson has earned increased playing time in recent games, and has produced some of her best collegiate performances. After tying her season best with seven kills against Illinois (Oct. 31), Christenson had a career-best 11 (along with a pair of blocks) against Minnesota, and followed it up with seven kills and a block against Wisconsin.
• Over her first 10 matches this season, Christenson averaged 1.17 kills per set in limited action. Over the last seven matches, she has appeared in every set and is averaging 1.79 K/s.
• Sophomore Alyssa Fitterer has hit .300 or better in eight of MSU's 15 Big Ten matches, a team best. She has had double-digit kills in 16 of MSU's 26 matches, second only to Reinig's 19.
• Senior Jazmine White is averaging 1.22 blocks per set overall (good for sixth in the Conference and 71st nationally ) and 1.23 in B1G games, (eighth). She shared the team lead at Nebraska with five deflections.
• Rachel Minarick was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday, Oct. 20, her first such honor of the season. She earned the kudos with 11 assists per set in two matches against Maryland and Rutgers, helping the Spartans to their first B1G weekend sweep of the season.
• Minarick ranks sixth in the Big Ten overall in assists per set (9.97), and is the top freshman in that category. She is sixth in B1G play as well (10.35/s). Minarick had 44 asssts in the match at Nebraska.
• Freshman Alyssa Garvelink has been evolving into a steady force for the Spartan front row. She had 14 kills and six blocks against Minnesota and Wisconsin, and then came back with 10 kills and shared the team high with five blocks at Nebraska.
• Sophomore Kristen Muir has had three double-digit dig outings in the last four Spartan matches. She had 10 against Northwestern, 11 against Minnesota, and 10 at Nebraska.
• Freshman DS Marissa Ratzenberger made her collegiate debut against Rutgers, and recorded four digs.
• Moster and White will serve as team captains in the 2014 season. Moster is the third three-time captain in program history, along with Nikki Colson (2001-03) and Katie Johnson (2005-07).
• The season of freshman Holly Toliver is over before it really got started. She played in the first two weekends of the season before being sidelined with a leg injury, and while she attempted to come back to action, further tests have ruled her out for the remainder of the season. Over her first six matches, she was averaging 2.75 kills and 0.45 blocks per set.
• Junior setter Halle Peterson was injured in the Oregon match (Sept. 19), and has not played since.
• MSU welcomed four newcomers, a freshman class ranked No. 6 in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. Alyssa Garvelink, Rachel Minarick, Abby Monson, and Holly Toliver form the incoming class; Minarick, a two-time AVCA All-American, is the No. 21 Senior Ace by PrepVolleyball.com and last summer was the MVP at club nationals where she led Sports Performance to a National Championship. Minarick (No. 22), Garvelink (No. 26), and Toliver (No. 31) appeared in the rankings by PrepVolleyball.com of the nation's top seniors, while Monson was an Honorable Mention.
