Spartans Travel to Northwestern for Wednesday Match

Nov. 18, 2014

Michigan State at Northwestern
Dates	Wednesday, Nov. 19 Evanston, Ill Welsh-Ryan Arena
Tickets	Northwestern Ticket Office
Television/Video Stream	BTN + (subscription required)
Radio	none
Live Statistics
Download Game Notes	Michigan State \| Northwestern

Social Media	@MichStVB \| Facebook

SERIES NOTES

• The midweek/weekend schedule continues in the B1G for the second straight week, as the Spartans prepare for a Wednesday match at Northwestern before returning home for a Saturday night date with league newcomer Rutgers.

• The match will air live on BTN+, a subscription webstream. There will not be a radio broadcast for Wednesday's match.

• The Wildcats are coming off a 3-0 loss to Purdue in their last action, but own a 15-12 overall mark and 5-11 record in Big Ten play.
Katie Dutchman ranks seventh in the Big Ten with a .360 hitting percentage, contributing 2.27 kills and 0.99 blocks per set. Symone Abbott averages 3.42 points per set (15th in the Conference), and averages 3.24 kills. Freshman setter Taylor Tashima has a pair of triple-doubles over the last two weeks, the only player in the Big Ten with more than one this season. On the year, she's averaging 8.72 assists per set (ninth in the B1G), while libero Caroline Niedospial is averaging 4.85 digs per set, good for second in the Big Ten.

• The teams met back on Nov. 1 at Jenison Field House, where MSU snapped a three-game skid with a convincing straight-set win over the Wildcats (25-17, 25-18, 25-16). The Spartans had a balanced attack and had its then-best hitting performance of the Big Ten season, hitting .381.
Senior Jazmine White had a career-best 11 kills, hit a career-best .529, and added five blocks and two service aces; Chloe Reinig shared the team lead of 11 kills and hit .375. Allysah Fitterer had six kills along with a team-best six blocks, (two solo), while hitting .357, and Autumn Christenson and freshman Alyssa Garvelink each had six kills and two blocks on the night. For Northwestern, Katie Dutchman hit .542 and finished with a match-high 14 kills, and had a hand in each of the two Wildcat blocks.

TEAM NOTES

• 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 Rutgers on Saturday, and Purdue on the night prior to Thanksgiving.

• MSU established a school record on Saturday against Indiana, limiting the Hoosiers to 34 points over three sets in a 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-8, 25-14) - the fewest points allowed in program history. MSU hit a season-best .481 on the night, while holding the Hoosiers to a -.075 hitting percentage.

• MSU's school record for fewest points allowed had been 35, which it allowed in a three-game sweep of Dartmouth on Sept. 1, 2012 (25-9, 25-17, 25-9). MSU allowed eight points to the Hoosiers in the second set, the fewest number of points MSU has allowed to a Big Ten opponent in a set since the collegiate game went to the 25-point scoring system in 2009.

• Earlier in the week, 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.

• With the win over Indiana, MSU snapped a three-game skid, which matched 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).

• MSU sits in seventh place in the Conference standings with a 7-9 record, but owns just one loss to a team which sits below the Spartans (vs. Minnesota). MSU concluded the first half of Big Ten play at 5-5, and has gone 2-4 in the start of the second half. MSU finished 10-10 in the Big Ten standings a year ago.

• 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" were Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

• MSU's victory over Indiana was the 750th in program history. This is the 42nd season of varsity volleyball.

• The first RPI for women's Division I volleyball was announced on Monday, Oct. 6, and the Spartans are 49th in this week's ranking. MSU was ranked a season-high 33rd in the first RPI release.

• MSU averages 2.65 blocks per set, good for fourth in the Big Ten and 28th nationally. MSU is behind B1G leader Nebraska (2.86 blocks/set), Minnesota (2.84) and Illinois (2.77). Overall, MSU's 259.5 team blocks is third in the Conference and 48th among Division I institutions.

• MSU has had double-digit blocks in 10 of 16 Big Ten contests, and in 15 of 27 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 first meeting with the Hoosiers on Sept. 26. MSU has put up double-digit blocking totals in five of its last six matches, including 11 vs. Indiana last Saturday.

• MSU's .481 hitting percentage against Indiana last Saturday was eye-popping, committing just five attacking errors in 77 chances, a season low and just the second time this season MSU has had less than 10 attacking errors. The Spartans hit .381 in its first meeting with Northwestern (Nov 1), its previous high in a Big Ten match this season with eight attacking errors. 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 .168 hitting percentage, which is third the Big Ten and ranks 48th nationally.

• MSU had zero receiving errors in 32 chances against Indiana, a season low in both errors and attempts. MSU was also perfect against Jacksonville State (40 attempts) and UW-Milwaukee (38 att.).

• This season, MSU has won the first set in 18 of 27 matches, and is 14-4 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 14th-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.

• The Spartans rank ninth nationally in average attendance, (2,913), as 37,865 fans have taken in a volleyball match at Jenison Field House this season, the seventh- highest total among Division I programs. MSU has two 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

• Against the Hoosiers, the sophomore duo of Chloe Reinig and Allyssah Fitterer were once again the double-digit killers for MSU, as Reinig hit .500 with 14 kills and just two errors, while Fitterer went 10-0-14 to hit a career-high .714, and added three blocks (one solo). MSU had double-digit blocks for the 10th time in 16 Big Ten matches, as freshman Alyssa Garvelink tied her career best with seven and senior Jazmine White had six, while also contributing seven kills and hit .462. No MSU hitter was below .250 on the night, and the Spartans had 33 team digs - mostly split between senior libero Kori Moster (11) and classmate Taylor Galloway (10). Rachel Minarick had 29 assists, adding three kills and a pair of blocks.

• Kori Moster averages 4.50 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten overall and her 4.50 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 2,109 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 four of the top eight single-season dig performances in school history. With 441 digs this season is eighth 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 seventh among active Division I players in career matches played (131), and 18th in sets played (474).

• Moster needs 69 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 24 of the 27 Spartan matches this season; the most recent came at Rutgers on Oct. 18, (9). In 131 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 fourth overall in the Big Ten with 3.67 kills/s, and in B1G play alone, her4.02 leads the Conference.

• 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 six games, against Illinois (16K/10D) and Minnesota (13K, 10D)

• Reinig ranks fifth overall in points per match (4.10/s). In conference games only, she is averaging 4.45 points, good for second in the Conference behind Illinois' Joscelyn Birks.

• Sophomore Alyssa Fitterer has hit .300 or better in nine of MSU's 16 Big Ten matches, a team best. On Saturday against Indiana, she had 10 kills on 14 swings without an error to hit .714. She has had double-digit kills in 17 of MSU's 27 matches, second only to Reinig's 19.

• Fitterer's career-best hitting percentage came last year in a win at Northwestern, when she had 12 kills and one errror on 14 swings (.786) - an MSU record for hitting percentage in a four-set match.

• Fitterer is hitting .292 in Big Ten matches only, good for 12th in the rankings.

• Senior Jazmine White is averaging 1.25 blocks per set overall (good for fifth in the Conference and 55th nationally ) and 1.27 in B1G games, (sixth). She shared the team lead at Nebraska with five deflections, then had six against Indiana.

• 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 (9.96), and is the top freshman in that category. She is sixth in B1G play as well (10.31/s). Minarick had 44 asssts in the match at Nebraska, and 29 vs. Indiana.

• Freshman Alyssa Garvelink has been evolving into a steady force for the Spartan front row. She averaged 1.7 blocks per set last week, the second-most of any player in the Big Ten, and averaged just over two kills per set. Garvelink tied her career best with seven blocks against Indiana, adding four digs and hitting .250 against the Hoosiers; she had 10 kills, her third career double-digit effort, along with five blocks and a pair of digs in a road match at No. 11 Nebraska.

• Sophomore Kristen Muir has had three double-digit dig outings in the last six Spartan matches. She had 10 against Northwestern, 11 against Minnesota, and 10 at Nebraska. Taylor Galloway had 10 digs against both Nebraska and Indiana last week.

• Freshman DS Marissa Ratzenberger made her collegiate debut against Rutgers on Oct. 18, 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.