Spartans Host Purdue, Honor Seniors Wednesday

Nov. 25, 2014

Michigan State vs No. 19 Purdue
Date	Wednesday, Nov. 26, 6:30 p.m. East Lansing, Mich. Jenison Field House
TV/Video Stream	None
Radio	Spartan Sports Network \| Download the SSN App
Live Statistics	Click Here
Download Game Notes	Michigan State \| Purdue
Previews	Cathy
Social Media	@MichStVB \| Facebook
Promotions	MSUFCU Night (order tickets) \| Senior Night

SERIES NOTES

• The final week of the regular season is on tap, and the Spartans host No. 19 Purdue on Wednesday. After the match, the program will honor its four seniors as well as retiring Associate Head Coach Russ Carney.

• Wednesday's match will have a radio broadcast on SpartanSportsNetwork.com. Wednesday's match will be called by local sportscaster Kevin Gehl.

• MSU is coming off a 2-0 week with wins over Northwestern (3-1) and Rutgers (3-0), extending its winning streak to three straight. The victory over Rutgers was the 550th in the career of head coach Cathy George, who is in her 10th season at Michigan State. Over four head coaching stops, George has won more than 85 games at each one, including 185 at MSU.

• MSU, now 16-13 overall and 9-9 in Big Ten play, sits in seventh place in the Conference standings with a 9-9 record, but owns just two losses to a team which sits below the team in the standings (vs. Minnesota, at Michigan). MSU concluded the first half of Big Ten play at 5-5, and has gone 4-4 in the start of the second half. MSU went 10-10 in the B1G in 2013.

• The No. 19 Boilermakers wrap up the regular season on the road at Michigan State and Wisconsin this week. Purdue sits in fifth place in the Big Ten, splitting last week's matches, sweeping Rutgers at home before falling to Minnesota in Minneapolis on Saturday. Annie Drews paces the Boilermaker offense with 3.86 kills per set, while Sam Epenesa (2.43), and Faye Adelaja (2.03) follow. Freshman Danielle Cuttino and Kiki Jones lead the Boilers at the net, each averaging 1.01 blocks per set. Libero Amanda Neill has pulled up 3.66 digs per set, while senior setter Val Nichol averages 2.31 in addition to 10.06 assists per frame.

TEAM NOTES

• In the final three weeks of the Big Ten season, the teams have played a different scheduling format, with one mid-week and one weekend match per week. Six weeks of the season is a travel partner format, with the teams trading opponents on the second night of competition, while the remaining week was a home-and-home between travel partners.

• MSU, now 16-13 overall and 9-9 in Big Ten play, has won three straight matches, and in two of them established new school records: fewest points allowed in a three-set match (34, vs. Indiana Nov. 15) and four-set match (64 vs. Northwestern, Nov. 19).

• Against Indiana, MSU hit a season-best .481 on the night, while holding the Hoosiers to a -.075 hitting percentage. 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.

• MSU sits in seventh place in the Conference standings with a 9-9 record, but owns just two losses to a team which sits below the team in the standings (vs. Minnesota, at Michigan). MSU concluded the first half of Big Ten play at 5-5, and has gone 4-4 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 50th in this week's ranking. MSU was ranked a season-high 33rd in the first RPI release.

• MSU averages 2.66 blocks per set, good for fourth in the Big Ten and 27th nationally. MSU is behind B1G leader Nebraska (2.94 blocks/set), Minnesota (2.90) and Illinois (2.75). Overall, MSU's 279.5 team blocks is third in the Conference and 40th among Division I institutions. • MSU has had double-digit blocks in 11 of 18 Big Ten contests, and in 16 of 29 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 six of its last eight matches, including 13 vs. Northwestern last Saturday. The two matches where MSU was held to nine or fewer blocks were against Rutgers (seven in the most recent meeting last Saturday).

• MSU's .481 hitting percentage against Indiana on NOv. 12 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. MSU hit .393 in its most recent match against Rutgers. MSU hit .330 in its 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 seven of its 16 victories this season.

• The Spartans have limited opponents to a .164 hitting percentage, which is second the Big Ten and ranks 35th nationally. MSU limited Indiana to a -.050 percentage two weeks ago, then held Northwestern to .050 last Wednesday.

• This season, MSU has won the first set in 20 of 29 matches, and is 16-4 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.

• Three of MSU's non-conference opponents have punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament by winning their Conference's automatic bid - Western Kentucky, Samford, and LIU-Brooklyn. Milwaukee fell in the Horizon League final to Oakland. Like the Big Ten, the ACC (Duke, North Carolina) and Pac-12 (Oregon, Oregon State) do not have post-season league tournaments.

• 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 11th-toughest schedule in the country, which is also third in the Big Ten behind Illinois and Michigan.

• 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, (2,920), as 40,876 fans have taken in a volleyball match at Jenison Field House this season, the sixth- highest total among Division I programs. MSU has one home match 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

• MSU is coming off its second 2-0 week of the season. At Northwestern, Alyssa Garvelink had 11 blocks, (four solo) while adding nine kills to just miss her first career double-double. Senior Taylor Galloway did accomplish the double-double with 10 kills and 17 digs, and classmate Kori Moster just missed her career best with 27 digs. Meanwhile, Chloe Reinig led all players with 14 kills and added three blocks, while Allyssah Fitterer had 12 kills and a solo block.

• Garvelink had a match-high 12 kills (tying her career high), hitting .667 (12-2-15) with a block and a service ace; in Saturday's win over Rutgers. Classmate Minarick had 35 assists, hit .875 (7-0-8), and also contributed nine digs and two blocks. Fitterer had seven kills with a team-best five blocks, while Reinig added nine kills on the night. As a team, MSU hit .393 (44-11-84), continuing a streak of strong hitting performances.

• Garvelink was named the Big Ten Volleyball Freshman of the Week, as announced by the Conference office on Monday afternoon. It was the first weekly Conference honor of her career. Garvelink had a week filled with career bests. Her career- high 11 blocks at Northwestern included four solo stuffs, which is third all-time at MSU in a four-set match. She just missed a double-double with nine kills, hitting .450 (9-0-20), adding an assist and a dig. At home against Rutgers on Saturday, Garvelink tied her career high with 12 kills (which she did earlier in the season against Michigan), hitting a scorching .667 on 15 swings. She added one block and a service ace.

• On the season, Garvelink is averaging 1.97 kills and 1.0 blocks per set; in Big Ten matches only, she ranks 15th in the Conference with 1.06 blocks per set, while also contributing 2.14 kills per frame.

• Kori Moster averages 4.56 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten overall and her 4.60 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 2,147 career digs ranks sixth all-time in the Big Ten annals, and is seventh 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 479 digs this season is seventh 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 (eighth).

• 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. She had 27 last Wednesday against Northwestern,

• Moster ranks seventh among active Division I players in career matches played (133), and tied for 16th in sets played (481).

• Moster needs 32 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 26 of the 29 Spartan matches this season. In 133 career matches, Moster has been held with less than 10 digs only 18 times; six of those occasions were her first six collegiate matches - the most recent came at Rutgers on Oct. 18, (9).

• 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 eight matches overall this season where she was held with nine kills or fewer. She ranks fifth overall in the Big Ten with 3.64 kills/s, and in B1G play alone, her 3.94 is third 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 eight games, against Illinois (16K/10D) and Minnesota (13K, 10D)

• Reinig ranks sixth overall in points per match (4.06/s). In conference games only, she is averaging 4.45 points, good for fourth in the Conference.

• Sophomore Alyssa Fitterer has hit .300 or better in 11 of MSU's 18 Big Ten matches, a team best. Last week, Fitterer had 12 kills on 25 swings against Northwestern (.400), then had seven kills and hit .357, adding a team-best five blocks against Rutgers. She has had double-digit kills in 18 of MSU's 29 matches, second only to Reinig's 20.

• Fitterer is hitting .303 in Big Ten matches only, good for 11th in the rankings. In conference matches, she averages 2.54 kills and 0.97 blocks per set.

• Senior Jazmine White is averaging 1.21 blocks per set overall (good for seventh in the Conference and 71st nationally ) and 1.21 in B1G games, (eighth). 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 (10.01), and is the top freshman in that category. She is sixth in B1G play as well (10.3351/s). Minarick had 40 asssts in the match at Northwestern, and 35 vs. Rutgers.

• Taylor Galloway had her 10th career double-double and third of the season with a 10-kill, 17-dig effort at Northwestern.

• 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 made her return to the court against Rutgers for the first time last Saturday.

• 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.