Spartans Open Big Ten Play with Iowa, No. 1 Nebraska
9/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
| Spartans vs. Iowa, No. 1 Nebraska | ||
| Dates/Times | Friday, Sept. 23 vs. Iowa, 7:30 pm | Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Nebraska, 7 pm | |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich.; Jenison Field House | |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets Family Four Pack (Fri. Only) | Four Seats, Four Treats Package (Sat. Only) | |
| Live Statistics | | | |
| Television | Friday vs. Iowa - BTN | Mike Wolf (pxp) and Kim Kuzma (analysis) | |
| Live Video Streams | vs. Iowa | vs. Nebraska | |
| Download Game Notes | Michigan State | Iowa | Nebraska | |
| Promotions | FRIDAY: MSUFCU Night (two free tickets for MSUFCU members) SATURDAY: Free Admission with football vs. Wisconsin ticket stub Children's Cancer Awareness Night - wear your PJ's! | Postgame - Freshmen autograph session | |
| Social Media | @MichStVB  | Facebook  | |
SPARTAN NOTES
• No. 20 Michigan State hosts Iowa and No. 1 Nebraska at Jenison Field House to start the Big Ten schedule.
• Friday's match vs. the Hawkeyes is a 7:30 first serve and will air live on the Big Ten Network. Mike Wolf and former Wisconsin libero Kim Kuzma call the action. Saturday's match will air live on BTN2Go, and both games will have a radio broadcast via SpartanSportsNetwork.com with Keaton Gillogly on the call.
• MSUFCU is sponsoring Friday night's match, with MSUFCU members eligible for two free tickets to the match vs. Iowa. Visit MSUFCU.org/community/events for details.
• Michigan State is celebrating its Alumni Weekend, and the 1976 AIAW Elite Eight team will be honored during Saturday night's match vs. the No. 1 Huskers.
• For Saturday's game, the Spartans will sponsor it's annual "P'Jammin" event in support of children's cancer awareness. Fans are asked to bring new art supplies to donate to the pediatric playroom at Sparrow hospital, and are encouraged to wear their favorite pajamas. (Learn more about P'Jammin events at ACCO's website)
• Fans attending Saturday's Michigan State-Wisconsin football game can receive free admission to the volleyball match that night vs. No. 1 Nebraska with their football ticket stub.
• MSU won its third non-conference tournament of the season in four tries by sweeping all competition at the Spartan Classic last weekend. MSU opened with a victory over Notre Dame on Friday, then posted wins over Maryland-Eastern Shore and DePaul on Saturday.
• The Spartans have now won 11 of their last 16 non-conference tournaments over the last six seasons.
• MSU's record of 11-1 is the best non-conference ledger since the 2013 team posted an identical 11-1 mark prior to the start of the Big Ten schedule. (The 2013 team began the season 17-1 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten play.)
• The six-match winning streak for the Spartans duplicates their longest streak in each of the last two seasons, and is currently tied for 19th nationally for consecutive victories. No. 1 Nebraska holds that top spot, with 25 straight wins dating back to last October.
• Michigan State moves up to No. 20 in the American Volleyball Coaches (AVCA) National poll for the week of Sept. 19. MSU was No. 22 last week, and was among the teams receiving votes in each of the first three weeks of the survey.
• Big Ten teams went a combined 122-36 (.772) in non-conference play, the best overall record in the country. The B1G was ahead of the Pac-12 (95-31, .753) and the SEC (108-49, .688). The Conference boasts one remaining undefeated (Nebraska) and eight teams in the AVCA Top 25.
• The Spartans lead in the Big Ten and rank fourth nationally in service aces per set (2.18). MSU served up 31 aces in nine sets last weekend (3.44 per set), including a season-best 11 service aces in each of the matches vs. UMES and DePaul. In all, MSU has seven service aces or more in eight of 12 matches. MSU's 85 aces is already 65% of its 2015 total of 134.
• On the season, MSU has limited opponents to a 0.139 hitting percentage, which ranks third among B1G schools and 14th nationally. The Spartans have limited seven opponents to a .115 hitting percentage or lower. Only three times has an MSU opponent hit .200 or better in a match - vs. No. 7 Florida (.341), No. 23 Western Kentucky (.224), and DePaul (.220).
• MSU did not allow a weekend opponent to reach 20 points in a set until DePaul did so in the final two frames of the finale of the Spartan Classic.
• The Spartans hit a season-best .400 (45-11-85) against Maryland-Eastern Shore, and had seven team blocks after a season-low three vs. Notre Dame on Friday. MSU's weekend high for blocks came against DePaul (10), the team's fourth double-digit blocking performance of the season.
• The Green and White own nine three-set victories in 12 matches. MSU is 9-1 in three-set matches overall.
• The Spartans opened 2016 with a sweep of the competition at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational (Aug. 26-27). This was the eighth time in 12 years under Cathy George that the Spartans started the season 3-0, and the second time in three years.
• MSU's lone loss of the season came to No. 7 Florida in the final match of the Spartan Invitational on Sept. 3-4. MSU swept both Morgan State and Central Michigan on day one, but fell to the Gators in straight sets on day two.
• The Spartans outlasted host No. 23 Western Kentucky in a five-set thriller to win the Holiday Inn Invitaitonal (Sept. 9-10). Alyssa Garvelink was named to the All-Tournament Team, while Rachel Minarick earned MVP honors. MSU swept both Cincinnati and Southern Illinois before matching up with the host school.
• Michigan State was selected seventh in the Big Ten's pre-season volleyball poll. Defending National Champion Nebraska was the unanimous choice to win the league, followed by Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, and Ohio State.
• MSU is one of four programs in the Big Ten to finish .500 or better in Big Ten play over the last five seasons. Penn State, Nebraska, and Purdue are the other three.
• The Spartans will host 16 games at Jenison Field House, where the Spartans are routinely a top-10 ranked attendance draw. Last season, MSU was eighth among Division I volleyball teams with an average of 2,872 fans per match, and were 11th nationally with a total of 37,333 fans in 13 home matches. MSU welcomed nearly 7,000 fans to its Auto-Owners Insurance Invitational Sept. 3-4, and averaged 2,028 fans per match at home during non-conference play- that's currently 12th nationally.
• MSU continues Big Ten play next week on the road, heading to Penn State and Rutgers.
PLAYER NOTES
• Rachel Minarick and Alyssa Garvelink were named to the All-Tournament Team, and classmate Autumn Bailey earned Most Valuable Player honors at last week's Spartan Classic at Jenison Field House.
• Bailey hit .405 with 4.22 kills per set in last weekend's tournament, while averaging 0.89 aces and 1.78 digs. She now leads MSU with 3.36 kills per set while hitting .251 and averaging 2.53 digs (and 0.42 aces) on the year. Bailey ranks 14th in the Big Ten in kills per set and seventh in aces after posting eight in three matches last weekend.
• Bailey had three-straight matches with double-digit kills - vs. WKU (14), Notre Dame (14) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (15), and finished with nine vs. DePaul. Against the Irish, she hit a season-best .407 (14-3-27) and set a new career high with four service aces against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
• Minarick averaged 10.25 assists per set over the Spartan Classic, hitting .250 with six aces, 13 digs, and four blocks.
• Minarick earned All-Tournament Team honors for the second time this season, as she was the MVP of the WKU Invitational the previous week.
• Minarick's 2,596 career assists ranks seventh all-time in the MSU record book. Assistant coach Kristen Kelsay ranks sixth with 3,040 assists.
• Garvelink earned her fifth career All-Tournament Team honor and team-best third of the season at the Spartan Classic last weekend. Garvelink ranks sixth overall in the Big Ten with a .379 hitting percentage, and averages 2.47 kills and a 1.16 blocks per set. Her hitting percentage is 61st among Division I players.
• In the Spartan Classic games, Garvelink posted 2.33 kills per set and hit a .385, while posting 1.56 blocks per set. She had a solo block in each of the three matches, and has led or shared the team lead in blocks in nine of the Spartans' 12 matches.
• Two Spartans are closing in on 300 career blocks - Garvelink has 287, and Allyssah Fitterer 296.
• Allyssah Fitterer played limited minutes in the early part of the season, but has maximized her opportunities when presented. She led the Spartans with a .593 hitting percentage at the Spartan Classic, averaging 2.12 kills and 0.50 blocks per set. Her hitting percentage on the season is .464, good for first in the Big Ten.
• Fitterer's 7-0-9 performance against Notre Dame (.778) is her highest hitting percentage of the season. She hit .571 vs. UMES and .455 in the Spartan Classic finale vs. DePaul. • Chloe Reinig surpassed her 1,000th kill in the Sept. 3 match vs. Morgan State, and was honored for the milestone prior to MSU's match vs. Notre Dame last Friday. Currently with 1,057 career terminations, she is the 21st player to record 1,000 kills at MSU and the first since Lauren Wicinski in 2013.
• Holly Toliver had 10 kills and hit a career--best .435 (10-0-23) vs. DePaul, and added 12 digs and three blocks for her second double-double of the season.
• Toliver ranks fifth in the Big Ten in service aces per set (0.445), which is 52nd nationally. Toliver's serve has been a bear for opposing back rows to handle through the first 12 matches, frequently posting 4-5 consecutive serves in that Spartan rotation. She ranks third on the team in total serve attempts (141), with a team-best 17 aces. Rachel Minarick (173) and Abby Monson (158) have more service attempts, and five Spartans have already reached double-digit aces through 12 matches: Toliver (17), Bailey (15), Minarick (13), Monson (11) and Brooke Kranda (11)
• Toliver averages 2.22 kills per set (fourth on the team), and also 0.44 blocks per frame. She averages 2.11 digs per set, second behind Monson.
• Toliver, who dealt with several injuries in her first two seasons that limited her court time, is now the only player on the MSU roster to play in each of the first 39 sets of the season.
• Monson started all 12 matches at libero this season, and is averaging 3.13 digs per frame, good for 15th in the Big Ten. She had season-best totals of 17 digs and eight assists, vs. Western Kentucky, (9/10) then established a new career best with four service aces against DePaul.
• Ole Miss transfer Kristen Brashear had her first double-digit dig match as a Spartan (10) vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (9/17).
• Brooke Kranda tied her career best with three service aces vs. Notre Dame last Friday, set previously this season vs. Morgan State (9/3) and Western Kentucky (9/10). Against DePaul last Saturday, she posted nine kills and a season-best five blocks.
