Volleyball Hosts Iowa, Travels to OSU This Week


B1G Week Six - Spartans vs. Iowa, at [9] Ohio State
vs. Iowa	Friday Oct 29 - 7 pm Jenison Field House, East Lansing, Mich.
at Ohio State	Sunday, Oct 31 - 1 pm Covelli Center, Columbus, Ohio
Radio	vs. Iowa \| at Ohio State John Kreger, pxp; Spartan Media Network
Television	none
Webstreams (B1G+/$)	vs. Iowa \| at Ohio State
Live Statistics	vs. Iowa \| at Ohio State
Game Notes	Michigan State \| I owa \| Ohio State
Game Program	Download Digital Game Program
Press Conference	Watch the Cathy George Press Conference
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram

Please note:  In line with indoor mask mandates campus-wide, all fans, media, and individuals working at Michigan State volleyball matches will be required to correctly wear a mask.

THE WEEKEND AHEAD
• The Spartans begin the second half of the Big Ten season with a split weekend, hosting Iowa on Friday before traveling for a Sunday match at Ohio State.

• John Kreger returns behind the mic to call the action for Michigan State volleyball on the Spartan Sports Network. He will call both MSU matches this weekend.

• Both matches will have live video webstream on B1G+. MSUSpartans.com has links to all live statistics and webstreams.

• MSU split last week's matches, earning their biggest win of the season on Wednesday at Purdue, but falling on the road at Maryland on Saturday.

• The win at Purdue was Cathy George's 300th at Michigan State, a memorable way for the mentor to celebrate a milestone victory. She is 300-225 in her 17th season at Michigan State and 665-449 overall in her 35th season.

• In West Lafayette, Michigan State fought an epic five-set battle in a victory at No. 7 Purdue (25-16, 25-27, 25-23, 16-25, 15-10).

• Iowa is 2-18 overall and went 0-10 in its first pass through the Big Ten schedule. The Hawkeyes most recently battled through a 3-1 loss at Northwestern last Saturday. Vicki Brown is in her third season at the helm of the Hawkeye program.

• MSU is 52-27 all-time in the Iowa series, which includes a 23-13 record in home matches against the Hawkeyes. The Spartans have won three of the last four in the series.

• MSU and Iowa last met on Oct. 1 in Iowa City, with the Spartans earning a 3-0 sweep. Sarah Franklin delivered 20 kills and hit .375; MSU's middles each contributed seven kills as Rebecka Poljan hit .438 and added three blocks and three digs, while Naya Gros hit .385 with two stuffs.    MSU hit .324 as a team and out-blocked the Hawkeyes 5-4.

• Jen Flynn Oldenburg is in her second season as the head coach at her alma mater Ohio State. She was a four-year letterwinner who graduated in 2001.

• MSU is 22-50 all-time against the Buckeyes, and have lost three straight to OSU since the start of the 2020-21 season (0-3, 2-3, 0-3). MSU is 10-25 all-time in matches played in Columbus.

• The teams last met on Oct. 8, with OSU earning a hard-fought 3-0 win in which the teams saw a staggering 31 ties and 16 lead changes, with the first two sets extending into extra set points. The Buckeyes held a 46-36 advantage in kills, while both teams struggled with errors, Ohio State totaling 22 while the Spartans had 20. The teams were evenly matched at the net with the visiting team holding a narrow 11-10 advantage in blocks. There were a total of 16 service errors in the match, and six aces between the two teams.
   Franklin and Cecilee Max-Brown led the Spartans with ten kills each.

Team Notes
• MSU's average of 1.56 service aces per set on the season ranks fourth in the Big Ten. The Spartans are averaging 1.50 service aces per set in Conference games, which ranks second behind Nebraska (1.91).

• MSU's 12.03 assists per set is good for sixth in the Big Ten.

• After posting back-to-back season bests in kills against Maryland (Oct. 16, 58) and Purdue (Oct. 20, 67), MSU is averaging 12.83 per frame, good for seventh in the Big Ten. The 67 kills is the sixth-highest total for any team in a conference game this season.

• The Spartans are 9-2 when hitting .200 or better (7-0 when terminating at .300 or better). MSU is 0-8 if it hits below .200 in a match. The Spartans hit .203 against Minnesota (10/9) and then hit .201 vs. Maryland (10/16) - the only times this season the Spartans have hit .200 or better and lost.

• Seven of MSU's nine victories have come by 3-0 scores, with one in four (Central Michigan) and one in five (at Purdue). Seven of MSU's 10 losses are to either a ranked team (No. 13 BYU, No. 12 Nebraska, No. 7 OSU, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 3 Wisconsin) or a team receiving votes in the AVCA poll (Wright State, Michigan). The Spartans have lost to Maryland twice.
• The Spartans have played five top-12 teams over its last seven matches, and gets another on Saturday at No. 9 Ohio State.

• Michigan State completed the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 7-2 record, having won its final three matches. MSU's two losses came in five sets (to RV Wright State) and three sets (to No. 13 BYU).

• The Spartans went 2-1 in each of the first two weekends of non-conference tournaments before sweeping the final weekend of non-conference play with wins against Oakland, IUPUI, and Central Michigan in the Green & White Classic.

• MSU has gone 148-30 (.844) in non-conference action in Cathy George's tenure (2005-21), and has never lost more than four games prior to the beginning of the Big Ten season.

• Three schools on MSU's non-conference schedule were NCAA Tournament qualifiers in 2020, while five Big Ten teams were selected. As a result of Covid-19, the NCAA Tournament consisted of just 48 teams in 2020, compared to the usual 64. A 64-team event returns in 2021.

• MSU currently ranks seventh in overall attendance this season (25.196), a list which features eight B1G teams among the top 15 attendance draws. The Spartans are eighth nationally in average attendance through nine weeks of the 2021 campaign (2,520).

• Cathy George is one of four Big Ten head coaches to enter the 2021 season with 600+ career wins (656), along with Penn State's Russ Rose (1,309), Nebraska's John Cook (765), and Michigan's Mark Rosen (642). Through the 2020-21 season, she ranks 13th among active coaches in coaching victories with a 663-443 overall record. She also ranks 45th all-time in head coaching victories.

Player Notes
• Three players have appeared in all 19 matches for MSU thus far: Naya Gros, Cecilee Max-Brown, and Talia Edmonds. Max-Brown is the only one to have started all 19.
• Sarah Franklin is averaging 4.05 kills per set (third, B1G/46th nationally) and 4.61 points per frame (second, B1G/42nd nationally). In Conference games only, she leads the Big Ten with 5.03 points per set and ranks third with 4.42 kills per frame. She is also averaging 2.29 digs (third on the team) and 0.74 blocks per set, which ranks fourth behind MSU's three middles.

• A six-rotation player, Franklin delivered a double-double against Maryland last Saturday (her fifth of the season) with 20 kills, 13 digs, and a pair of blocks. The night prior, she led MSU with nine kills and added eight assists, the second highest total on the team.

• Franklin tied her career best with 25 kills in the upset win at Purdue, where she also added seven digs and a pair of aces. Last Saturday at Maryland, she picked up her second double-double against the Terps this season and sixth overall on the year with 16 kills and 12 digs.

• Franklin's 25 kills in matches against vs. Michigan (Sept. 29) and Purdue (Oct. 20) is the third-most by a B1G player in a Conference contest this year.

• Cecilee Max-Brown also plays six rotations for the Spartans. She has five double-doubles on the year: she had MSU career bests in both kills (17) and digs (18) at Purdue, and then delivered 14 kills and 15 digs at Maryland.

• In 19 starts, Max-Brown is averaging 2.86 kills, 2.39 digs, and 0.33 blocks. She is contributing 2.83 kills, 2.53 digs, and 0.44 aces in Conference games.

• Junior Biamba Kabengele is near career bests in both kills (2.12) and digs (1.70) this season. She tied her season best of 11 kills against Minnesota (10/9).

• Kabengele recorded her second career five-ace game against Michigan (Sept. 29), a mark she originally set last February against Maryland. That is tied for the most aces in a Big Ten game this season. She is third in the Big Ten and 39th nationally with 0.44 aces per set this season.

• Molly Johnson is averaging 0.88 kills, 1.32 digs, and 0.36 blocks per set.

• MSU returned a trio of middle blockers which includes two three-year starters in Naya Gros and Rebecka Poljan, as well as junior Emma Monks. It has proven to be MSU's deepest and most prolific position.

• Naya Gros ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 20th nationally with her career best of 1.37 blocks per set on the season, and her 85 total blocks is ninth in the B1G. She is hitting a career-best .329, and averaging 1.63 kills per frame.

• Gros put up 10 blocks against Dixie State (Sept. 3) is tied for seventh among single-game performances in the Big Ten this season.

• Gros' five solo blocks vs. Dixie State (Sept. 3) tied the record for solo stuffs in a three-set match, last accomplished by Alyssa Garvelink vs. Michigan in 2015. Her 10 total blocks in the contest tied for the fifth-highest total in a three-set match, last posted by Sarah Gustin vs. Northwestern in 1998. The school record of 12 total blocks in a three-setter is held by Alexis Matthews vs. Michigan (November 2010).

• Gros' career average of 1.20 blocks per set ranks sixth on MSU's career list, and is just behind the career average of most recent two-time All-American Alyssa Garvelink, who averaged 1.21 blocks per set from 2014-17. Gros' 356 career block assists ranks seventh all-time at MSU in that category, and her 417 total blocks ranks 10th in the MSU annals.

• Gros' 1.20 blocks per set average for her career ranks 10th among active Division I players this season.

• Poljan ranks third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.421). The senior had seven kills and three blocks in her last match Iowa (10/1), with three digs and an ace. Poljan has missed the last seven matches, but remains fourth on the team in blocks (0.76) and points (3.26) per set, and was also contributing 2.49 kills per frame (third) on the year before missing extended time.

• Poljan delivered seven kills or more in eight of her 12 matches, and has hit .300 or better in eight of 12 matches as well. She has two top-10 hitting performances in the Big Ten this season: her .77

• Monks made her first Big Ten start of the season at Nebraska (10/3), and delivered a team-best four blocks and added five kills. She has started the last seven matches, and on the year is averaging 0.86 blocks per frame, good for second on the team. She also adding 1.41 kills per set while hitting .234.

• MSU's most youthful position is at setter, but both sophomore incumbent Celia Cullen and freshman Julia Bishop have seen significant action. MSU has utilized both as setters over the last three matches after Bishop saw some time in early B1G games in a defensive role.

• Cullen ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 9.57 assists per frame, and is averaging 0.22 aces, 2.07 digs, and 0.52 blocks as well.

• Cullen has four double-doubles this season , with her most recent a 18-assist, 11-dig performance vs. Wisconsin (10/15).

• Bishop had a career-best 28 assists, two aces, and 10 digs for her first career double-double at Purdue, and followed that with 24 assists and four digs at Maryland last Saturday.

• Bishop is averaging 3.83 assists per set splitting time between setter and DS, and is adding 1.06 digs per frame. Over her last three matches, she is averaging 4.73 assists and 1.45 digs.

• Redshirt junior and captain Talia Edmonds wore the libero jersey in the first 16 matches of the season, and has responded with a team-best 3.20 digs per set. She is adding 0.68 assists per frame as well.

• Senior Lauryn Gibbs returned to the lineup against Ohio State and Minnesota (10/8-9) after missing the first six weeks with injury. She has worn the libero jersey over the last three matches. She had a season-best 12 digs in the most recent match at Maryland.

• Gibbs had seen a significant increase in her defensive role for MSU, and in 2020-21 averaged 0.36 assists and 1.28 digs per frame. She had the third-most service aces and boasted a .934 percentage. She has played in 67 matches (193 sets) in her career.

• First-year DS Grace Danziger has appeared in eight of 10 B1G matches for the Spartans She is averaging 0.72 digs per set and has three aces.

• Freshman outside Eleanor Stothoff saw her first action in a Green & White jersey in the match against BYU, and her first career kill came as match point in the win over Central Michigan.

• Abby Olin, Aubrey O'Gorman and Lia Moore have not yet appeared in any matches in 2021. Olin and Moore will miss the entire season with injury.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Bishop

Celia Cullen

Grace Danziger

Talia Edmonds

Sarah Franklin

Lauryn Gibbs

Naya Gros

Molly Johnson

Biamba Kabengele

Cecilee Max-Brown

Emma Monks

Lia Moore

Aubrey O'Gorman

Abby Olin

Rebecka Poljan

Eleanor Stothoff