Spartans Host Three In Busy B1G Week

Wednesday, February 17

7 pm

Michigan State University

Michigan

2/16/2021 10:15:00 AM | Volleyball


Michigan State (2-4) vs Michigan (0-2) Michigan State (2-4) vs No. 1 Wisconsin (8-0)
Dates	vs. Michigan - Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - 7 pm
	vs. Wisconsin - Saturday, February 20, 2021 - 2:30 pm
	vs. Wisconsin - Sunday, February 21, 2021 - 3:30 pm
Facility	Jenison Field House, East Lansing, Mich.
Radio	Spartan Media Network - John Kreger, pxp *Listen: Wednesday \| Saturday \| Sunday*
Television	Saturday - Big Ten Network Live video stream on the FoxSports App
Webstream	Wednesday (BTN+) \| Sunday (BTN+)
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| M ichigan \| Wisconsin
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram
Coverage	Watch this week's Coach George Press Conference

The Fine Print:
• Michigan State begins a five-match homestand this week when it hosts Michigan (Wednesday) and No. 1 Wisconsin (Saturday/Sunday) at Jenison Field House.

• Wednesday's home match against Michigan is rescheduled from the original postponement date of Jan. 28. The return game in Ann Arbor has yet to be rescheduled.

• The spring 2021 volleyball schedule in the Big Ten conference will consist of 10, two-match weekend series and one home-and-home series with its travel partner. Each team will play 22 Conference matches, and no matches against non-conference teams. Michigan State will not play No. 5 Nebraska or Indiana in spring 2021.

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no fans in the stands at Jenison for home matches. However, a limited number of family members of the student-athletes will be allowed. For those family members in attendance, masks will be required at all times and complete screening survey upon entry, per State of Michigan and Michigan State University ordinances.

• John Kreger returns behind the mic to call the action for Michigan State volleyball on the Spartan Media Network. The Spartan Media Network broadcasts begin on January 31 at home against Ohio State, and all remaining games will be carried with the exception of matches at Iowa.

• Saturday's match against Wisconsin will air live on Big Ten Network with Connor Onion (pxp) and Salima Rockwell (analysis) on the call. Wednesday's game against Michigan and the Sunday showdown with Wisconsin will both air on BTN+.

• Michigan is coming off its first two matches of the season after a Covid-19-related pause forced the postponement of the first three weeks of action. The Wolverines lost a pair of matches at home to No. 11 Purdue, 3-1 and 3-0. Mark Rosen is in his 21st season at the helm in Ann Arbor.

• MSU leads the all-time series with the Wolverines by a 54-45-1 mark, which includes a 35-14 mark in games played in East Lansing. Michigan has won five straight in the series after eight seasons of splitting the annual two meetings of the teams.

• In 1990, Michigan State and Michigan began a "State Pride" season series to celebrate the in-state rivalry. A State of Michigan flag, bearing the state motto "Tuebor" (`I Will Defend') serves as the trophy for winner of the head-to-head meetings of the two teams.   The squads shared the Flag in 2014 as both tiebreakers (set wins, and then total points) were even. MSU had won or shared the Flag in six straight seasons (2010-15) before Michigan claimed the Flag in each of the last four years.

• Wisconsin has been atop the AVCA National Division I poll since its first release in the pre-season, and holds on to its No. 1 ranking with an 8-0 record in the spring 2021 campaign. The Badgers have dropped just one set in those eight matches, (to Illinois), and have also played then -No. 1 Purdue, Rutgers, and Indiana in addition to the Illini. Kelly Sheffield is in his eighth season as the head man in Madison.

• The Badgers lead the all-time series with MSU 52-28, and have a 21-14 edge in matches played at Jenison Field House. Wisconsin has won three straight meetings between the teams, which includes a 3-0 victory in 2019.

Team Notes:
• Michigan State got off the schneid last weekend with a pair of 3-1 road victories at Maryland. MSU is now 2-4, with its losses coming to No. 7 Minnesota and (RV) Ohio State.

• The Spartans earned their first two wins of the year in College Park, winning the first set in each match (the first time MSU had done so this season).

• MSU's offense has seemingly flipped a switch in the last three matches, with significant statistical improvement in all facets of the game. MSU has hit .194 or better in each of its last three games, for a composite .251 in those contests. MSU is averaging 12.62 kills (compared to 11.33 in its first three games, when it hit .109), and also averaging 1.92 blocks (1.11 in the first three games) and is averaging 1.31 aces (0.89). MSU has limited opponents to a .206 hitting percentage in the last three matches compared to .282 in the first three.

• With a 15-15 record in 2019, 12 of MSU's 15 losses came to teams in the AVCA top-25 or receiving votes at the time of the match. Seven of the 15 losses were to teams ranked in the top eight at the time of the match.

• MSU is not in current AVCA Top 25 National Poll. Five teams from the Big Ten are among the national top 11: Wisconsin (1), Nebraska (4), Minnesota (5), Penn State (8) and Purdue (11). Michigan, Ohio State, and Illinois are receiving votes.

• MSU has gone 141-27 (.844) in non-conference action in Cathy George's tenure (2005-19), and has never lost more than four games prior to the beginning of the Big Ten season.

• MSU ranked ninth in total attendance among Division I institutions in 2019, welcoming 46,510 fans through the turnstiles, The Spartans also finished seventh in average attendance in 2019, with 3,101 per match. There will be limited or no fans at B1G matches in this spring season.

• Cathy George is one of four Big Ten head coaches to enter the spring 2021 season with 600+ career wins (653), along with Penn State's Russ Rose (1,299), Nebraska's John Cook (749), and Michigan's Mark Rosen (638). She ranks 13th among active coaches in coaching victories with a 653-427 overall record. She also ranks in the top 80 all-time in head coaching victories.

• Four freshmen have joined the Spartans for the spring 2021 campaign. This class was the No. 13 ranked class among the fall 2020 group in Division I volleyball.

Player Notes:
• Sarah Franklin was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday, her first B1G Weekly honor of her career. She averaged 4.50 kills per set in the two matches against Maryland: she put down 16 kills and had 11 digs for her second career double-double on Friday, then followed that up with a 20-kill, three-block performance in which she hit .395 on Saturday.

• Franklin ranks third in the league and 28th nationally in attempts (11.77 per set) seventh in the B1G in kills per set (3.82). She is averaging 2.18 digs per set as a six-rotation player, second on the team behind libero Jamye Cox.

• Franklin has two 20-kill efforts in the last three matches, as well as delivering a pair of double-doubles. Her current 3.82 kills per set would rank third in the MSU freshman record book. Only six players have previously averaged better than three kills per set in their freshman season: Veronica Morales, Jenna Wrobel, Kim Schram, Becky Belanger, Jenny Rood, and Erin Hartley.

• Freshman setter Celia Cullen has posted 40 assists or more in each of the last three matches, including her season best of 50 in the first match at Maryland. She ranks ninth in the Big Ten in assists per set (8.73), and is also averaging 1.59 digs and shares the team lead in service aces (5).

• With MSU's hitting percentage going up significantly, senior libero Jamye Cox posted 11 and nine digs, respectively, in the two matches vs. Maryland. Her nine digs in the Saturday match snapped her streak of 21 consecutive double-digit dig matches dating back to the 2019 season. She is averaging 3.45 digs per set, good for 11th in the Big Ten.

• Cox ranks sixth all-time at MSU in career digs (1,289) and fourth in career digs per set (3.76). Ahead of her on the all-time digs list in fifth place is Becky Belanger 1987-90, 1,293). Cox ranks 33rd among active Division I players in career digs.

• Biamba Kabengele saw an expanded role last week in College Park, and responded with a pair of impressive performances. On Friday, she came off the bench to contribute 13 kills and hit .281, and followed that up with 10 kills and five service aces in Saturday's victory. Her five aces is tied for second for the most in a Big Ten game this season - Wisconsin's Izzy Ashburn had six in a match against Indiana earlier this season.

• On the year, Kabengele is averaging 2.18 kills per set, and her 0.45 aces per set average ranks eighth in the Big Ten.

• Naya Gros had a breakout weekend in College Park, averaging 1.88 kills, hitting .385, and averaging 1.38 blocks per set. She had six kills and eight blocks in the series finale on Saturday after a nine-kill performance in which she hit .727 with three blocks on Friday.

• On the season, Gros has averaged 1.50 kills and 0.91 blocks per set, and is hitting .203.

• Gros' career average of 1.21 blocks per set is on par with the career average of two-time All-American Alyssa Garvelink, who averaged 1.21 blocks per set from 2014-17. Gros' 256 career block assists is about 75 shy of getting her into MSU's all-time top 10 in that category, and her 298 career blocks is just 90 away from joining MSU's top-10 all-time list.

• Alyssa Chronowski started both matches at Maryland, and contributed 13 kills and five blocks over the two contests. She's contributing 1.33 kills and 0.50 blocks per set this season.

• Rebecka Poljan has started the last three matches, and at Maryland averaged 1.38 kills, 0.63 blocks, and hit .241. Her .244 hitting percentage on the season is tied for the team's best.

• Molly Johnson came off the bench in the second game at Maryland and provided MSU with eight kills, three blocks, and she hit .467 in the match. She is averaging 1.40 kills and 0.50 blocks per set on the season.

• Both Talia Edmonds and Lauryn Gibbs have seen significant time in their defensive roles for MSU, each playing in both matches at Maryland.

• Edmonds returned to the court after missing the 2019 season with an injury, had 14 digs and a pair of assists in the two wins against the Terps. She's fourth on the team in service attempts this season - is also contributing 0.74 digs per frame.

• Gibbs has played in 17 of 22 sets, and has three assists, one ace, and is averaging 0.65 digs.

• Elena Shklyar is a serving specialist for MSU, coming into the game for 17 serves (with no errors) in the Maryland series, recording an ace.

• Emma Monks saw her court time increase significantly over the course of her freshman season, but did not play against Maryland. She led MSU with a .357 hitting percentage in both games in Minneapolis (6-1-14), and shared the team lead in blocks in the finale (3). She had two blocks and a pair of kills in the first match vs. Ohio State. On the year, she's averaging 1.75 kills and 0.63 blocks, hitting .244.

• Cecilee Max-Brown earned her first start of the season in the second game against Ohio State, and just missed a double-double with 14 kills and nine digs, hitting .231 in the match. She averaged 2.75 kills per set in the OSU series and hit .209, contributing 2.38 digs per set. Overall, she is averaging 2.38 kills per set, hitting .214, and also contributing 1.77 digs per frame. She missed the Maryland series with (non-Covid) illness.

• Max-Brown is a transfer to MSU from Oregon State. She missed considerable time to injury during her freshman year in 2019, when she played in 11 matches and 38 sets, making eight starts. She finished the season with 111 kills and averaging 2.92 kills/set – second on her team.

• Meredith Norris started both matches against Ohio State. She is averaging 1.33 kills and 1.92 digs per set on the season. She is a six-rotation player for the Spartans, and a year ago averaged a team-best 2.67 kills and 0.25 aces per frame to go with 2.00 digs and 0.44 blocks.