Volleyball Heads to No. 2 Nebraska, Iowa
10/11/2023
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball is back on the road this weekend heading to No. 2-ranked Nebraska and Iowa to continue B1G play. The Spartans first travel to Lincoln, Neb. for a rematch with the Cornhuskers on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET before heading to Coralville, Iowa for a match with the Hawkeyes at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 14. It's the first meeting between Michigan State and Iowa this season.
Both of this weekend's upcoming matches will be streamed on B1G+. Fans can listen in live via MSUSpartans.com with Jeremy Otto calling the action.
A big thank you to everyone who came out in support of our pink match on Sunday and to those who made donations to the Shades of Pink Foundation #GoGreen | #Serve pic.twitter.com/Av8E0hWNlb
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 9, 2023
NOTES TO KNOW
ABOUT #2 NEBRASKA
Nebraska is 15-0 (9-0 at home) and holds the No. 2 ranking in the latest AVCA poll with four first place votes.
As a team the Cornhuskers rank No. 1 in DI in opponent hitting percentage, holding teams to .125 on the season. Nebraska ranks No. 11 in team hitting percentage as they have hit .293 over 15 matches. The Cornhuskers are No. 29 in kills per set (13.71), No. 24 in assists per set (12.75) and No. 25 in blocks per set (2.60).
Bekka Allick ranks No. 11 nationally in blocks per set averaging 1.45. Andi Jackson is hitting .404 which is No. 25 in DI. Lexi Rodriguez leads the team in digs with 177 on 3.40 per set.
Bergen Reilly is No. 26 nationally in assists per set at 10.40, which leads the Big Ten. Reilly is a two-time B1G Setter of the Week in 2023.
Merritt Beason is tied for the team-high in kills at 184, hitting .268 and averaging 3.54 kills per set along with 2.08 digs per set. Beason is a two-time B1G Player of the Week in 2023. Harper Murray is tied with Beason in kills with 184, hitting .293 on 3.54 kills per set along with 1.88 digs per set. Murray is a three-time B1G Freshman of the Week in 2023. Lindsay Krause is the reigning B1G Player of the Week, hitting .298 this season with 89 kills.
ABOUT IOWA
Iowa is 8-10 just past the mid-way point of the season and is 0-6 to start Big Ten action. Last weekend the Hawkeyes were swept by Wisconsin and Purdue.
The Hawkeyes rank No. 145 in hitting percentage (.214), No. 253 in opponent hitting percentage (.227), No. 134 in aces per set (1.60), No. 168 in assists per set (11.42), No. 228 in blocks per set (1.85) and No. 72 in digs per set (15.34).
Michelle Urquhart is one of the better servers in the country ranking No. 17 in aces per set at .54, which is second in the B1G. Her 34 total aces hold the same rankings. Caitlan Buettner takes a majority of the swings on offense for Iowa ranking No. 28 nationally in attacks per set at 11.03 and No. 32 in total attacks with 706. Buettner is hitting .195 for the season. Her 3.45 kills per set ranks No. 118.
Iowa runs a 5-2 system with Bailey Ortega and Kaia Mateo sharing the setting duties. Anna Davis leads Iowa in blocks (54) and Sydney Dennis leads in digs (262, 4.09 per set).
Rosa Vesty is the former beach volleyball doubles partner of Michigan State's Taylah Holdem.
SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska
- Michigan State is 2-25-2 all-time against the Cornhuskers in a series that dates back to 1978.
- Both of Michigan State's wins in the series came at home, where the Spartans are 2-6 all-time.
- MSU last defeated then #9 Nebraska on Oct. 12, 2013 by a score of 3-1. The Spartans, ranked No. 7 at the time, out-hit the Cornhuskers .288 to .258 behind Lauren Wicinski's 20 kills. Chloe Reinig (13) and Allyssah Fitterer (11) also had double-digit kills. Kristen Kelsay led with 27 assists and Kori Moster tallied 20 digs.
Iowa
- Michigan State is 52-29 all-time against the Hawkeyes and 23-13 when facing Iowa on the road dating back to 1975.
- MSU has lost two straight and the two sides are 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.
- The Spartans last defeated Iowa on Oct. 1, 2021, winning 3-0 at Xtream Arena (25-23, 25-18, 25-21). MSU out-hit Iowa .324 to .209 as Sarah Franklin had 20 kills. Rebecka Poljan and Naya Gros each had seven kills, while Poljan and Franklin posted three blocks apiece. Talia Edmonds led the team with nine digs and Celia Cullen finished with 37 assists. Cecilee Max-Brown had three ace serves.
RECORD BREAKING ATTENDANCE
- MSU set a new program attendance record last weekend against Nebraska, hosting 8,789 fans on Friday night in the Breslin Center.
- 8,789 breaks the previous mark on 7,326 set against Michigan on Oct. 14, 2022 in the Battle at Breslin.
- It also marks a new record for the highest attended volleyball match in the history of the state of Michigan, breaking the previous high of 8,543 set by Western Michigan in 1983 when they hosted Nebraska for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Michigan State has set a new attendance record in each of the last two seasons since moving to the Breslin Center full time.
- MSU moved to the Breslin Center in 2022 after previously playing at Jenison Field House from 1993-2021. The Jenison Field House attendance record was 6,838 set on Nov. 12, 2016 at the annual Jam Jenison event. Jenison Field House is now the full-time practice facility of the MSU volleyball program.
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— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 7, 2023
Thank you to everyone who showed up and set new ATTENDANCE RECORD!!! #GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/sl8jlzlnh1
LAST WEEK IN SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL
- Michigan State went winless over the weekend going 0-2 against No. 2 Nebraska and Northwestern.
- MSU took a set off the powerhouse Cornhuskers, losing 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 15-25, 11-25). It was the first time MSU had won a set against Nebraska since Oct. 11, 2019.
- Holdem had 16 kills to lead MSU, while Nalani Iosia chipped in with 16 digs and Aliyah Moore had four blocks.
- Iosia averaged 4.78 digs per set over the two matches.
LAST WEEK IN SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL
- After just playing Northwestern a week prior in five sets, MSU dropped a five setter to the Wildcats last Sunday (25-22, 16-25, 20-25, 26-24, 10-15).
- Grace Kelly had a career-high 20 kills and Iosia had a career-best 27 digs in the effort. Amani McArthur led with seven blocks and Julia Bishop posted 28 assists.
- Evie Doezema had an efficient week hitting .400 in the middle for the Spartans with 15 kills on 30 attempts.
The Bres was electric last night…. What do you say we keep these good vibes goin’?!
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 7, 2023
We’re back in action again tonight for our Pink Match against Northwestern tonight at 7#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/PwzVrIKlpl
HOLDEM AMONG BEST IN B1G
- In B1G play, Holdem ranks No. 7 in kills per set (3.92) and No. 7 in points per set (4.46)
- Holdem leads all B1G freshmen in points per set during B1G play and is second behind Harper Murray in kills per set (3.95) in her first six conference matches.
- Holdem ranks No. 10 in the B1G in kills per set (3.48) and No. 10 in points per set (3.94) in the season-long leaderboard.
- Holdem had a season-high and career-best 25 kills against Northwestern on 9/29, the most single match kills by an MSU freshman since 1998 (Erin Hartley, 28).
- Holdem has double-doubles in four of her last five matches dating back to Illinois (9/24) and had a career-high 14 digs against Northwestern on 9/29. Holdem missed a fifth consecutive double-double by just one kill on 10/7 against Northwestern.
- If the season ended today, Holdem's 3.48 kills per set would rank third all-time by an MSU freshman behind Veronica Morales (5.06) and Jenna Wrobel (4.59).
GRACK ATTACK
- Junior outside hitter Grace Kelly, known as Grack among her coaches and teammates, has been a bright spot for the Spartans this season.
- Kelly ranks second on the team in kills (132), averaging 2.49 kills per set on .244 hitting. She made her first career start in MSU's match against Northwestern on Sept. 29, 2023.
- Against Northwestern on Oct. 7, Kelly set a new career-high in kills with 20. It's the third time this season that Kelly has set a new career record for kills in a match.
- Kelly saw action in just eight matches as a sophomore.
- Kelly brings a high-energy presence off the bench for MSU and has thrived in Michigan State's higher tempo offense compared to 2022.
We’re back in Breslin during the month of October. Don’t miss out on amazing volleyball and some pretty cool promotions ??#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/Jau8G6iGPh
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 25, 2023
WHO'S UP NEXT?
Michigan State will play its first mid-week conference match next week, facing Michigan inside the Breslin Center for the annual Battle at Breslin match at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Spartans will then hit the road to face No. 24-ranked Minnesota for a 3:00 p.m. ET match on Sunday, Oct. 22 inside Maturi Pavilion.
