Volleyball Sets Sights on Minnesota
10/20/2023
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State volleyball hits the road this weekend for a B1G match against Minnesota at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 22. Minnesota will meet Rutgers on Friday night prior to MSU's arrival. The Spartans are fresh off a 3-1 victory over intrastate rival Michigan on Wednesday night as the program reclaimed the State Pride Flag for the first time since 2015, earning the season sweep of the Wolverines for the first time since 2006 in the process.
Sunday's match will be streamed on B1G+. Fans can also listen in live via the Spartan Media Network on MSUSpartans.com, where the voice of Spartan volleyball, John Kreger, will provide commentary.
WHO'S UP NEXT?
Follow along live with the Spartans this weekend
NOTES TO KNOW
ABOUT MINNESOTA
Minnesota improved to 8-8 overall after defeating Michigan (3-0) and Northwestern (3-2) in B1G play last weekend. The Golden Gophers are tied with the Spartans at 4-4 in conference entering the week. Minnesota will play Rutgers on Friday night prior to its match against Michigan State on Sunday.
The Golden Gophers rank No. 91 nationally in hitting percentage (.230), No. 96 in opponent hitting percentage (.187), No. 67 in blocks per set (2.40), No. 166 in aces per set (1.50), No. 194 in assists per set (11.19), No. 176 in digs per set (14.03) and No. 204 in kills per set (12.09).
Phoebe Awoleye is No. 27 in DI with 1.33 blocks per set and is No. 71 in total blocks with 80 (nine solo, 71 assisted). Awoleye is also hitting .313 with 55 kills.
McKenna Wucherer leads the team in kills with 209 (3.27 kills/set), hitting .200. Taylor Landfair is second on the team in kills with 175 (2.73 kills/set), hitting .200. Landfair was the B1G Player of the Year in 2022. Cal transfer Lydia Grote is hitting .266 with 169 kills.
Melani Shaffmaster averages 8.53 assists per set as a first team All-B1G selection in 2022. 2022 B1G Defensive Player of the Year Kylie Murr is new to Minneapolis, but leads the team in digs with 266 (4.16 digs/set).
SERIES HISTORY
Minnesota
- Michigan State is 19-61 against Minnesota all-time and 7-31 when playing in Minneapolis.
- Minnesota has won eight straight against the Spartans and nine of the last 10.
- Michigan State last defeated Minnesota on Sept. 24, 2017 when MSU swept the then No. 1 ranked Golden Gophers on the road (25-18, 25-23, 25-22). Brooke Kranda led all players with 15 kills and Autumn Bailey added 14 kills along with 13 digs. Rachel Minarick tallied 43 assists and 10 digs. Holly Tolliver added 10 kills and three aces. MSU out-hit Minnesota .282 to .208.
- Michigan State assistant coach Maddie Beal played for the Golden Gophers from 2014-2017, playing in 52 career matches.
LAST TIME OUT
- Michigan State defeated Michigan, 3-1, on Wednesday night to sweep the season series for the first time since 2006.
- MSU also brings home the State Pride Flag, which had been in the posession of Michigan since 2015.
- The State Pride Flag is awarded to the team that wins the overall series by matches, sets, or points if needed, each season.
- Taylah Holdem led MSU with 16 kills and Evie Doezema added 10 on .588 hitting. Nalani Iosia tallied 20 digs and Amani McArthur led with 8 blocks.
- The Spartans hit .276 for the match and .351 over the final three sets.
LAST WEEK IN SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL
- Michigan State split its fourth weekend of B1G play, dropping a match at No. 2 Nebraska (3-1) and defeating Iowa on the road (3-1).
- MSU improves to 4-4 in B1G action and matches its conference win total from a season ago with 12 matches remaining.
- The Spartans took the second set from Nebraska in Lincoln on Friday (12-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-25) and held Nebraska to .000 hitting or worse in a set for the second time this season. MSU is the only team on Nebraska's schedule to do that twice.
- Amani McArthur was efficient in the middle hitting .333 with 1.13 blocks per set over the course of the weekend.
LAST WEEK IN SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL
- Michigan State responded to the loss with a win at Iowa on Saturday night, dropping set one but winning the next three (23- 25, 25-13, 30-28, 25-23).
- MSU hit an impressive .483 in the second set, while holding Iowa to .045 hitting in the frame. The Spartans out-hit Iowa .259 to .151 overall.
- Taylah Holdem led Michigan State with 22 kills and posted her fifth double-double with 12 digs. Grace Kelly had 19 kills and set a new career-high in digs with eight.
- Nalani Iosia tied her career-high in digs with 27 for the second time this season and Rachel Muisenga had a new career-best in assists tallying 23.
HOLDEM AMONG BEST IN B1G
- In B1G play, Holdem ranks No. 8 in kills per set (3.84) and No. 8 in points per set (4.32).
- Holdem leads all B1G freshmen hitters in points per set and kills per set in her first nine conference matches.
- Holdem ranks No. 9 in the B1G in kills per set (3.51) and No. 10 in points per set (3.95) 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).
- If the season ended today, Holdem's 3.51 kills per set would rank third all-time by an MSU freshman behind Veronica Morales (5.06) and Jenna Wrobel (4.59).
McARTHUR MAKING HER MARK
- Fifth year middle blocker Amani McArthur is making the most of her first and only season in the Big Ten after transferring to Michigan State from Charlotte last summer.
- McArthur ranks No. 9 in the conference in blocks per set (1.16) since the start of the season and leads the conference in solo blocks with 22.
- Since the start of B1G however, McArthur has found another gear, ranking No. 10 in the conference in hitting percentage (.333) and No. 8 in blocks per set (1.21) with a conference leading 14 solo blocks.
- McArthur was named B1G Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18 after earning MVP honors at the Dog Pound Challenge.
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
