#16 Purdue Next Up for Spartan Volleyball
11/10/2023
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The tests keep coming for Michigan State volleyball as it heads back on the road this weekend for an afternoon match at No. 16-ranked Purdue on Sunday, November 12. First serve from Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind. is set for 1:00 p.m.
Sunday afternoon's match will be streamed live on B1G+. Fans can also listen in live via MSUSpartans.com where John Kreger has the call over the Spartan Media Network.
Zuzanna made her presence known ??
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 10, 2023
The Freshman middle blocker lead the team with 7 blocks in our match on Wednesday #GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/wpHNQjxVw9
NOTES TO KNOW
ABOUT #16 PURDUE
Purdue is 15-8 overall and 9-5 in conference play, going 1-1 last week with a five set victory over Penn State in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers will take on Minnesota on Friday night prior to meeting the Spartans on Sunday.
The Boilermakers are playing well as of late, going 7-3 over their last 10 matches, which included six opponents that were ranked or receiving votes over the last seven.
Purdue ranks No. 327 in aces per set (1.00), No. 89 in assists per set (12.05), No. 46 in blocks per set (2.46), No. 189 in digs per set (13.89), No. 56 in hitting percentage (.248), No. 79 in kills per set (13.13) and No. 252 in opponent hitting percentage (.223).
Raven Colvin ranks No. 8 nationally in total blocks (130) and is No. 14 in blocks per set (1.40). Colvin leads the B1G in blocks.
Eva Hudson (389) and Chloe Chicoine (362) each rank in the Top 50 nationally in total kills and in the Top 70 in points per set. Hudson is No. 23 In DI in kills per set.
Taylor Anderson ranks No. 78 in assists per set and Maddie Schermerhorn is No. 71 in digs per set. Schermerhorn is No. 2 in the B1G in digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Purdue
- Michigan State is 33-56 all-time against Purdue and 13-27 when playing in West Lafayette.
- The Boilermakers defeated MSU last season, 3-1, at the Breslin Center. Purdue had previously won four straight over MSU from 2017-19.
- MSU last defeated Purdue on Oct. 20, 2021, a 3-2 victory over the then No. 7-ranked Boilermakers. It also marked Cathy George's 300th career coaching victory. Sarah Franklin had 25 kills and Cecilee Max-Brown added 17 for MSU. Max-Brown led the team with 18 digs and Emma Monks posted five blocks. Julia Bishop (28 assists) and Celia Cullen (27 assists) shared the setting duties.
LAST TIME OUT
- Michigan State was defeated by Ohio State in a mid-week clash on Wednesday, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 27-25).
- It's the first time MSU had been swept on the road this season since the season opener at Arkansas and is just the second time the Spartans have been swept in B1G play.
- Despite the sweep, MSU forced extra points in sets two and three as Wednesday night's match was close than the final tally appears.
Taylah takes home @B1GVolleyball Freshman of the Week honors! ??
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 6, 2023
The New Zealand native led us in kills/set (4.33) and points per set (4.67) last week, adding 3.00 digs/set playing all six rotations.
??: https://t.co/FVsu7zdLip#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/CcAvnNNmUa
HOLDEM EARNS B1G HONORS
- Holdem becomes the eighth student-athlete in program history to earn B1G Freshman of the Week honors.
- Holdem is the first Spartan to earn the award since Julia Bishop did it on Nov. 8, 2021.
- Holdem led Michigan State in kills (26), kills per set (4.33) and points per set (4.67), while also recording 18 digs on 3.00 digs per set last weekend.
- Among the rest of the B1G, Holdem ranked No. 8 in kills per set and No. 10 in points per set.
- Holdem shares the honor with Ohio State setter Mia Tuman.
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. 6 in the conference in hitting percentage at .362 this season and ranks No. 7 in blocks per set during B1G play at 1.14.
- McArthur's hitting is up to .397 over Michigan State's last five matches.
- McArthur leads the conference with 27 total solo blocks this season, with 19 coming against B1G opponents.
LAST WEEK IN SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL
- Michigan State went 2-0 last weekend to improve to 16-9 overall with a pair of 3-0 wins over Maryland and Iowa.
- The Spartans have secured an above .500 record for the first time since 2018.
- MSU moves to 8-6 in B1G action, the most in conference wins by the program since 2017.
- Taylah Holdem led the Spartans with 26 kills, hitting .281 on 4.33 kills and 4.67 points per set last week.
LAST WEEK IN SPARTAN VOLLEYBALL
- Amani McArthur had a monster weekend in the middle averaging 1.67 blocks per set and hitting .538 with 16 kills and just two attacking errors.
- Nalani Iosia also had a big weekend averaging 5.00 digs per set to lead the team with 30 total digs.
- Julia Bishop led Michigan State with 39 assists and Rachel Muisenga added 30 in MSU's 6-2 system.
- Muisenga and Karolina Staniszewska each had four aces over the weekend.
HOLDEM AMONG BEST IN B1G
- In B1G play, Holdem ranks No. 9 in kills per set (3.59) and No. 8 in points per set (4.06).
- Holdem leads all B1G freshmen hitters in points per set.
- Holdem ranks No. 9 in the B1G in kills per set (3.43) and No. 9 in points per set (3.87) 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 3.43 kills per set would rank third all-time by an MSU freshman behind Veronica Morales (5.06) and Jenna Wrobel (4.59), and would tie Kim Schram (3.43).
B1G STATISTICAL RANKINGS
- Nalani Iosia ranks No. 4 in the B1G in digs (404) and is No. 4 in digs per set (4.21).
- Amani McArthur is No. 6 in the conference in hitting at .362. McArthur is No. 7 in blocks per set in B1G play at 1.14.
- Taylah Holdem in No. 9 in kills per set (3.43) and No. 9 in points per set (3.87). Holdem is No. 8 in points per set in B1G play at 4.06 and No. 9 in kills per set at 3.59.
- Jayhlin Swain is No. 6 in aces per set at 0.35.
- Michigan State ranks No. 3 in opponent hitting percentage in the B1G at .181 and is No. 7 in hitting percentage at .223.
Back on the road for two B1G matches this week! Starting it off with a mid-week at Ohio State on Wednesday night.#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/k88kS1ugn9
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 6, 2023
