Volleyball Back in Breslin Hosting #3 Penn State, Illinois
10/10/2024
EAST LANSING, Mich. – After three consecutive road weekends the Michigan State volleyball team is finally back in the Breslin Student Events Center this weekend hosting No. 3-ranked Penn State and Illinois. Action gets underway on Friday, October 11 when MSU welcomes the Nittany Lions for a 6:00 p.m. match. Saturday's match against Illinois gets underway at 4:00 p.m.
Friday night's match will stream live on B1G+, while Saturday afternoon's match against Illinois will be televised nationally on Big Ten Network. Fans can also listen in live through MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app where John Kreger will call both matches in his 20th season of MSU volleyball coverage.
PARKING INFO
Friday 10/11
General Public Parking: Lots 62, 63, 79, 124, Ramp 7 and Kellogg Ramp 4/Lot 66 are used for public parking and cost $5 (lots staffed at 4pm)
Accessible Parking: Lot 126 allows those with a disability placard or license plate to pay $5 to park (lot staffed at 2pm)
Reserved Pass Lots: Lots 61, 67, 126 require the appropriate pass to enter the lot (lots staffed at 2pm)
Saturday 10/12
General Public Parking: Lots 62, 63, 79, 124, Ramp 7 and Kellogg Ramp 4/Lot 66 are used for public parking and cost $5 (lots staffed at 2pm)
Accessible Parking: Lot 126 allows those with a disability placard or license plate to pay $5 to park (lot staffed at 12pm)
Reserved Pass Lots: Lots 61, 67, 126 require the appropriate pass to enter the lot (lots staffed at 12pm)
WHO'S NEXT?
Follow along live with the Spartans this weekend
NOTES TO KNOW
ABOUT #3 PENN STATE
No. 3-ranked Penn State is 14-1 overall and 4-1 on the road. Penn State’s lone loss of the season is to current No. 1-ranked Pittsburgh.
Third year head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley has the Nittany Lions ranked No. 1 in kills/set (14.80), No. 2 in assists/set (13.63), No. 3 in hitting percentage (.315), No. 35 in blocks/set (2.61), No. 53 in opponent hitting percentage (.173), No. 175 in digs/set (14.12) and No. 185 in aces per set (1.47).
Izzy Starck ranks No. 12 nationally in assists/set (10.86). Starck ranks fourth in the B1G in total assists. Taylor Trammell is No. 4 nationally in hitting percentage (.478) and second on the team in blocks/set (1.08) behind team leader Maggie Mendelson’s 1.16 blocks/set. At libero Gillian Grimes averages 3.73 digs/set and has committed just nine receiving errors.
Jess Mruzik ranks No. 14 nationally in kills/set (4.48) and is No. 16 in points/set (5.05), both of which rank second in the B1G. Mruzik’s 206 kills lead the Nittany Lions on .314 hitting. Camryn Hannah has been efficient as well hitting .305 on 3.51 kills/set.
SERIES HISTORY
#3 Penn State
- Michigan State is 8-55 all-time against the Nittany Lions dating back to 1985. The Spartans are 5-23 when meeting PSU in East Lansing.
- The Spartans won four straight over PSU from 11/5/94 through 10/11/96 including three matches at home.
- MSU last defeated Penn State on 10/28/23, taking down the ranked Nittany Lions, 3-2, at the Breslin Center on BTN. It was Michigan State's first home victory over a ranked opponent since 10/7/17 and its first win over PSU since 11/1/02.
Illinois
- Michigan State is 27-57 all-time against the Illini dating back to 1973. The Spartans are 13-25 when meeting Illinois at home.
- Illinois has taken seven consecutive matches against MSU dating back to 2018.
- MSU last defeated Illinois on 12/8/17, 3-1, in the Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite Eight of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The No. 12-ranked Spartans were led by Brooke Kranda's 16 kills, Rachel Minarick's 54 assists and Jamye Cox's 14 digs.
B1G Volleyball ?? Friday Nights
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 10, 2024
Grace, Kaya, Taylor and Nalani took to campus to find out what their fellow Spartans perfect pairs are ahead of tomorrow night's Big Ten home opener... Our Perfect Pair Match!#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/nYcx1Q0jmU
ABOUT ILLINOIS
Illinois enters the weekend with an overall record of 9-5 (1-3 B1G) and ranks No. 26 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. The Illini earned their first B1G victory of the season last Sunday against Northwestern (3-1).
Eighth year head coach Chris Tamas has Illinois ranked No. 30 nationally in aces/set (1.87), No. 77 in hitting percentage (.235), No. 120 in blocks/set (2.20), No. 132 in opponent hitting percentage (.196), No. 167 in kills/set (12.43), No. 209 in assists/set (11.26) and No. 314 in digs/set (12.26).
Raina Terry is one of the best players in the country ranking No. 12 in aces/set (0.59), No. 24 in points/set (4.93) and No. 43 in kills/set (4.06). Brooke Mosher leads the Illini with 8.28 assists/set and is second on the team with 27 aces. Ashlyn Philpot is the lone player averaging over a block per set at 1.17. Christina Martinez Mundo leads the teams in digs averaging 3.30 per set.
B1G WEEK TWO
Michigan State continued B1G play last weekend playing its second consecutive set of road matches, falling 3-1 to Indiana and 3-0 to No. 10-ranked Purdue.
Senior libero Nalani Iosia posted 20 digs in each match to give her six matches of 20 or more digs this season.
Iosia's 5.71 digs/set tied for the B1G lead last weekend with Purdue's Ali Hornung, who earned co-B1G Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig posted 2.00 blocks/set last weekend in seven sets of action (14 total blocks, two solo, 12 assisted).
Kulig's 2.00 blocks/set tied for the B1G lead last week with three other players, including Nebraska's Rebekah Allick who was co-B1G Defensive Player of the Week.
IN THE B1G RANKINGS
Nalani Iosia is #1 in digs/set in the B1G at 4.44 and ranks #2 in total digs with 240 behind Iowa's Joy Galles (248).
Zuzanna Kulig ranks #3 in the B1G in blocks thus far at 1.48 blocks/set, only behind Purdue's Raven Colvin (1.74) and Nebraska's Rebekah Allick (1.49).
Kulig's total blocks (74) rank second in the conference behind Colvin's 92 and her solo blocks (11) are third behind Colvin (15) and UCLA's Anna Dodson (13).
As a team MSU ranks third in the B1G in digs/set through four B1G matches at 14.93.
LAST ONE, BEST ONE
Fifth-year libero Nalani Iosia saved her best for last, averaging a career-high 4.44 digs per set. Her previous career-high was 4.16 set in 2023.
If the season ended today, Iosia's 4.44 digs/set would rank No. 6 in the program history book for a single season.
Against UNC on Sept. 22, Iosia moved into No. 10 in career digs at MSU and now has 1,150 in a Spartan jersey. Kelly Collister is No. 9 with 1,196.
Iosia is first in the B1G in digs per set and is second in total digs (240) behind Joy Galles (Iowa, 248).
Iosia entered the season ranked second in the B1G in career digs among active players with 1,504 (now 1,744).
Iosia ranked fifth in the B1G last season in digs/set at 4.16.
Iosia was an AVCA All-North Region honorable mention following the conclusion of the 2023 season, the first Spartan to earn a regional honor since 2017 and the first libero since 2014.
Iosia's 483 digs last season ranked No. 8 all-time for a single season at MSU.
Iosia twice tallied a career-best 27 digs in a match in 2023.
MAKING CHANGES
Michigan State moved to a 5-1 offense starting on Sept. 29, 2024 against Penn State led by senior setter Julia Bishop.
The top beneficiary over the switch to the 5-1 has been junior outside hitter Taylor Preston.
Preston leads MSU with 40 kills on 3.64 kills/set and 3.90 points/set in the last three matches hitting .252.
Taylah Holdem has impressed hitting out of the back row, hitting .353 over her last three matches.
Bishop has averaged 8.73 assists/set and 2.36 digs/set since taking over the setting role in the 5-1.
This Saturday we are collaborating with MSU Safe Place for our Serving for Awareness Match, taking action against domestic violence.#GoGreen | #Serve pic.twitter.com/nbJ9gMTR3V
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 8, 2024
KULIG AS A CUCUMBER
Throughout the non-conference schedule sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig inserted herself into the conversation as one of the best in the country.
Kulig ranks No. 11 nationally and No. 3 in the B1G in blocks per set (1.48).
Kulig's 74 total blocks rank No. 34 nationally and No. 2 in the B1G.
Last weekend Kulig averaged 2.00 blocks/set which tied for first in the B1G.
Kulig's 1.48 blocks/set would rank No. 6 in program history for a single season. No Spartan has posted above a 1.32 blocks/set (Top 10 barometer) since 2017.
HOLDING COURT
Sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem is among the best passing outsides in the entire country.
Last week Holdem ranked No. 6 among Power Four and Top 25 programs in receiving (minimum 20 attempts) passing a 2.40 via volleymetrics.
Holdem committed just one receiving error on 27 attempts last weekend.
At the net or in the back court… it’s pretty tough to score around these two ??#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/UOsctme8zC
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 8, 2024
