Saturday, August 30
East Lansing, Mich.
6 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Merrimack
Photo by: Ynhi Le
Volleyball Hosts Merrimack, Chicago State to Open 2025 Season
8/27/2025 7:07:00 PM | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -Â Michigan State volleyball opens the 2025 season on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 31 2 p.m, hosting Merrimack and Chicago State, respectively, at the Breslin Center.Â
Both matches will stream on B1G+. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app for both matches.
This weekend's matches will be the first for the Spartans in the Kristen Kelsay era, who enters her first season at the helm after being named the eighth head coach in program history in December 2024. Kelsay spent the previous two seasons as Minnesota's associate head coach and also had coaching stops at Volleyball Club Nebraska (2022) and Northwestern (assistant coach, 2019-21).Â
She also served as an assistant at MSU under former head coach Cathy George from 2015-18 after a four-year playing career as a setter in the Green & White, helping MSU to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2012 and 2013.
MICHIGAN STATE IN 2025
MSU returns nine letterwinners, including three starters (starting in 10+ matches) - senior opposite Evie Doezema, junior outside hitter Taylah Holdem and junior middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig - from 2024. Four freshmen - outside hitter Bianca Mumcular, middle blocker Leela Ormsby, setter Kalea Norton and opposite Caroline Formankova and four transfers - redshirt freshman setter Malayah Long (Marquette), sophomore middle blocker Breccan Scheck (Washington State), redshirt defensive specialist/libero Sarah Vellucci (Long Beach State) and junior DS/L Lia Schneider (South Florida) - make up MSU's eight-player newcomer class.
ABOUT MERRIMACKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Warriors.
Merrimack posted a 10-21 overall record in 2024, including an 8-10 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Sophomore outside hitter McKenna Shotwell was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team last season, registering double-digit kills in 12 matches.
Head coach Ken Nichols is in his second season leading the Warriors and holds a 393-307 career record. Before Merrimack, Nichols spent 19 seasons (2000-18) as the head coach at Northeastern and three seasons (1997-99) leading Providence.
ABOUT CHICAGO STATE
MSU is 1-0 all-time against the Cougars with the only meeting coming in 3-1 Spartan victory at the Green & White Classic in the Breslin Center on Sept. 17, 2022.
Chicago State will be the first of 11 2024 NCAA Tournament participants that MSU will face this season. The Cougars went 19-10 (13-1 Northeast Conference) and won the NEC Tournament in 2024, falling to Louisville in the NCAA First Round, but return only two players from their 2024 squad - senior opposite Zeynep Ertam and sophomore middle blocker/opposite Tarcy Mayah.
Kamille Jones, who spent the previous four seasons at the University of Illinois-Springfield, enters her first season as the head coach of the Cougars.
MSU IN SEASON OPENERS
Entering its 54th varsity season in 2025, MSU is 34-18 all-time in season openers, including a 17-2 mark in season openers at home. MSU has won 13-straight season openers in East Lansing, having not dropped an opener at home since falling to then-No. 4 Texas in five sets on Aug. 30, 1996. The Spartans' only other loss in a season-opening match at home came against Toledo in 1991.
This is the first time since 2022 that MSU has opened the season at home, defeating Louisiana on Aug. 26 of that season. That result was also MSU's most recent win in a season opener - the Spartans fell on the road at Arkansas in 2023 and at Northern Colorado last season.
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Evansville, Indiana, for a pair of midweek road matches next week, taking on Evansville on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. ET and Southern Indiana on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.
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Both matches will stream on B1G+. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app for both matches.
This weekend's matches will be the first for the Spartans in the Kristen Kelsay era, who enters her first season at the helm after being named the eighth head coach in program history in December 2024. Kelsay spent the previous two seasons as Minnesota's associate head coach and also had coaching stops at Volleyball Club Nebraska (2022) and Northwestern (assistant coach, 2019-21).Â
She also served as an assistant at MSU under former head coach Cathy George from 2015-18 after a four-year playing career as a setter in the Green & White, helping MSU to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2012 and 2013.
MICHIGAN STATE IN 2025
MSU returns nine letterwinners, including three starters (starting in 10+ matches) - senior opposite Evie Doezema, junior outside hitter Taylah Holdem and junior middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig - from 2024. Four freshmen - outside hitter Bianca Mumcular, middle blocker Leela Ormsby, setter Kalea Norton and opposite Caroline Formankova and four transfers - redshirt freshman setter Malayah Long (Marquette), sophomore middle blocker Breccan Scheck (Washington State), redshirt defensive specialist/libero Sarah Vellucci (Long Beach State) and junior DS/L Lia Schneider (South Florida) - make up MSU's eight-player newcomer class.
ABOUT MERRIMACKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Warriors.
Merrimack posted a 10-21 overall record in 2024, including an 8-10 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Sophomore outside hitter McKenna Shotwell was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team last season, registering double-digit kills in 12 matches.
Head coach Ken Nichols is in his second season leading the Warriors and holds a 393-307 career record. Before Merrimack, Nichols spent 19 seasons (2000-18) as the head coach at Northeastern and three seasons (1997-99) leading Providence.
ABOUT CHICAGO STATE
MSU is 1-0 all-time against the Cougars with the only meeting coming in 3-1 Spartan victory at the Green & White Classic in the Breslin Center on Sept. 17, 2022.
Chicago State will be the first of 11 2024 NCAA Tournament participants that MSU will face this season. The Cougars went 19-10 (13-1 Northeast Conference) and won the NEC Tournament in 2024, falling to Louisville in the NCAA First Round, but return only two players from their 2024 squad - senior opposite Zeynep Ertam and sophomore middle blocker/opposite Tarcy Mayah.
Kamille Jones, who spent the previous four seasons at the University of Illinois-Springfield, enters her first season as the head coach of the Cougars.
MSU IN SEASON OPENERS
Entering its 54th varsity season in 2025, MSU is 34-18 all-time in season openers, including a 17-2 mark in season openers at home. MSU has won 13-straight season openers in East Lansing, having not dropped an opener at home since falling to then-No. 4 Texas in five sets on Aug. 30, 1996. The Spartans' only other loss in a season-opening match at home came against Toledo in 1991.
This is the first time since 2022 that MSU has opened the season at home, defeating Louisiana on Aug. 26 of that season. That result was also MSU's most recent win in a season opener - the Spartans fell on the road at Arkansas in 2023 and at Northern Colorado last season.
UP NEXT
MSU travels to Evansville, Indiana, for a pair of midweek road matches next week, taking on Evansville on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. ET and Southern Indiana on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.
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