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EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Big Ten Conference revealed its 2024 B1G Volleyball opponent rotations Thursday afternoon live on B1G Today. With the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington to the league in 2024, teams will have 14 single-play opponents and three two-play opponents based on geography and competitive balance.

"We're excited to welcome four strong volleyball programs to the Big Ten in 2024," said Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson. "Our passionate fans will have 10 premier conference matches to look forward to in the Breslin Center next season as we look to continually raise our standards."

Michigan State's single-play opponents in 2024 will include home matches against Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Ohio State and Washington, while road matches will feature trips to Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin. MSU's two-play opponents (home and away) include Maryland, Michigan and Penn State.

The Spartans last hosted Oregon in 2013 and have never hosted Washington in program history. MSU last traveled to UCLA in 2012 and USC in 2007.

Michigan State volleyball enjoyed a resurgent 2023 campaign that saw the program produce a pair of All-B1G student-athletes for the first time since 2017 with both outside hitter Taylah Holdem and middle blocker Amani McArthur earning second team honors. Holdem was named to the All-Freshman team as the first Spartan to do so since 2014. Libero Nalani Iosia earned AVCA All-Region honorable mention honors, a first for the program since 2017.

MSU wrapped up its season with an overall record of 17-14, along with a 9-11 mark in B1G play. Its 17 victories were the most by the program since 2018 and its nine conference wins were the most since 2017. Michigan State set new program bests in attendance last season with over 61,000 fans attending matches at the Breslin Center, ranking No. 6 nationally in cumulative home attendance with an average of 4,090 fans per match.

Dates, times and non-conference opponents will be announced at a later date.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

"I can’t wait to see where they will be taking this program, it’s going be something special.”

Class of 2026 Port Huron (Mich.) TE Lincoln Watkins discuses his junior day visit to Michigan State:

12 of the last 16 after starting 4-5. Malik Hall is coming into his own!

Plaxico Burress’s son Elijah (WR) is headed to ND. Noticed that Elijah is 6’1 170. I don’t recall how much Plax weighed at MSU but I do know he was (is) 6’5 and I am assuming he played above 210.

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Tyson Walker added to the mid season list of contenders for the Naismith player of the year award.

The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.

Past winners include:



https://naismithtrophy.com/2024-jersey-mikes-naismith-trophy-mens-college-poy-midseason-team/

Rowan Byrne is one of the most coveted offensive linemen in the 2025 class. The four-star prospect ranks as the No. 13 offensive guard and No. 1 player in the state of New York. His scholarship offers count is already close to 30, including Michigan State.

Byrne initially received an offer from the Spartans in July of 2023 under the previous coaching staff, but now with head coach Jonathan Smith at the helm, the new regime re-offered the talented offensive lineman earlier this week.

After speaking with Michigan State offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik and offensive line graduate assistant coach Jacob Lail on Tuesday, Byrne received the good news of the re-offer from the new staff.

Following the re-offer, Byrne took some time to speak with Spartans Illustrated to discuss what the chance to play at MSU means to him and to provide general updates on where his recruitment currently stands.

"It felt great to be re-offered by MSU," Byrne said. "Coach Smith and that staff are legit and they have MSU going in the right direction for sure."

Much more here:

Coming off of a big win on Saturday against Illinois, Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans (15-9, 7-6) travel to State College to take on Penn State (12-12, 6-7).

Michigan State dominated the first meeting between these two teams 92-61 back on Jan. 4.

Penn State has started to find its groove under first year coach Mike Rhoades. The Nittany Lions have won three out of their last four games.

Tip off is set for approximately 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

Whatcha got going for Valentine's Day, fellas? You did remember, right? It's not too late to order flowers for your girl, or you can grab some on the way home. I'm taking the gf to Tarbell's tonight and I sent her a nice bouquet that's being delivered to her office later on this morning. We've got a weekend getaway planned as well.... What are you lovers up to?

it was a blast! I will for sure go again. These ladies are absolutely amazing athletes. I can not believe how high they can jump and it is wild all the spins and twists they can do. Music played from beginning to end to add to the atmosphere, and it didn't blare so loud that it took away from the enjoyment of the meet. I also found myself, while still supporting my Spartans, cheering for girls on the Illinois team because I just didn't want to see anyone do poorly. Crazy. Great time and way to go ladies!

Michigan State's men's tennis team is off to an historic start, under second-year head coach Harry Jadun. The Spartans, behind highly-ranked Ozan Baris, have lofty goals this season as they look to start 10-0 this weekend:

"MSU has a dynamic program with a lot to offer academically and with sports."

2025 ATH Bryson Williams (Orchard Lake St. Mary's) discusses his junior day visit to Michigan State from a couple of weekends ago:

Tom Izzo on Michigan State’s away game at Penn State tonight:

“I’m excited to see what we can do. But we need to go on the road and bring the same kind of intensity we did a couple days ago. And if we do, I like our chances. If we don’t, I don’t like our chances.”

More from Izzo, Akins and Hoggard:

Please see the links on our front page to remember 2/13/23 and the three Spartan lives which were lost.

Michigan State announces that football season tickets can now be renewed for the 2024 season and - for the ninth consecutive year - season ticket prices will remain at $49 per game ($343 for the seven-game home season) plus the applicable scholarship seat premium.

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Michigan State’s basketball season has not gone according to plan. Based on preseason expectations, this team was supposed to contend for a Big Ten title, be a top 10 team and be a legitimate National Championship threat.

That has not been the case. The Spartans are likely one more bad loss away from being on the bubble.

So, to my question, what marks a successful season for this team?

If they make the tournament and advance to the Sweet 16, is that a successful season in your book?

Or do they have to go all the way to the Final Four?

Or is the season already a failure based on regular season performance so far?

I know everyone will have a different answer so that’s why I’m curious to see what people say.

Thoughts?

... was the welcome press conference for Mel Tucker.

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Minnesota's P.J. Fleck already getting mentions as a potential candidate by some national pundits.


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It was a busy week on the personal side of things last week and I was not able to get as many updates out as I would have liked. That said, MSU's overall position is not that different than it was two weeks ago. As you can see from the article, MSU has been bouncing between an expected win total of 11 and 12 wins for a long time. It is enough to make one slightly nauseous.

That said, now is the time for MSU to make their move. The late January/early February "Tom Izzo Bermuda Triangle" is now past, and the schedule is very favorable down the stretch. The road games at Penn State and at Michigan are still a little scary, but if MSU gets both, there is no reason that they should not be 11-6 in conference play with a week to prep for the road game at Purdue.

The other point that I explore a bit here is the following. Is MSU's defensive rebounding getting better while the field goal percentage defense is slipping? Maybe so.

Check out the full article here

According to a report from FootballScoop.com, Michigan State has hired Joe Begnal as a special teams quality control coach.

Begnal's Twitter bio seems to confirm this, as it now reads "Special Teams Analyst - Michigan State University." Based on his likes and retweets, it appears he posisbly joined MSU last week. As of press time, he is not listed on Michigan State's coaching staff/support staff page, however.

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Begnal most recently served as a special teams quality control coach for Memphis. It appears he has also spent time at Idaho, University of New Haven (Division II), Lincoln University of Missouri (Division II) and elsewhere.

Begnal's Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoachBegnal

Friday​

MSU Women’s Tennis Grounds the Rockets 5-2​

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State women's tennis team won its second-straight match, defeating Toledo inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on Friday afternoon 5-2.



The Spartans improved to 3-2 overall, while the Rockets fall to 3-2. MSU extends its perfect record against Toledo in the all-time series to 23-0.



"We started a little nervous and emotional," said Michigan State head coach Kim Bruno. "The girls worked through it and fought for the win. After securing the doubles point, it was nice to have an early lead in some of our singles matches. It's a great start to our homestand."



Action began on the doubles court with the tandem of sophomore Issey Purser and freshman Ria Bhakta dominating on court three, as they worked past the rockets 6-0 to be the first court to finish. Courts one and two were in tighter battles, junior Liisa Vehvilainen and sophomore Matilde Morais took down Toledo's pairing of Gaby Rondon and Cassie Alcala in a back-and-forth battle on court two, 6-4, to lock in the doubles point. On court one, Ayshe Can and Nicole Conard paired together for the second time in their career and trailed 6-5 but the match went unfinished.



Heading into singles action, Toledo didn't take long to tie the action as Purser fell in two sets 6-3, 6-0. The Spartans would surge taking the next three matches on courts five, three and two. Ria Bhakta put an early explanation point on her match sweeping Shalini Tallamraju 6-1, 6-1 on court five to win her second straight singles match and extended MSU lead to 2-1. Next up on court two, Vehvilainen kept the winning going as she went to defeat Sanjana Tallamraju in two sets 6-1, 6-2. On court two, Can found herself in an early battle against Gaby Rondon as the first set went into a tiebreaker. The Weston, Florida, native had the upper hand and took the first set 7-6 [7-2] and did not let up with a commanding 6-1 second set to seal the Spartan victory.



Sophomore Matilde Morais was in a battle against Cassie Alcala, as two of three sets went into a tiebreakers. Morais owned the first set 7-6 [7-2] before falling in the second set 6-3. In the third and final set, the Cascais, Portugal, native came back from being down 5-3 to win 11-9.



Michigan State will have a quick turnaround as it returns to the courts for a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 11 when it takes on Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

RESULTS

Michigan State 5, Toledo 2

Singles competition

1. Matilde Morais (MSU) def. Cassie Alcala (TOL) 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 1-0 (11-9)

2. Ayshe Can (MSU) def. Gaby Rondon (TOL) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1

3. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Sanjana Tallamraju (TOL) 6-1, 6-2

4. Sloane Teske (TOL) def. Issey Purser (MSUW) 6-3, 6-0

5. Ria Bhakta (MSU) def. Shalini Tallamraju (TOL) 6-1, 6-1

6. Audrey Moutama (TOL) def. Natalie Stasny (MSU) 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5)



Doubles competition

1. Ayshe Can/Nicole Conard (MSU) vs. Julia Kuszynski/Sanjana Tallamraju (TOL) 5-6, unfinished

2. Liisa Vehvilainen/Matilde Morais (MSU) def. Gaby Rondon/Cassie Alcala (TOL) 6-4

3. Issey Purser/Ria Bhakta (MSU) def. Sloane Teske/Audrey Moutama (TOL) 6-0

Day One​

Lu Tied for Eighth Place, Spartans Tied for 11th at the UCF Challenge​

East Lansing, Mich. – Junior Katie Lu fired a 2-under par 70 in the opening round and is tied for eighth place individually and Michigan State's women's golf team shot a 5-over par 293 to tie for 11th place among 18 teams after the first round of play at the UCF Challenge, being played at Eagle Creek Country Club in Orlando, Fla.

The tournament, being played on Eagle Creek's par-72, 6,367-yard course, was originally slated to start on Sunday, but inclement weather moved the first round to Saturday.

North Carolina leads the field at 9-under par 279, three shots of ahead of the College of Charleston, in second place at 6-under par 282. Kentucky is third at 2-under par 286, with Miami and Kansas rounding out the top-five teams, tied for fourth place at 1-under par 287.

First Round Results

Lu finished her round with four birdies, including three on the back nine, to finish at 2-under par 70 and tied for eighth place in the field of 95 golfers.

Sophomore Paula Balanzategui is tied for 32nd place at 1-over par 73, playing the front nine in 1-over par with a birdie, and then playing the back nine in even par.

Junior Brooke Biermann shot a 2-over par 74 and is tied for 43rd place. Biermann finished her round with a pair of birdies and 12 pars.

Junior Shannon Kennedy is tied for 62nd place at 4-overp ar 76 and senior Leila Raines is tied for 83rd place with a score of 6-over par 76.

Playing as an individual, freshman Ana Sofia Murcia is tied for 14th place at 1-under par 71. She played the front nine in even par with one birdie and finished the back with a trio of birdies and four pars.

Michigan State will tee off in Sunday's second round starting at 1 p.m. on the seventh hole, playing alongside Kentucky and the College of Charleston. The final round will start at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.