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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
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)
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.
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.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
