EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State is back at home this weekend and continues to run through the B1G gauntlet hosting No. 2-ranked Nebraska and (RV) Washington in the Breslin Students Events Center this upcoming weekend. Nebraska comes to town for a 6 p.m. match on Friday, October 18 before MSU welcomes Washington for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, Oct. 20.
Friday night's match will be televised nationally on Big Ten Network with Emily Ehman and Chris Vosters on the call. Sunday's match with Washington will stream on B1G+. 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.
It's homecoming weekend at Michigan State and fans should note this year's parade begins at 6 p.m. on Friday in downtown East Lansing and the northern MSU campus.
ABOUT #2 NEBRASKA
With a 16-1 (6-0 B1G) record Nebraska has won 13 matches in a row dating back to a loss at Southern Methodist on Sept. 3. Ten of the 13 wins have been by sweep.
The Huskers rank No. 9 nationally and third in the B1G with a team hitting percentage of .294. Nebraska is No. 11 nationally in kills/set (14.10), No. 14 in assists/set (13.05), No. 33 in blocks/set (2.64) and No. 42 in opponent hitting percentage (.171).
Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.21 kills per set and 18 service aces while adding 2.14 digs per set. Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 2.97 kills per set for the Big Red. Lindsay Krause and Taylor Landfair have split time at NU’s other outside hitter position and have averaged 2.33 and 2.25 kills per set, respectively.
Middle blocker Andi Jackson ranks No. 3 nationally in hitting percentage (.471)averaging 2.66 kills/set. Middle blocker Rebekah Allick's 1.32 blocks/set rank No. 37 nationally.
Setter Bergen Reilly is No. 6 nationally averaging 11.10 assists/set and libero Lexi Rodriguez leads the Huskers with 3.65 digs per set.
ABOUT (RV) Washington
Washington (13-3, 3-3 Big Ten) arrives in the state of Michigan for the first time since 1993 this weekend and will play in East Lansing for the first time on Sunday.The Huskies rank No. 25 in opponent hitting percentage (.161), No. 41 in hitting percentage (.250), No. 44 in blocks/set (2.57), No. 49 in assists/set (12.46), No. 58 in kills/set (13.33), No. 149 in aces/set (1.54) and No. 208 in digs/set (13.85).
Middle blocker Julia Hunt ranks No. 24 nationally in hitting percentage (.403) averaging 2.84 points/set and 1.25 blocks/set. Katy Wessels is also over a block a set at 1.15. Lauren Bays leads Washington with 3.28 digs/set with three other players all averaging over 2.00 (Kierstyn Barton, Molly Wilson, Audra Wilmes).
Barton returned to the Huskies lineup last weekend and leads the team with 3.83 points/set, ahead of Madi Endsley's 3.09 points/set and Audra Wilmes' 3.02 points/set.
Washington runs a 6-2 with Molly Wilson (5.82 assists/set) and Alexis Haury (5.07 assists/set).
SERIES HISTORY
#2 Nebraska- Michigan State is 2-26-2 all-time against the Cornhuskers dating back to 1978. MSU and Nebraska tied two of the first three outings 1-1.
- The Spartans took two straight over Nebraska in 2012 and 2013, both in East Lansing. Nebraska has won each of the last 16 outings, with MSU earning a set victory in each of the last two.
- Last season against the Cornhuskers MSU set a new program attendance record with 8,789 fans in the Breslin Center. It marked a new record for the highest attended volleyball match in the history of the state of Michigan.
-The matchup lined up with the annual Izzone campout which provided an incredible student section atmosphere.
Washington
- Michigan State is 0-2 all-time against Washington meeting the Huskies in 2004 and 2015. MSU has never taken on Washington in East Lansing.
- MSU first took on Washington at the 2004 Green Mill Restaurant Classic in Wichita, Kansas falling 3-0 to the then No. 6-ranked Huskies.
- In 2015 Michigan State was defeated by then No. 1-ranked Washington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 3-1. MSU took down No. 24 Arkansas State in the first round to advance.
B1G WEEK THREE
Michigan State opened the home portion of its B1G schedule in the Breslin Center last weekend falling 3-0 to #3 Penn State and 3-2 to Illinois.
Sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig posted a career-high 12 blocks against Illinois on saturday (three solo, nine assisted).
Kulig's 12 blocks are the fourth-most single-match blocks in program history, with the last player acheiving that mark being Alexis Mathews on Nov. 24, 2010 against Michigan.
Iosia's 25 digs against Illinois last Saturday was her third time with 25 digs this season, her seventh time with 20 or more and her 12th time with 10+.
Freshman defensive specialist Mya Bolton surpassed the double-digit dig threshold for the first time against Illinois with 12.
IN THE B1G RANKINGS
Nalani Iosia is #1 in digs/set in the B1G at 4.37 and ranks #2 in total digs with 271 behind Iowa's Joy Galles (278).
Zuzanna Kulig ranks #2 in the B1G in blocks thus far at 1.50 blocks/set, only behind Purdue's Raven Colvin (1.71).
Kulig's total blocks (87) rank second in the conference behind Colvin's 106 and her solo blocks (14) are second behind Colvin (17).
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
