Michigan State is heading into the stretch run with a pair of ranked Big Ten tests on deck, starting at home against No. 13 Purdue on Thursday before a trip to No. 19 Minnesota on Saturday.
The Spartans will host Purdue on Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in East Lansing, then turn around for an 8 p.m. ET match in Minneapolis on Nov.
- Thursday’s match will stream on B1G+, while Saturday’s matchup will air on the Big Ten Network.
John Kreger will call the action for Thursday’s meet on MSUSpartans.com and through the Michigan State Athletics app.
MSU enters the weekend at 17-7 overall and 7-7 in Big Ten play after dropping matches at No. 7 Wisconsin and at home against Ohio State last weekend. Even with those results, the Spartans are receiving votes in this week’s AVCA Poll and have already locked up a place in next week’s first Big Ten Volleyball Tournament.
The challenge only gets steeper from here. Purdue and Minnesota will be Michigan State’s fourth and fifth AVCA top-20 opponents in a six-match span.
A few Spartans were especially busy last week. Freshman outside Madi Andrews and senior middle blocker Zora Hardison each finished with a team-high 30 kills over the two matches, and both set career marks in kills against Ohio State - Andrews with 18 and Hardison with 17.
Andrews also put together her first career double-double at Wisconsin, finishing with 12 kills and a career-high 14 digs. She has now reached double figures in kills in eight of MSU’s last nine matches.
Junior middle blocker Breccan Scheck made her presence felt at the net, leading Michigan State and ranking eighth in the Big Ten with 1.33 blocks per set over the two contests. Her best outing came against Wisconsin, where she posted a season-high seven total blocks.
Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long handled the offense with 91 assists last week, averaging 10.11 assists per set. She dished out 42 against Wisconsin and 49 against Ohio State, and also added 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
Senior libero Lia Schneider paced the Spartans in digs per set at 3.00 last week. She had 17 digs at Wisconsin and 10 more against Ohio State, giving her seven double-digit dig performances in MSU’s last eight matches.
Purdue comes in at 16-7 overall and 9-5 in conference play after beating Ohio State on the road and UCLA at home last week. The Boilermakers own the all-time series, 60-33, and have a 26-15 edge in East Lansing.
The teams last met in a five-set Michigan State loss in East Lansing on Oct. 31 last season. MSU’s most recent win in the series came on Oct. 20, 2021 on the road, and its last home victory over Purdue was a sweep on Nov.
9, 2016. Dave Shondell is in his 24th season leading Purdue.
Minnesota is also 15-7 overall and 9-5 in the Big Ten after falling to Penn State at home and then sweeping Iowa on the road last week. The Gophers lead the series 64-19 and are 33-7 against MSU in Minneapolis.
Michigan State dropped a three-set match on the road to Minnesota last season on Sept. 25 and has not beaten the Gophers since a sweep in Minneapolis over the then-No. 1 team on Sept. 24, 2017.
Keegan Cook is in his fourth season as Minnesota’s head coach. Kelsay was Cook’s associate head coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
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For a player trying to carve out a long-term role, the opportunity is as important as the jersey change. Cooper enters a crowded frontcourt as a backup center behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney, and he takes the spot vacated when Lawson Lovering was waived to make room for him. [Read more 🡒]