Michigan State volleyball is heading into the final stretch of its four-match road swing with a quick two-stop finish this weekend, starting Friday night at Rutgers before wrapping up Sunday at Maryland.
The Spartans will meet Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. on B1G+, then turn around for a noon match on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Maryland on the Big Ten Network. Jason Knapp and Audrey Flaugh will have the call for Sunday’s nationally televised match.
MSU enters the weekend at 15-3 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten play after a split on the road last week. The Spartans dropped a four-set match at Illinois on Oct. 15, then bounced back with a 3-1 win at Northwestern on Oct.
- That run was enough to knock them out of the AVCA rankings after spending two weeks at No. 22, though they still received 118 points and tied UCLA as the first team outside the poll.
The offense was sharp across both matches, with Michigan State hitting .262 as a team. Against Northwestern, that number jumped to .313. The Spartans also ranked fourth in the conference in kills per set at 13.88 and tied for second in service aces per set at 2.00.
Alanna Bankston powered the attack last week, piling up 33 kills over the two matches and leading the Big Ten with 4.71 kills per set. The senior outside hitter had a career-high 20 kills at Illinois, then added 13 more in the win over Northwestern for her 14th double-digit kill match of the season, tops on the team.
Freshman outside hitter Madi Andrews kept giving MSU another scoring punch, leading the Spartans with a career-high 17 kills at Northwestern. That marked her third straight double-digit kill match. She also finished third in the conference last week with 0.63 service aces per set.
Lia Schneider anchored the back row with a strong two-match stretch of her own. The senior libero led all Big Ten players in digs per set last week at 5.00, with 17 digs at Illinois and a season-high 23 at Northwestern. She now has 11 double-digit dig matches this season, and seven of those have come in Michigan State’s last eight matches.
Michigan State also got steady production at the net from Zora Hardison and Carmen Waye. The middle blockers each had nine blocks over the two matches, averaging 1.13 blocks per set.
Waye enters the weekend seventh in the Big Ten in blocks per set at 1.26, while Hardison is 10th at 1.21. Both are also among the conference’s top 10 in hitting percentage, with Waye fourth at .409 and Hardison eighth at .382.
Malayah Long continued to run the offense efficiently as well. The redshirt sophomore setter totaled 84 assists last week, averaging 10.50 per set. She had 38 assists and 11 digs against Illinois for a double-double, then followed with 46 assists against Northwestern.
Rutgers comes in at 10-10 overall and 1-7 in Big Ten play after four-set road losses at Washington and Oregon last week. Michigan State owns the all-time series, 18-3, including an 8-1 mark at Rutgers.
The Spartans have won five straight against the Scarlet Knights and swept them at home last season on Nov. 1.
MSU’s last loss in the matchup came on Sept. 25, 2022, on the road.
Maryland is 12-7 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten after losing at Wisconsin and Minnesota last week. The Spartans lead the all-time series 17-4 and are 7-3 on the road against the Terrapins. Michigan State has won the last two meetings, with its most recent loss in the series coming on Nov. 7, 2024 in College Park.
In Other News...
Michigan State Let A Statement Win Slip In Top 10 Showdown
Michigan State had a chance to turn its Breast Cancer Awareness game at DeMartin Stadium into a statement win, and for a stretch it looked like the No. 6 Spartans might do just that. Andrew Darakdjian gave Michigan State the early edge against No. 7 Washington, setting up a top-10 showdown that carried plenty of weight in the Big Ten race and a little extra energy with the home crowd behind it.
But Washington answered with a Zach Ramsey goal to level the match, and Michigan State had to settle for a 1-1 draw in a game that could have given it a bigger boost. Even so, the Spartans remain tied for first in the conference standings, with another stretch of chances ahead against Green Bay and Rutgers as they keep pushing through the season. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Injury Hit Secondary Faces A Brutal UCLA Test
Michigan States secondary enters the UCLA matchup under real pressure, and not just because of the Bruins balanced offense. The Spartans have been dealing with injuries on defense, and that has made an already difficult assignment even trickier as they try to slow down a UCLA rushing attack that can force a defense to defend every blade of grass. It is the kind of test that exposes communication issues in the back end and makes every coverage bust feel magnified.
Ty Dieffenbach adds another layer to the problem. With UCLA potentially leaning on its backup quarterback, Michigan State still has to be ready for the ball to come out often enough to challenge a battered defensive backfield, especially if the ground game sets up manageable throws. The passing number attached to Dieffenbach has become a notable angle in the buildup, and it is one more reason the Spartans cannot afford to let this game turn into a track meet early. [Read more 🡒]
Spartans Drop First Game Despite One Bright Sign In Net
Michigan States trip to Whittemore Center Arena started with a frustratingly familiar edge, as the Spartans fell 1-0 to New Hampshire in the series opener. The margin was small, but the pressure on freshman goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen was not, and he answered with a season-high 33 saves while helping keep the game within reach for much of the night.
The rest of the box score told a tougher story for the Spartans, who were outshot 34-14 and could not generate enough at the other end to break through. Their penalty kill did its job, but a third-period power play goal proved decisive, and Michigan State left with a loss despite one encouraging sign in net. [Read more 🡒]