Michigan State is rolling into the last stretch of its non-conference schedule with plenty of momentum and a chance to keep the streaks alive Tuesday night.
The Spartans host Oakland at 6 p.m. inside the Breslin Center, and they bring an 8-0 record, a 23-set winning streak, and the nation’s best hitting efficiency into the matchup. MSU has hit .355 across its eight matches and is holding opponents to a .125 hitting percentage, numbers that tell the story of a team that has been clean, fast, and difficult to slow down.
That efficiency showed up again last week when Michigan State swept Western Michigan at home and picked up sweeps over Cincinnati and Morehead State at the Morehead State Invitational. Across those three matches, the Spartans hit .354 and limited their opponents to a .143 clip.
It also pushed MSU back into the AVCA Coaches Poll conversation, as the Spartans are receiving votes this week for the first time this season since the preseason poll. Before that preseason nod, Michigan State had not received votes in the national poll since 2018.
The start has also put the Spartans in some rare company. After opening 10-0 in 2025, MSU is 8-0 to begin back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1975-76.
The 23-set winning streak ties the second-longest in program history, matching the run from 2018, and trails only the 26-set streak from 1995. Michigan State has not dropped a set since losing the third set against Miami in its season opener on Aug.
Senior outside hitter Alanna Bankston kept driving the offense last week, leading the Spartans with 31 kills across three matches. She averaged 3.44 kills per set and hit .310, while also extending her run of double-digit kill performances to five straight matches.
Bankston leads MSU with six double-digit kill matches this season. She also tied a career high with three blocks in the win at Morehead State and set a career high with three service aces against Cincinnati.
Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long continued to run the attack at a high level, finishing with 90 assists last week for an average of 10 per set. Against Cincinnati, she nearly turned in a double-double with 25 assists and a team and season-high nine digs.
Michigan State’s middle blockers stayed just as sharp. Junior Carmen Waye had 21 kills on 35 swings last week, hitting .543 over the three matches.
She matched her season high with 11 kills at Morehead State, hitting .733 on an 11-for-15 line, and added a career-high six blocks. Waye leads the NCAA with a .553 hitting efficiency.
Senior Zora Hardison added 16 kills on .600 hitting, going 16-1-25 across the week. She matched a season high with nine kills against Western Michigan and had a season-high seven blocks against Cincinnati.
Her .600 hitting percentage ranked second in the conference last week, while Waye’s .543 mark ranked fourth. Hardison also ranked 10th in the conference in blocks per set at 1.43 and leads MSU in that category this season at 1.30.
At libero, senior Lia Schneider anchored the back row with 36 digs over the three matches, averaging 4.00 per set. That total tied for fifth in the conference. She posted 14 digs against both Western Michigan and Cincinnati, each a season and team high.
Oakland comes in at 4-5 after going 2-1 last weekend in its home invitational, sweeping Montana and Eastern Michigan before falling to UAB. The Golden Grizzlies are led by head coach Krista Rice, now in her fifth season. Rice also spent two seasons as MSU’s volunteer assistant coach from 2012-13.
Michigan State is 11-0 all-time against Oakland and 9-0 at home. The teams last met in an East Lansing sweep on Sept.
16, 2022. Tuesday’s match will stream on B1G+, with John Kreger on the call through MSUSpartans.com or the Michigan State Athletics app.
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