Volleyball Earns Big Ten Postseason Honors
The resurgent Michigan State volleyball program earned three Big Ten postseason honors. Postseason honors are voted on by the league’s head coaches and were announced by the conference on Thursday afternoon. Fifth-year middle blocker Amani McArthur garnered second-team honors, and freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem was named to the second team and the All-Freshman squad. Junior setter Julia Bishop was MSU’s sportsmanship honoree.
Source: Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Falls to Indiana in Four
Michigan State volleyball looked to complete another reverse sweep on Friday afternoon but came up short losing to Indiana by a final score of 3-1 (25-22, 25-13, 21-25, 25-10) at the Breslin Center.
Volleyball Bounces Back to Defeat Rutgers in Five
Michigan State volleyball trailed 2-0 in Piscataway on Saturday night but would not be denied victory, defeating Rutgers 3-2 (20-25, 17-25, 25-17, 25-13, 15-10) in a comeback effort from College Avenue Gym.
Volleyball Starts Strong at #14 Penn State
Michigan State volleyball started strong to take set one, but ultimately were defeated on the road at No. 14-ranked Penn State Friday night, 3-1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-11, 25-18) inside Rec Hall. Michigan State moves to 16-12 overall and 8-9 in B1G action this season.
Volleyball Drops Close Contest at #16 Purdue
Playing in one of the toughest road environments in the B1G on Sunday afternoon, the Michigan State volleyball program was defeated by No. 16-ranked Purdue in four sets, 3-1 (25-23, 28-30, 23-25, 18-25) at Holloway Gymnasium. MSU bounced back from a seven-point deficit in set one to win it, 25-23.
Volleyball Signs National Recognized Recruiting Class
Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson continues to push the Spartan volleyball program in the right direction and Wednesday’s signing class was more evidence of that. The Spartans will add four first year student-athletes to the team in 2024, bringing in a class that ranked as high as No. 8 nationally via PrepVolleyball. It’s one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history. Joining MSU next season are Mia Hood (MB/Roswell, Ga.), Kayla Foley (Libero/Virginia Beach, Va.), Mya Bolton (Libero/Olathe, Kan.) and Carmen Waye (MB/Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada).
Volleyball Falls at Ohio State in Nailbiter
It doesn’t get much closer than this in a sweep. Michigan State volleyball was defeated by Ohio State on Wednesday night, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 27-25) in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at the Covelli Center. The match featured 23 tied sets and 10 different lead changes throughout. A loss moves Michigan State’s overall record to 16-10 along with an 8-7 mark in B1G action.
Source: Michigan State University Athletics
Taylah Holdem Earns B1G Freshman of the Week Honors
Michigan State volleyball outside hitter Taylah Holdem was named B1G Co-Freshman of the Week by the Big Ten Conference on Monday afternoon. Ohio State setter Mia Tuman was Holdem’s co-recipient. A native of Christchurch, New Zealand, Holdem is the eighth student-athlete in program history to earn Freshman of the Week honors, joining Julia Bishop, Sarah Franklin, Biamba Kabengele, Alyssa Garvelink, Rachel Minarick, Kori Moster and Alexis Mathews. Now a junior, Bishop was the last Spartan to earn the designation on Nov. 8, 2021.
Volleyball Extends Win Streak with Sweep of Iowa
Michigan State volleyball earned its second sweep of the weekend on Saturday night, defeating Iowa in straight sets, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-22), from the Breslin Center. “I was very proud of our point management, we were very low error tonight,” Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson said. “I challenged the team to get 16 kills per set tonight and the team got close to that. It kept us aggressive to have that kind of output expectation.”
Strong Serving Leads Volleyball to Sweep of Maryland
Michigan State volleyball had six service aces in set two and eight in the match on Friday night, defeating Maryland 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-22) inside the Breslin Center. Junior setter Rachel Muisenga had a career-high four aces and freshman outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska tied her season-high of three.
Resilient Spartans Upset No. 13 Penn State
Michigan State volleyball defeated No. 13-ranked Penn State on Saturday night in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-19, 11-25, 16-25, 25-18, 18-16), snapping a 13-game losing streak against the Nittany Lions that dated back to Nov. 2, 2013. The Spartans showed resilience down 2-1 and took the final two sets of the match to stun Penn State inside the Breslin Center.
Source: Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Earns Season Series Sweep of Michigan, 3-1
For the first time since 2006, the Michigan State volleyball program has swept the season series against Michigan, winning 3-1 (20-25, 28-26, 25-13, 25-16) on Wednesday night to stake claim of the State Pride Flag from inside the Breslin Center.
Source: Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball to Host Michigan in Battle at Breslin
Michigan State volleyball returns to the Breslin Center on Wednesday night when the University of Michigan comes to town for a 6:00 p.m. contest. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they receive a Battle at Breslin t-shirt while supplies last. Wednesday night’s match will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Michigan State volleyball alum Elena Shklyar ’21 (analyst) calling the action.
Volleyball Returns to Win Column at Iowa
Michigan State volleyball returned to its winning ways on Saturday night, defeating Iowa 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 30-28, 25-23) from inside Xtream Arena. Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem crossed the 20-kill threshold for the third time this season and senior libero Nalani Iosia tied her career-high in digs with 27.
Volleyball Battles No. 2 Nebraska in Lincoln
Michigan State volleyball battled on the road at No. 2-ranked Nebraska on Friday night, taking a set late but dropping a 3-1 (12-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-25) decision from inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Spartans move to 11-7 overall and 3-4 in B1G action heading into Saturday night’s match against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Coralville, Iowa. Nebraska remains unbeaten at 16-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
Volleyball Sets Attendance Record in Battle with No. 2 Nebraska
Michigan State volleyball played the No. 2-ranked team in the country tough on Friday night, falling to Nebraska 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 15-25, 25-11) from the Breslin Center. With 8,789 fans in attendance the Spartans set a new program attendance record to break the previous mark of 7,326 set against Michigan on Oct. 14, 2022.
Volleyball Continues B1G Action Hosting No. 2 Nebraska, Northwestern
Michigan State volleyball will host a pair of B1G matches inside the Breslin Students Events Center this weekend, first hosting No. 2-ranked Nebraska on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. before a quick turnaround to face Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. The Spartans recently faced Northwestern last weekend, defeating the Wildcats, 3-2, at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.
Volleyball Caps Unbeaten Weekend with Win Over Rutgers
Michigan State battled through a slow start on Sunday to defeat Rutgers in four sets, 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-23), from the Breslin Center. Fifth year middle blocker Amani McArthur had eight blocks and 10 kills, while freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem recorded her third consecutive double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs.
Volleyball Wins Five Set Marathon at Northwestern
The Michigan State volleyball program played a three-hour marathon in Evanston on Friday night, defeating a tough Northwestern squad in five sets, 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 27-25, 23-25, 15-13), from Welsh-Ryan Arena. Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem continued her torrid stretch of matches posting 25 kills and 14 digs for the Spartans.
Volleyball Battles in Five Set Thriller at Illinois
The Michigan State volleyball program battled to a five-set loss against Illinois on Sunday afternoon, falling 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 22-25, 13-15), from Huff Hall. MSU trailed 12-6 in the fifth set before battling back within one point twice, 13-12 and 14-13, before Illinois found the match-winning kill. Sunday’s game featured 14 lead changes and 37 tied scores, a testament to the back-and-forth nature of the contest.
Source: Michigan State Athletics