News Links

12/1 MSU State News
Tough season ends on high note for volleyball team

11/30 MSU State News
Rathje named to All-Big Ten team

11/28 MSU State News
Volleyball ends year with victory

11/25 MSU State News
Spartans take down No. 19 Michigan in home finale

11/23 MSU State News
Volleyball seniors look to finish strong vs. U-M

11/21 MSU State News
Volleyball splits final series at Jenison Field House

11/18 MSU State News
Volleyball looks for wins in final matches at Jenison Field House

11/14 MSU State News
Volleyball gets back on track with road win

11/11 MSU State News
Spartans look to snap losing streak

11/8 MSU State News
Volleyball team hopes to improve serving

11/7 MSU State News
Volleyball loses sixth straight match

11/4 MSU State News
Volleyball looks for revenge vs. Ohio State, No. 9 Penn State

10/31 MSU State News
Volleyball swept on road trip

10/28 MSU State News
Volleyball looks to add road wins during weekend

10/27 MSU State News
Setters pace offense for volleyball team

10/24 MSU State News
Volleyball drops two matches on road trip

10/21 MSU State News
Volleyball travels to Indiana for pair of road matches

10/18 MSU State News
Spartans focus play to get on 'Energy Bus'

10/17 MSU State News
Volleyball sweeps Northwestern 3-0

10/15 Lansing State Journal
MSU volleyball: Spartans entering difficult stretch

10/14 MSU State News
Volleyball focused on Northwestern

10/14 MSU State News
Volleyball falls at Michigan, 3-1

10/12 MSU State News
Spartans prepared for rivalry matchup against. No. 15 Michigan

10/10 MSU State News
Volleyball can't hold on vs. Illinois but defeats Wisconsin

10/7 Daily Illini
Volleyball looks to shutout pair of Michigan opponents

10/7 MSU State News
Volleyball eyes Big Ten victories this weekend

10/8 Lansing State Journal
MSU volleyball: Spartans hope home court makes difference

10/3 MSU State News
Volleyball swept in weekend games against Penn State, Ohio State

10/1 Lansing State Journal
MSU volleyball: Spartans brace for huge challenge

9/30 MSU State News
Volleyball goes on road for 2 conference games

9/29 MSU State News
Junior Weiler utilizing her ability with both hands

9/26 Kalamazoo Gazette
Otsego's Kelsey Kuipers making immediate contribution to Michigan State University volleyball team

9/26 MSU State News
Volleyball splits conference-opening weekend

9/23 Lansing State Journal
8-3 Spartans ready for Big Ten challenge

9/23 MSU State News
Volleyball prepared for loaded conference schedule

9/22 MSU State News
Volleyball adjusting back line defense after injuries

9/19 MSU State News
Volleyball sweeps road game in Toledo by total of seven points

9/15 MSU State News
Volleyball downs Oakland, 3-1

9/13 MSU State News
Spartan volleyball hopes to rebound vs. Oakland in midweek matchup

9/12 MSU State News
Volleyball goes 2-1 in Spartan Invitational

9/7 MSU State News
Spartans hope to learn from quality opponents, move forward

9/6 MSU State News
Volleyball falls to ranked opponents on weekend trip to Hawaii

9/1 MSU State News
Volleyball team prepares for matchups with top teams in Hawaii

8/29 MSU State News
Volleyball wins seventh-straight MSU Showcase

8/27 MSU State News
George earns 450th win in season-opening sweep

8/27 Lansing State Journal
Volleyball opens season tonight in Showcase at Jenison Field House

8/17 Lansing State Journal
MSU volleyball: Focus on the finish

7/20 Kalamazoo Gazette
Former Western Michigan volleyball coach Cathy George trying to lift Michigan State program

7/15 MSU State News
Volleyball to play at Breslin Center twice this season

7/12 MSU State News
Volleyball announces 2010 schedule

2010 News Archive

Note: Because many of the news items on this page link to current-news sites that are updated frequently, some links in the archive may no longer work.

2010 Annual Awards Presented

The following awards were presented at the annual volleyball banquet on January 9, 2011 at the University Club:

Academic All-Conference Selections: Amy Dentlinger, Allyson Karaba, Mandi Karaba, Nicole Peter, Jenilee Rathje, Becca Zlabis
Kirkby Scholar-Athlete Award: Jenilee Rathje
Blue Collar Award: Amy Dentlinger
Spartan Warrior: Allyson Karaba
MVP Award: Jenilee Rathje
Coach's Award:
Allyson Karaba

The SideOut Club Service Award for 2010 recognized the many years of volunteer work by Richard Alban.

The SideOut Club presented Coach George with a check for $13,000 for use by the volleyball program.

Rathje Selected for All-Conference Team

Junior Middle Blocker Jenilee Rathje was a unanimous choice for the 2010 All-Big-Ten team, announced on November 30. Penn State and Illinois were both represented by three players on the team, and Penn State's Russ Rose was named Coach of the Year. [full story]

Mathews Honored for Second Consecutive Week

Alexis Mathews was named by the Big Ten as both the Defensive Player of the Week and the Freshman of the Week for November 29. She bettered last week's performance with 12 blocks against Michigan and an average of 2.1 blocks per set for the week. She is only the second freshman to win the defensive honor this season. [full story]

Alexis Mathews Named Freshman of the Week

Middle blocker Alexis Mathews has been chosen the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for November 22. Her 11-block performance against Purdue was the fourth highest match total in the conference this year. She started the week with 5 blocks against Indiana, leading all players in that match as well. [full story]

Unique Stats for Two Spartans

Two Spartans have earned unusual distinctions in the Big Ten conference statistics this season.

As of November 17, Jenilee Rathje is the only player in the conference who is among the top ten in both hitting percentage (6th place) and kills per set (9th place) in conference matches.

Teammate Alexis Mathews is 9th in blocks per set. What makes this unique is that Alexis is the only freshman in the top ten, along with nine seniors!

MSU Announces 2011 Signees

MSU Volleyball announced November 10 the signing of three student-athletes for fall 2011. They are: Taylor Galloway (OH, 6-1, Portage, Mich., Portage), Kori Moster (L, 5-4, Cincinnati, Ohio, Ursuline Academy) and Jazmine White (MB/OH, 6-1, Oshawa, Ontario, R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute). Read the stories below to learn more about these Spartans-to-be.
[White story]
[Galloway story]
[Moster story]
[MSU release]

2011 Recruits Galloway and Hubbard Nominated for Miss Volleyball

Taylor Galloway from Portage Central and Ryian Hubbard from Battle Creek St. Philip, both committed to play at Michigan State in 2011, are among the ten finalists announced September 24 for the Michigan Miss Volleyball award. [full story]

Join Us for a Tailgate Party!

Come out to join fellow MSU fans for the 11th Annual Spartan Volleyball Tailgate Party on Saturday, October 9, 2010 before the match against Wisconsin. We will start around 3:30 at the usual location in front of the main entrance to Jenison and continue until game time at 6:30. Bring a dish or item you wish to grill and share. We would appreciate it if you would bring grills, charcoal and folding tables. If you are able to bring any of those items, please contact Cathy Caswell at 332-4353 or at caswell@msu.edu. Don't hesitate to call for questions.

2010 Spartan Volleyball on TV

The Big Ten Network will feature MSU volleyball three times within ten days in the month of October. Two away games will be broadcast live, first from Ann Arbor on Wednesday, October 13 and then from Indiana on Saturday, October 23. Sandwiched in between will be a delayed broadcast of the October 16 home game against Northwestern at 7:00 pm on October 17. [national broadcast schedule]

Spartans Ranked 6th in Conference

The Big Ten preseason coaches' poll released on August 12 shows Michigan State ranked number six for the 2010 season. Penn State, Illinois, and Minnesota were 1-2-3, exactly the way they finished last season. MSU's Kyndra Abron was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. [full story]

Egerer Transfers to UWM

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announced on May 5 that Elizabeth "Bizl" Egerer is transferring there after receiving a release from MSU. This is a return to home for the Sheboygan Falls native, who will have three years of eligibility to play volleyball there. [full story]

Mike Gawlik Earns Coaches' Recognition

Assistant Coach Mike Gawlik has been chosen by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for a 2010 Thirty Under 30 award. Established in 2009, this award honors the country's top volleyball coaches who are under 30 years old. Mike was one of eight Division 1 coaches to win the award this year. [AVCA story] [MSU release]

Spartans Get Kristen Kelsay as a Late Addition

Kristen Kelsay, one of the top high school setters in the Midwest and an honors student, signed with MSU in February. She originally signed to play at Nebraska, but changed her mind when setter Lauren Cook, the 2009 national freshman of the year, transferred from UCLA to play at Nebraska for her father John Cook. [full story] [MSU release]

Kelsey Kuipers Signs On for 2010

MSU has announced the signing of Otsego middle blocker Kelsey Kuipers to the recruiting class of 2010. The 6'-1" three-sport athlete was a finalist for the 2009 Michigan Miss Volleyball title. [press release] [Kalamazoo Gazette story]

Annual Meeting April 17

The SideOut Club’s Annual Meeting will be held from noon to 1pm on April 17, 2010 at Jenison Field House, during the spring tournament (see below). All SOC members are encouraged to attend. The Club’s annual financial statement will be presented and up to five members will be elected to the Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining the SOC Board, please contact Marge Bossenbery at bossenberym@gmail.com.

Spring Tournament at Jenison

The Spartans will host a spring tournament from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, 2010 featuring Michigan, Akron, Central Michigan, Grand Valley State, Valparaiso, Illinois State, Hillsdale and an MSU alumni team. The alumni team is expected to include Ashley Schatzle, Allison Ianni, Marley Bellwood, Kim Schram-Graham, Vanessa King, Heather McDaniel, Dana Cooke, and Nicole Colaluca. [full schedule]

Prior to that, the team will travel to Muncie, Indiana for a March 27th meet at the Munciana Volleyball Club and to the Ohio Valley Volleyball Center in Louisville, Kentucky for an April 10th tournament

 

Big Ten and Other News

Big Ten Expansion To Bring Revised Volleyball Scheduling

The expansion to 12 schools in 2011 will bring changes, but conference head coaches reportedly favor sticking with a 20-game full-conference season. Each team would play nine of their opponents twice during the season, while playing the other two only once. With an even number of teams, every team can have a permanent traveling partner. [full story]

Nebraska Brings Powerhouse Volleyball Program to Big Ten

Nebraska has been a national leader in volleyball for many years, with three Division I championships to their name. Coach John Cook is looking forward to returning to the Big Ten. [full story]

Gustin to Helm Volleyball Startup

MSU alum Sarah Gustin has been named the first volleyball coach at Cal State San Marcos. 2011 will see the school's inaugural season for women's volleyball, with the intention of gaining Division II status. [full story]