The Support Group of
Michigan State University Women's Volleyball

In a surprising, but welll-earned, development, the AVCA has chosen MSU senior libero Nalani Iosia for honorable mention in the 2023 Division I Women’s Volleyball All-Region awards. Nalani had been passed over in the 2023 All-Big Ten awards, but the AVCA corrected this oversight. [full All-region list]

Two Spartans earn All-Big Ten honors

Freshman Taylah Holdem and senior Amani McArthur earned post-season awards from the Big Ten conference for their performance in the 2023 volleyball season.

Taylah was a dual honoree, being named to the All-Freshman team as well as the second team All-Big Ten. Amani joins Taylah on the second team All-Big Ten.

Amani now has the distinction of winning post-season honors in two different athletic conferences, after garnering all-conference awards three years running while playing for Charlotte in Conference USA. [full story]

Taylah Holdem garners weekly award

Spartan outside hitter Taylah Holdem was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week for 11/6/2023. She averaged 4.3 kills per set, hitting .281, combined with over 3 digs per set. She is currently ninth in the conference in kills per set and points per set. [full story]

Spartans set new volleyball attendance record vs. Nebraska

8,789 fans packed the Breslin Center on October 6, 2003, setting a new attendance mark for an MSU volleyball match. The Spartans had sparks of brilliance against No. 2 Nebraska, but after leading much of the first set, they let it slip away 23-25. They continued a high level of play to win the second set, but lost sets three and four.

Second Defensive POTW, This Time It's McArthur

Amani McArthur capped off the pre-conference season with award-winning performances. She was name MVP of the Dog Pound Challenge at Connecticut, and was then chosen as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on September 18. She was tied for 1st in the Big Ten for the week in blocks/set (1.75) and total blocks (14), and 2nd for hitting (.545). [full story]

Iosia Is MVP, Defensive POTW

On Sunday, September 3, 2023, MSU libero Nalani Iosia was named the Most Valuable Player of the Kathy Deboer Invitational tournament as the Spartans went undefeated for the weekend. Two days later she was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She led all players at the tournament with 5.2 digs per set, including 12 in a single set on Saturday. [full story]

Little Change in Preseason Big Ten Poll

The 2023 Big Ten preseason poll, released on July 28 is little changed from the 2022 final standings. Wisconsin is predicted to win the conference with Nebraska second. In fact the only two changes predicted are that Ohio State will fall to sixth, below Penn State and Purdue, and Maryland will move up to ninth, ahead of Michigan and Northwestern.

The Spartans are predicted to stay in 12th place, but they are counting on the influx of seven new athletes to bring more success than that this season. [full story]

Join the New MSU SideOut Club

Starting with the fall 2023 season, the SideOut Club will be managed directly by the staff of the MSU volleyball program. The original fan-operated SideOut Club, established in 1994, has voted to dissolve after almost 30 years of operation.

You can find a description and membership information about the 2023 Club in the new registration brochure.

This website will continue for one more season while the original Club is finishing up the legal and financial tasks of dissolving as a Michigan non-profit organization. One of the most important requirements is to turn over all remaining assets, estimated at six to seven thousand dollars, to the MSU volleyball program.

Previous 2023 News

SideOut Club Annual Meeting July 27; Dissolution of the Club Proposed

The annual meeting of the SideOut Club will be held July 27 from 5:30 to 6:00 pm at the One North Kitchen & Bar in Lansing. The major item on the agenda for a vote of members will be a proposal from the Board of Directors to dissolve the Club in its current form and allow it to be merged into the volleyball program.

At 6:00 pm we will be joined by the 2023 players and coaches for dinner and fellowship. SideOut Club members will receive more details about the event via email.

2023 Fall Schedule Released

On June 14, the complete 2023 MSU volleyball schedule was released, including a total of eleven pre-conference matches. This includes the two-match Big Ten/ACC Challenge, one home tournament, two road tournaments at Arkansas and Connecticut, and a single match at Central Arkansas.

The 2023 Big Ten schedule begins Friday, September 22 with MSU playing both home and away against Iowa, Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Rutgers and Northwestern. The Spartans host Indiana, Wisconsin, and Maryland only at home, while meeting Illinois, Ohio State, and Minnesota only on the road. [full schedule]

Lauren Schutter Transfers to North Carolina

First-year middle blocker Lauren Schutter announced on Twitter May 12 her transfer to the University of North Carolina. Along with the departures of Abby Olin to Central Michigan University, and other graduations and transfers, MSU has lost five out of six middle blockers from the 2022 lineup. Nil Okur will return for 2023 in that position, to be joined by Samford University junior transfer Kaya Hood, UNC-Charlotte grad student transfer Amani McArthur, and first-year Zuzanna Kulig. [Schutter story]

Multi-Team Spring 2023 Scrimmage in Grand Rapids

Unfortunately there will be no home spring scrimmage matches for Spartan volleyball this spring, so the closest opportunity to see the team play will be in Grand Rapids on Saturday, April 15. The event will be the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic, at Grand Rapids Community College (Ford Fieldhouse). There will be two matches open to the public: Western Michigan vs. Bowling Green State at 4:00 p.m., followed by Michigan State vs. University of Michigan at approximately 5:30. Detiails are at: https://www.grshof.com/volleyball-classic.html.

The Spartans will also have two other public scrimmage days, on April 1 at Bowling Green University in Ohio, and on April 8 for a four-team matchup at the Team Pineapple Volleyball Club in Angola, IN.

Three New Faces to Start 2023, While Three Others Transfer Out

Off-season training began for 2023 with two early-enrollee freshman recruits and a junior transfer added to the Spartan lineup. Cameron Berger is a 5'11" setter from Minnesota, Taylah Holdem is a 6'2" outside hitter from New Zealand, and Kaya Hood is a 6'5" middle blocker transferring from Samford. [full story]

At the same time, the team lost three of last year's members as transfers. Middle blocker Emma Monks will play her final season of eligibility as a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, middle blocker Aubrey O'Gorman has transfered to LSU to play beach volleyball for her junior year, and defensive specialist Gracie Danziger has transfered to Jacksonville State for her junior year. [Danziger story] [O'Gorman story] [Monks story]

For news from previous years, click on "Archive" in the top menu.

Big Ten and Other News

Two Spartan alumni in the 2023 national semifinals

Former Spartan outside hitter Sarah Franklin and middle blocker Emma Monks, who transferred to Wisconsin and Pittsburgh respectably after the 2021 season, will play in the 2023 NCAA semifinals on December 14. Franklin's Wisconsin Badgers will play the Texas Longhorns and Monks' Pitt Panthers face the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The two could wind up as opponents in the title match on Sunday December 17.

Death of Former Head Coach Ginger Mayson

Ginger Mayson, Spartan head volleyball coach from 1985 to 1992, died September 7, 2023 at the age of 68. Ginger was head volleyball coach at her alma mater, South Alabama, for 1981 and 82 and assistant coach at Kansas State in 1984 prior to coming to MSU. She returned to coach South Alabama from 1996 to 2002 before retiring from coaching. [full obituary]

NCAA Championship Moves to Sunday!

Changing a decades-old schedule, the 2023 NCAA womens' volleyball championship match will be played on Sunday rather than Saturday. The match on December 17 will be broadcast live at 3:00 p.m. ET on the ABC network, so will have many more potential viewers than previous showings on ESPN or ESPN2. [full story]

Pro League Hires Second ex-MSU Coach

On April 27, 2023, the Pro Volleyball Federation announced that Todd Dagenais will coach the Atlanta franchise team. Most recently Todd has been the head coach at the University of Central Florida for 15 years, but before that he was the assistant/associate coach at MSU from 1999 to 2003. [full story]

Cathy George Will Lead Grand Rapids Pro Team

After a year off, former MSU head coach Cathy George has returned to volleyball as part of the new Pro Volleyball Federation. She was introduced on March 13, 2023 as the first head coach of the West Michigan Pro Volleyball franchise that will begin its inaugural season in February 2024. Welcome back, Cathy! [full story]

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Nalani Iosia named to AVCA All-Region team