Aug. 27, 2010

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Head Coach Cathy George | Jenilee Rathje

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball program (1-0) got its 2010 season off in stellar fashion with a 3-0 (25-11, 28-26, 25-14) win over Bowling Green in its opening match of the MSU Showcase. The win also marked head coach Cathy George's 450th career win. George is currently ranked 36th among active coaches with a 450-300 record.

"It is a complete honor," said head coach Cathy George. "This means that I have great players and some great teams. I have been a part of great programs. I have really been fortunate in that I have really enjoyed all of the places that I have coached and have had success at each place."

The Spartans' balanced attack tonight was led by red-shirt junior Jenilee Rathje (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) and junior Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) with 10 kills each.

"It is very important to run an offense that can run pin-to-pin," said George. "That is certainly something that we lacked last year. We weren't able to distribute the ball like this last season the way we wanted to. You don't go through the Big Ten relying on one or two hitters. You are going to have to spread the ball around and get production from a lot of different sources."

MSU got its offensive output started early on in the match as it took the first set, 25-11. Michigan State found itself out early as it took the initial 5-2 lead. The Spartans continued to pull away from the Falcons as they pushed its lead to seven with the score 13-6, forcing BGSU to call its first timeout of the set. MSU continued on a 12-3 run as it forced Bowling Green into its second time out with the score 21-8. The Spartans closed out the set when they took three of the final six points scored in the set. Zlabis led the team in the opening set as she recorded six kills on eight total attacks to hit .500.

The second set began with the Spartan squad falling behind early 3-1. MSU rallied back to take a 13-8 lead over the Falcons, causing BGSU to call a timeout. With the score 20-16, BGSU took three straight points from the Spartans. MSU once again pounced out to take a 23-21 lead. After squaring the match at 23 points each, Bowling Green traded service with MSU to bring the score to 26-26. The Spartans finally closed out the set as they took the final two points, finishing the Falcons off at 28-26. Rathje led all attackers in the second set as she hit .857 with six kills on seven attacks.

After the intermission, the MSU returned to the court for the third set in fine fashion, leading BGSU 6-2 early on. The Spartans continued to extend their lead in the final set as they went on the offensive prowl, bringing the score to 16-8 when Bowling Green called a timeout. Following the break in action, Michigan State remained fired-up as it brought the Falcons into another timeout with the score 22-12. The Spartans closed out the set and match as they earned the 25-14 set win. Junior Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) hit a perfect five-for-five in the third and final set of the night.

Joining Rathje and Zlabis offensively was Emro with her nine kills. Emro also led the offensive as she dished out 23 assists. Freshman Kristen Kelsay (Wheaton, Ill.), in her collegiate debut, was second on the team with 10 assists. MSU received output at the net from Rathje and red-shirt freshman Alexis Mathews (Detroit, Mich.). They each tied with four total blocks as each recorded a solo block as well as three assists. Senior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) once again was the backbone for the MSU defense as she led all players on the evening with 10 digs.

With the win, MSU improves its non-conference win streak to 23 straight matches.

In the other MSU Showcase match today, Evansville downed IUPUI by a score of 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-13).

The Spartans will return to action tomorrow as they close out competition at the MSU Showcase. Michigan State opens the day with a 12 p.m. match against IUPUI, before hosting Evansville in the final match of the weekend at 7 p.m. All matches are held at Jenison Field House.

Head coach Cathy George and the Michigan State Volleyball program will be hosting its "Family Fun Day" at Jenison Field House on Saturday, Aug. 28th from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. The activities will take place before the final match of the Spartan Showcase vs. Evansville at 7 p.m. Parents can enjoy a relaxing afternoon as the kid's play in the Bounce House located outside Jenison Field House. Everyone is invited to take part in the festivities and stay for the match as the team looks to continue its strong start to the 2010 season.

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