Sept. 24, 2009

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EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 16 Michigan State volleyball team (12-0) opens Big Ten conference play on Friday, Sept. 25, with a 7 p.m. match against Purdue (8-3, 0-0) in West Lafayette, Ind. The following night the Spartans will travel to Bloomington, Ind. for a match with Indiana (11-3, 0-0), which is slated to begin at 7 p.m. MSU is currently riding a 12-match winning streak, with nine of those victories coming away from the friendly confines of Jenison Field House. This is the program's third-best start to a season, trailing only the 1975 (19-0) and 1976 (15-0) seasons. The Spartans are currently riding the longest span between matches played in the state of Michigan in program history, having not played within the boundaries since Aug. 29. It will be 28 days without playing in East Lansing, spanning a total of 11 matches, before MSU returns home on Oct. 2.

This Week for the Spartans
No. 16 Michigan State (12-0) vs. Purdue (8-3)
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 • 7 p.m.
West Lafayette, Ind. • Intercollegiate Athletic Facility

Live stats: www.msuspartans.com

No. 16 Michigan State (12-0) vs. Indiana (11-3)
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 • 7 p.m.
Bloomington, Ind. • University Gym

Live stats: www.msuspartans.com

Purdue Series Information
• Purdue leads 41-27
Last meetings:
Nov. 21, 2008 • West Lafayette, Ind.
- PU def. MSU, 3-0 (25-19,25-22,25-17)
Oct. 25, 2008 • East Lansing, Mich.
- PU def. MSU, 3-2 (19-25,25-19,25-16,22-25,15-12)

Indiana Series Information
• MSU leads 40-25
Last meetings:
Nov. 8, 2008 • East Lansing, Mich.
- MSU def. IU, 3-1 (25-18,25-23,24-26,25-15)
Oct. 3, 2008 • Bloomington, Ind.
- IU def. MSU, 3-1 (25-14,23-25,25-21,25-20)

Here's What To Look For
• The Spartans are off to their best start since the 1976 season, when the team began the year winning its first 15 matches, and third best start all-time.
• MSU has posted seven different members to all-tournament teams this season - Kyndra Abron, Natalie Emro and Megan Schatzle (MSU Showcase), Allyson Karaba, Vanessa King and Megan Schatzle (CSU Invitational), Natalie Emro and Mischelle Nelson (UIC Invite) and Jenilee Rathje, Natalie Emro and Allyson Karaba (Clemson Classic). MSU saw MVP honors at all four tournaments - Kyndra Abron (MSU Showcase), Allyson Karaba (CSU Invitational), Natalie Emro (UIC Invite), and Jenilee Rathje (Clemson Classic).
• MSU has seen two Spartans receive Big Ten weekly laurels. Sophomore Kyndra Abron was named Offensive Player of the Week following her performance at the MSU Showcase, and junior Allyson Karaba was named Defensive Player of the Week this week, after her performance at the Clemson Classic.
• Head coach Cathy George currently ranks 38th among active coaches with 444 career wins.
• This is the Spartans' highest ranking since Oct. 6, 2003, when they were also ranked No. 16.

Last time out
The Spartans traveled to Clemson, S.C., for the Clemson Classic. On Friday afternoon MSU opened the weekend with a 3-0 win over Furman. Later that evening the Spartans returned to the court for a match against host Clemson. The Green and the White were able to get out to the early lead, however, the Tigers roared back to force the Spartans to a fifth set. Michigan State was able to dig deep to rally and hold off Clemson, winning the final set, 15-12. The following day the Spartans were victorious over Presbyterian. In the first ever meeting between the two schools, Michigan State was able to get out to the early advantage, and never looked back, sweeping the Blue Hose, 3-0. Redshirt sophomore Jenilee Rathje was named tournament MVP after recording 12 total blocks during weekend. Junior Allyson Karaba received all-tournament honors for the second time this season, while sophomore Natalie Emro received the laurel for the third time. Over the course of the weekend, Karaba recorded 52 digs while averaging 4.7 digs per set. Emro tallied 120 assists in three matches, with 33 of those coming against Presbyterian on Saturday. This marked the Spartans' fourth tournament title of the year, and sixth consecutive championship, dating back to the 2008 season.

Sister-Sister
Redshirt freshman Mandi Karaba and junior Allyson Karaba are the third set of sisters to play under coach Cathy George during her Spartan tenure. The first pair of sisters occurred in 2005 when Marley Bellwood and Tracy Bellwood played together for 76 matches during Coach George's first season. The other pairing was of All-American Ashley Schatzle and current junior Megan Schatzle. Together, the Schatzle's have played in four sets together whereas the Karaba's have participated in all 12 matches this season with one another. The Karaba's currently equate for 40 percent of the team's 590 digs this season. Allyson and Mandi know what it takes to be successful on the court, having led their North Muskegon high school team to a Class C state championship during the 2006 season.

Follow the Leader
Junior Megan Schatzle has followed in the foot-steps of older sister Ashley Schatzle. Ashley, a third-team AVCA All-American in 2007, led the team with 553 kills during the year. Megan, like her older sister, is currently leading the 2009 squad with 146 kills on the season. MSU hopes Megan follows the path her older sister paved for her, as the last time MSU made it to the NCAA Tournament was Ashley's senior season.

Sophomore Sensations
With the 2008 No. 7 PrepVolleyball.com recruiting class able to see ample amount of court time last season, the sophomore class seems to really be finding their element this season. Collectively, the class has amounted for 346 of the 650 team kills. Also, the sophomores have also accounted for 93 total blocks. Having added redshirt-sophomore Jenilee Rathje to their class, the Spartans are bound for success in the years to come. The class has collectively earned three of the four MVP honors this season for the Spartans.

Movin' On Up
Sophomore Natalie Emro currently ranks seventh all-time in career assists with 1,725. Senior Vanessa King recently moved into seventh place all-time with 394 total blocks in a career. King also ranks fourth all-time with 360 block assists.

Northwestern Match Time
With the Michigan State vs. Michigan football game slated to begin at 12 p.m. on Oct. 3, the Spartan volleyball match against Northwestern on has been tabbed as 6:30 p.m. This helps to allow those fans who wish to attend the volleyball match ample amount of time to arrive on campus following the conclusion of the football game.

On Deck
The Spartans will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 2 as MSU continues Big Ten action against No. 15 Illinois with the first serve slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Jenison Field House. The following night the Green and White will play host to Northwestern for a 6:30 p.m. match.