Oct. 1, 2009

Watch Head Coach Cathy George's Weekly Press Conference

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Head Coach Cathy George's Weekly Press Conference

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State continues Big Ten conference action on Friday, Oct. 2, with a 6:30 p.m. match against No. 12 Illinois (9-2, 1-1) at home. The following night the Spartans host Northwestern (9-5, 0-2) for a match which is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. MSU currently has a perfect 3-0 record at home this season. This will mark the first time in 33 days the Spartans have played in East Lansing, a total span of 11 matches. It also marks the longest span between matches played in the state of Michigan in program history.

This Week for the Spartans
No. 23 Michigan State (12-2, 0-2) vs. No. 12 Illinois (9-2, 1-1)
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 • 6:30 p.m.
East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House
Live stats & broadcast: www.msuspartans.com

No. 23 Michigan State (12-2, 0-2) vs. Northwestern (11-4, 0-2)
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 • 6:30 p.m.
East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House
Live stats & broadcast: www.msuspartans.com

Illinois Series Information
• UI leads 39-21
Last meetings:
Nov. 22, 2008 • Champaign, Ill.
UI def. MSU, 3-0 (25-17,25-18,25-17)
Oct. 24, 2008 • East Lansing, Mich.
UI def. MSU, 3-2 (22-25,25-17,28-26,20-25,15-11)

Northwestern Series Information
• NU leads 31-26
Last meetings:
Nov. 1, 2008 • Evanston, Ill.
NU def. MSU, 3-0 (25-18,26-24,25-23)
Oct. 10, 2008 • East Lansing, Mich.
MSU def. NU, 3-2 (25-17,20-25,21-25,25-23,15-12)

Last Time Out
The Spartans opened Big Ten action on Friday, Sept. 25, with a road match against Purdue. After finding itself down early, MSU was unable to rally back against the Boilermakers, as they fell 3-1, marking its first loss of the season. The following night, Michigan State was once again in action on the road as they traveled to Bloomington, Ind. for a match against the Hoosiers. Similar to the night before, the Spartans were unable to shake off a slow start to the match, as they dropped the match 3-1. This marked the end to the Spartans' month long road trip.

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 with one another for 76 matches in 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.

On Deck
The Spartans are back in action next weekend when they travel to Madison, Wis. for a 8 p.m. ET match against the Badgers on Friday, Oct. 9. Two days later, against Iowa in Iowa City, MSU will have a Sunday matinee match against the Hawkeyes at 2 p.m.

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 164 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 420 of the 754 team kills. Also, the sophomores have also accounted for 117 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 eighth all-time in career assists with 1,812. 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.

And So It Goes
MSU recently saw its third-best start to a season streak snapped last weekend in the Big Ten opener on the road against Purdue. This marked the Spartans' first loss since Nov. 29, 2008, against Minnesota. The second longest occurred during the 1976, when the team started with a 15-0 record. The longest was during the 1975 season, when MSU posted a perfect 16-0 record, before suffering its first loss.