The Support Group of
Michigan State University Women's Volleyball

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.

2013 Annual Awards Presented

The following awards were presented at the annual volleyball banquet on January 5, 2014 at the Kellogg Center:

SideOut Club Service Award: Julie Carmichael
Academic All-Conference Selections: Maggie Halloran, Kristen Kelsay, Kori Moster, Kristen Muir, Halle Peterson, Lauren Wicinski
Third Team Academic All-America: Kristen Kelsay
Kirkby Scholar-Athlete Award: Maggie Halloran
Most Improved Award: Allyssah Fitterer
Playmaker Award: Kori Moster
Extra Mile Award: Kristen Kelsay
MVP Award: Lauren Wicinski

The SideOut Club presented Coach George with a check for $12,000 for use by the volleyball program.

All-American Awards for Wicinski, Moster, and Mathews

To cap the 2013 season, three Spartan standouts have earned All-America honors. Senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski won second-team honors for the second year in a row, while junior libero Kori Moster was named to the third team. Senior middle Alexis Mathews was an honorable mention. [full list]

Spartans Honored for Academics

On December 12, 2013, senior setter Kristen Kelsay became only the fourth Spartan volleyball player to to win Academic All-America honors. She was named to the third team. [full list]

In addition, six MSU players were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team. So honored were seniors Kristen Kelsay and Lauren Wicinski, junior Kori Moster, and sophomores Maggie Halloran, Kristen Muir, and Halle Peterson. Among the 869 fall sport athletes that were recognized, Maggie Halloran was one of 20 cited for having "maintained unblemished cumulative GPAs". [full story]

Three Spartans Win All-Region Awards

Alexis Mathews, Kori Moster, and Lauren Wicinski have been named to the 2013 NCAA Division I All-Region North Region Team. This marks the most All-Region players MSU has ever had in a single season. Both Wicinski and Moster are repeat winners, while Mathews is being so honored for the first time. All three are now eligible for possible selection as All-Americans. [full list]

Michigan State Advances to Sweet Sixteen

A victory over number 15-seeded Kentucky on December 8th earned the MSU volleyball team their second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. They will play Penn State at 5:00 pm Friday, December 13 in Lexington, Kentucky. The other two teams in the regional, Minnesota and Stanford, will play immediately following. The matches will be carried on ESPN3.

Winners of the two semifinals will play on Saturday at 4:00pm, televised on ESPNU.

Weather Causes Postponement in Lexington

Due to inclement weather blanketing the Central Kentucky area, the NCAA Volleyball Tournament First and Second Rounds have been rescheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The tournament will now open on Saturday with Ohio vs. Michigan State at 2:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Coliseum. Duquesne and Kentucky will conclude the first day of the tournament at 5 p.m. ET. The second-round matchup, featuring the winners of Saturday’s game, will start at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum.

Live Streaming of NCAA Tournament

The first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Lexington, Kentucky December 7 and 8 will be streamed live on the web.
Saturday [MSU/Ohio, 2:30pm] [Duquesne/Kentucky 5pm]
Sunday [Second round, 4pm]

Spartans Win Individual Honors

Five Spartan volleyball players won recognition this week for their accomplishments during the 2013 season.

Lauren Wicinski began the week being named the Big Ten Player of the Week for December 2, for the fourth time this year and the fifth of her career. The following day she was chosen for the second consecutive year as a unanimous selection of the coaches for the 2013 All Big Ten Team.

Kori Moster also repeated as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and an Honorable Mention choice for All Big Ten.

Alexis Mathews continued MSU's run of awards with her Honorable Mention honor, Chloe Reinig was named to the All Freshman Team, and Kristen Kelsay repeated her Sportsmanship Award win from last year.

Congratulations to Lauren, Kori, Alexis, Chloe, and Kristen! [Player of the Week story] [All Big Ten story]

Spartans Selected for NCAA Tournament

The MSU volleyball team will play Ohio in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, December 6 in Lexington, Kentucky. [full bracket and schedule] The match will be at 5:00 p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum on the campus of the University of Kentucky. [ticket information] The other first round match will pit Duquesne against national number 15 seed Kentucky at 7:30 p.m.

Ohio's season has some things in common with MSU's. Both teams beat Oregon and Cincinnati and lost to Michigan. (Of course the Spartans also have a win over the Wolverines.) Ohio was the Mid-American conference champions, finishing with a 27-5 overall record. Unlike MSU, they have no wins over top-ten teams. In the computer rankings, the Spartans are number 19 nationally, while Ohio is number 38.

A win over Ohio would likely see MSU face Kentucky at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. Kentucky has one win over a top-ten opponent, having defeated Minnesota early in the season. They also lost to Illinois. Their computer ranking is number 23, a little behind MSU. In the AVCA poll, the Wildcats are a little ahead of MSU.

All-Time Kills and Digs Leaders

In the space of about a week, two Spartan volleyball players became career leaders in two important statistical categories. First, on November 8 libero Kori Moster topped all MSU players in digs, and did it in only her junior year. The previous leader was Veronica Morales ('94-'97). As of that date, Moster ranked 22nd all-time in the Big Ten with more than a full season left to play!

Then on November 16, senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski reached a new all-time career kills record for a Spartan. She surpassed the previous mark of 2,292 set by Jenna Wrobel (a three-year teammate of Morales). Lauren's total is currently 16th all-time in NCAA history.

Congratulations to Kori and Lauren!

Kelsay Earns Academic Honor

Senior setter Kristen Kelsay was chosen on November 7 for the 2013 Academic All-District volleyball team. [full story]

Vote for Lauren!

Fans can help senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski win the 2013 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Go to http://www.seniorclassaward.com and vote for her once every day until December 9.

Lauren is one of ten outstanding senior Division I volleyball players who are finalists for the award. Fan voting will account for one-third in the determination of the winner. Candidates are chosen for demonstrated excellence in four areas -- community, classroom, character and competition.

Volleyball Tailgate Party - October 26, 2013

Come out to join fellow MSU fans for the 14th Annual SideOut Club Volleyball Tailgate on Saturday, October 26, 2013 before the match against Indiana. We will start around 3:30 pm and continue until game time at 6:30. Please bring a dish or grillable item to share.

NEW LOCATION: Due to the new configuration of the parking lot on the south side of Jenison Field House, the tailgate will be moved to the west side of the Field House beside the building. Also needed are grills and folding tables. If you can bring a grill or folding table, or if you have any questions, please contact Cathy Caswell at 332-4353 or at caswell@msu.edu.

Time Change for Minnesota Match

The Spartans' volleyball match at #10 Minnesota on Thursday, October 17 has been rescheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. The match will be televised live on ESPN2.

Lauren Wicinski Chosen AVCA Player of the Week

For only the seventh time, an MSU volleyball player has been named the Division I Player of the Week. Lauren Wicinski earned this award on October 1 for her part in MSU's victories over Penn State and Ohio State. [full story]

MSU Opens the Big Ten at 2-0

In 1995, MSU women's volleyball became the first team ever to defeat both Penn State and Ohio State on their home courts the same week. Since then only three other teams have accomplished this feat, while the Spartans' wins last week mark the third time they have done it! The win over Ohio State also marks only the fourth time that the Spartans have opened the conference season with two victories. [full story]

Spartans Upset #1 Penn State!

On Friday, September 27, the MSU women's volleyball team earned their first ever victory over a national-#1-ranked team, beating Penn State 3-2 in State College. You can watch the replay of the match on the Big Ten Network at 10 a.m. Monday September 30. [full story]

Wicinski Selected as Conference Player of the Week

Senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski has been named Big Ten Player of the Week for September 16. The Spartans swept three opponents last week behind Lauren's 45 kills, an average of 5 per set. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Butler Invitational tournament. [full story]

Jenna Wrobel Inducted into Hall of Fame

Jenna Wrobel, an outside hitter for Spartan volleyball from 1995 to 1998 and one of only three Spartans to be named a first team AVCA All American, was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame on September 12, 2013. She is the fourth Spartan volleyball player to achieve this honor, following her teammates Val Sterk and Dana Cooke (both 1993-96) and multi-sport athlete Diane Spoelstra (1975-78). As of this year, the Hall of Fame has 119 members. [video] [full story]

Spartans Bounce Back

The MSU volleyball team came back strong September 6 and 7 with victories over #12 Oregon and Oregon State. Still without two expected starters, the new lineup seemed to do just fine, with their performance boosting the team back up to #15 in the AVCA poll after a drop last week. Next the team heads to Indianapolis on September 13 for a tournament at Butler where their biggest challenge will be IPFW, a 2012 NCAA tournament team.

Season Starts With Injuries

The Spartans opened their 2013 season on the road Labor Day weekend, but without several key players. In spite of this, they came home with a 3-1 record, including a come-from-behind victory over hosts Virginia Tech in the tournament closer.

Setter Halle Peterson tore a meniscus in practice and is out for an unknown amount of time. The Spartans reverted to using Kristin Kelsay as the only setter instead of the two-setter offense that has been their trademark for several seasons now.

Expected freshman starter Chloe Reinig was described as "sick" going into the opening weekend and did not play. Outside hitter Taylor Galloway was injured at the net during the first set against Pacific on Saturday and did not play again during the tournament.

The SideOut Club Celebrates Its 20th Year

The fall 2013 season is the 20th year of operation of the SideOut Club! The SideOut Club was established in 1994 to promote and support Michigan State women's volleyball.

To mark the occasion there will be a celebration Saturday September 7 prior to the Oregon State game. SideOut Club members past and present are invited to join us for the pre-game reception dinner. Those for whom we have contact information will receive invitations to the event. If you do not receive an invitation, to RSVP, or for more information, please contact the Volleyball Office at 517 353-1756 or vbops@ath.msu.edu.

Kristin Kelsay Named Big Ten Distinguished Scholar

Each summer the Big Ten Conference honors those student-athletes whose grade-point average for the preceding year was 3.7 or higher. For 2012-13, setter Kristin Kelsay was a recipient of this award, the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. Kristin is majoring in psychology. [full story]

Volleyball Indoor Tailgate September 6

The Mid-Michigan Spartans Alumni Club is sponsoring the MSU Women's Volleyball Indoor Tailgate Friday, September 6 at 5:30 P.M. prior to the Oregon game. This is not a SideOut Club event, but Club members may be interested in attending. You can see the details of the event at http://msuvolleyballevent.eventbrite.com

Spartans Ranked 14th Nationally

The Michigan State women's volleyball team is ranked fourteenth in the AVCA Division I Coaches 2013 Preseason Poll, released on August 12. This is the highest ranking for the Spartans in the preseason poll since 1997, when they were ranked sixth. Texas earned the top spot in the poll, and four Big Ten teams placed above MSU. [full poll]

Schedule Released

The MSU volleyball schedule for 2013 has now been posted. The biggest news is the first home competition, the Big Ten/PAC-12 Challenge. For this event, only the fourth time that PAC-12 teams have played in East Lansing, MSU will host Oregon State and 2012 national runner-up Oregon on September 6 and 7. To complete the Challenge, the two visiting teams will each play in Ann Arbor on the day they are not playing in East Lansing. In other non-conference play, the Spartans will face one additional 2012 NCAA tournament team, IPFW. [full schedule]

Three to Participate in A2 Program

Alexis Mathews, Kori Moster, and Lauren Wicinski were chosen on May 7 for the 2013 U.S. National A2 program. They will go to Dallas as part of a group of 48 athletes to start training as four separate teams on June 25. The competition phase will also include teams from the professional Premier Volleyball League. Alexis Mathews is the only three-time participant among the 48, while Purdue was the only school to have more players chosen than MSU. [full story]

Annual Meeting in Jenison April 13

The SideOut Club’s Annual Meeting will be held at 12 noon on April 13, 2013 in the 3rd floor classroom in Jenison Field House, during the spring tournament (see below). The meeting will be held in room 309, which is to your left after entering the gymnastics area on the third floor.

All members are encouraged to attend. The Club’s annual financial statement will be presented and there will be an election for the Board of Directors. The Annual Meeting also serves as a forum for members to voice any suggestions or concerns. Hope to see you on the 13th.

Spring Tournament at Jenison

The Spartans will host a nine-team spring tournament in Jenison Field House starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2013. Teams will include Illinois State, Indiana State, Central Michigan and a number of other teams from the region. There will be pool-play games at 9, 10, and 11 a.m. Results will seed teams into new pools for the afternoon games at 1, 2, and 3 p.m..

The spring schedule will open March 23 with a practice/competition event against Western Michigan University to be held at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. The gym will be open to spectators for a 4:00 p.m. match between the two teams. On April 6, the Spartans will be at the Great Lakes Center in Aurora, Illinois for the Collegiate Challenge tournament. Teams will include Bradley, DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame, and Purdue. Finally, on April 20 at 3:30 p.m., the Spartans will face University of Dayton at the Premier Volleyball Academy at the Maumee Sports Mall in Maumee, Ohio.

(Note: because of the nature of spring scheduling, all times are subject to change, but will be more firm as the events get closer.)

Big Ten and Other News

Western Michigan Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Historic Volleyball Season

One of our neighboring schools is commemmorating a special volleyball accomplishment from thirty years ago that all fans should know about. [full story]

Sierra Hubbard-Neil a Finalist for Miss Volleyball

Sierra Hubbard-Neil, sister of MSU junior defensive specialist Ryian Hubbard, has been named a finalist for the Michigan Miss Volleyball award. Ryian herself was nominated for this award in 2010. [full story]

Chuck Erbe to Join the AVCA Hall of Fame

The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced that former Spartan coach Chuck Erbe will be inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in December 2013. Chuck coached his first collegiate team, Southern California, to four national championships, and while at MSU from 1993 to 2004 he earned 1995 national Coach of the Year honors. [full story]

B1G Sets a Record in Volleyball Poll

The AVCA Coaches' Poll for September 9, 2013 marks a milestone for Big Ten volleyball. It is the first time ever that the Big Ten has placed seven teams in the top 15 in the national poll. In addition, there are two more Big Ten teams just behind, for a total of nine in the top 25! [full poll]

2013 Big Ten TV Schedule

At least 23 Big Ten volleyball games are set for broadcast on the Big Ten Network and ESPN2 for fall 2013. Michigan State will be featured in two away games (at Minnesota and Wisconsin) and once at home (vs. Penn State). [full story] [full schedule]

Nebraska First in Big Ten to Add Sand Volleyball

On January 9, 2013 the University of Nebraska announced it would add women's sand volleyball as a varsity sport, beginning immediately. 2013 will be the second year the sport has been recognized by the NCAA, and Nebraska is the first Big Ten school to field a team. [full story]

The Support Group of Michigan State University Women's Volleyball

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