Dec. 6, 2007

MADISON, Wis. - The Michigan State University volleyball team continues its postseason run on Friday night in Madison, Wis., facing No. 2 and defending national champion Nebraska. First serve in UW Field House is set for 8 p.m. (ET).

2007 NCAA TOURNAMENT Madison, Wis. Regional
Michigan State (21-13) vs. No. 2 Nebraska (29-1)
Friday, Dec. 7, 2007 • 8 p.m. ET
Madison, Wis. • UW Field House
Radio: www.msuspartans.com; WVFN - 730 AM
John Kreger (play-by-play)
Live stats: www.msuspartans.com
Live video stream: www.uwbadgers.com

NCAA Tourament Regional Semifinal Match Notes
NCAA Tournament Thursday Press Conference Transcripts
Head Coach Cathy George Podcast
Miken Trogdon Podcast

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
• Michigan State advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals for the fourth time in program history and for the first time since 2002
• The Spartans have a 21-13 overall record and a 10-10 mark in the Big Ten • MSU finished tied for fifth in the conference, only one match out of third place
• MSU is No. 33 in the latest RPI ranking (Nov. 16)
• All the Spartans losses are against teams in the top-75 of the latest RPI rankings
• MSU has nine wins against RPI top-50 schools (No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 11 Dayton, No. 23 Michigan, No. 24 Purdue, No. 29 Minnesota, No. 32 Missouri State, No. 42 Kentucky and No. 45 Indiana - twice), including three on the road (Dayton, Wisconsin and Indiana)
• The Green and White have received votes in the national poll two of last four weeks
• MSU has won four of its last five matches against nationally-ranked schools
• The Spartans won at No. 7 Wisconsin, marking the first win under third-year head coach Cathy George over a top-10 program and the first win over the Badgers since 2003
• MSU broke two long losing streaks to conference opponents - 10-straight losses against Minnesota and seven-straight vs. Ohio State
• After starting league play 1-5, the Spartans finished the last 14 matches at 9-5 against conference foes
• MSU is 17th in the country and second in the Big Ten in kills per game (16.76) and 16th in the nation and second in the conference in assists per game (15.48)
• MSU is third in the league and 36th in the country in hitting percentage (.253)
• In the MSU record book, the 2007 squad is second in assists per game (15.48) and fifth in kills per game (16.76)
• MSU has the top-three conference totals in kills for a three-game match this year - 71 vs. Ohio State (11/9), 68 vs. Minnesota (10/20) and 67 against Missouri State (8/31)
• Michigan State is 23rd nationally in average home attendance (1,546 per match)
• Senior Ashley Schatzle was named to the All-Big Ten Team, while Katie Johnson was an honorable mention selection
• Johnson and Schatzle are one of the top offensive duos in the country - one of only four pairs to be ranked among the top-55 on the national kills per game list and only one of two in the Big Ten top-10
• Schatzle has posted 19 double-doubles, including eight in her last 12 matches
• Schatzle is third in the Big Ten with 531 kills, while Johnson is fourth with 523
• Johnson is in fourth place on the MSU all-time kills list (1,794); Schatzle is eighth (1,398) in only three seasons
• Freshman Lauren O'Reilly broke the school's single-season freshman assist record (1,555)
• O'Reilly is second in the Big Ten and 16th in the nation with 13.29 assists per game
• Freshman Jenilee Rathje leads the team with 134 blocks (9 BS, 125 BA); the second most by a MSU freshman

SCOUTING THE HUSKERS
The Huskers (29-1) are the No. 2 national seed and are coming off 3-0 wins over South Dakota State and Wichita State in the NCAA First and Second Rounds in Lincoln. NU has won 10 in a row since their lone loss of the season at Texas (3-0), having swept the last eight matches.

Nebraska leads the nation in kills per game (17.91) and assists per game (16.55), while placing third in hitting percentage (.331). Three-time Big 12 Player of the Year Sarah Pavan leads the Huskers with 464 kills (4.88 per game), while hitting .353. Tracy Stalls is third in the nation in hitting percentage at a .471 clip and leads the squad with 107 total blocks (16 solo, 91 assisted).

Christina Houghtelling was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, after leading the team with 358 digs (4.02 per game), while also adding 280 kills and a .311 hitting percentage. Rachel Holloway is ninth in the country with 13.66 assists per game (1,257 total).

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska leads 7-0-2
• Nebraska leads 5-0-2 on a neutral floor
• Last meeting: Sept. 13, 2003 (Lincoln, Neb.) - NU 3, MSU 0
• First meeting: Nov. 4, 1978 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - MSU 1, NU 1

NEBRASKA NCAA HISTORY
• Nebraska has appeared in 26 straight NCAA Tournaments; the second longest active streak in Division I
• The Huskers are 72-22 in NCAA play; second all-time in wins and winning percentage (.766)
• Nebraska is 28-12 all-time in regional action
• NU is now 35-2 all-time in the first and second rounds of the NCAAs
• Nebraska has won three national championships (1995, 2000, 2006); second to Stanford's six

NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUND
The Spartans advanced to the Madison Regional with a pair of wins at the Dayton Sub-Regional. MSU began the weekend by sweeping Kentucky, 3-0 (30-28, 30-23, 30-27), then followed on Saturday with an upset of host and No. 15 seed Dayton, 3-0 (30-26, 30-16, 30-21). The Spartans move onto the regional round for the first time since 2002 and for the fourth time in program history.

Against Kentucky, senior Ashley Schatzle led the offensive effort, posting 19 kills, while classmate Katie Johnson added 15 kills and nine digs. Freshman Jenilee Rathje had eight kills on 16 attempts and only one error for a .438 hitting percentage, while sophomore Mischelle Nelson hit .500 and put down seven kills. Freshman Lauren O'Reilly dished out 40 assists and totaled five blocks (1 BS, 4 BA) and senior Miken Trogdon was the anchor to the Spartans' defense with 10 digs.

On Saturday, the Flyers (32-2) lost on only their second match all season and their first on their home floor. The Spartans controlled the front line hitting .333 as a team and holding Dayton to a .037 mark, the second lowest by a Michigan State opponent this season. MSU blocked 16 Flyer attempts, paced by a career-best nine block assists by senior Jessica Hohl, the third most in a three-game match in program history, and seven total blocks (one solo, six assisted) from freshman Jenilee Rathje. Senior Ashley Schatzle led the attack with 14 kills, while senior Katie Johnson had 13. Both had four total blocks and Johnson added eight digs. Rathje also chipped in eight kills and a .467 hitting percentage. Freshman Lauren O'Reilly dished out 36 assists, while senior Miken Trogdon led the squad with 10 digs.