News and Upcoming Events

The 22^nd annual Spartan Back to the Hardwood Classic Tournament drew 57 teams in two divisions this year at the IM West Sports and Demonstration Hall facilities on campus.  MSU Club President Mike Caldwell (SO) said “we are so thankful for the amazing support of all the teams, parents, friends, family members, USA Volleyball referees and university staff this year.” Club Vice President Andrew Smith (SR) added “our club really pulled together and worked hard to make this event happen — we all owe a debt of gratitude to our Director of Competition Dan Kitchel for all his support.  He is a true Spartan through and through.”

Two traditional MIVA rivals, Notre Dame and Wisconsin, clashed in the Division 1 final, with the Irish snatching its first ever Division 1 Hardwood title in a well played three game set. Notre Dame was the 2^nd seed coming into the tournament, finishing 2^nd in the nation at last season’s NCVF National Championship event.  They overcame a strong push by Big Ten foe Ohio State in the semi-finals.

Wisconsin, the tournament’s number 1 seed, blistered perennial EIVA powerhouse Virginia Tech in the other Division 1 Gold semi-final match.  MSU’s Head Coach Sante Perrelli said “Both semi-final matches and the finals were superbly played – in fact, there were great matches throughout the event, boding well for another fantastic club volleyball season. Congratulations to the very deserving winners and to all the teams who participated this year.”  UW Milwaukee powered its way through the Division 1 Silver bracket, winning the consolation division by defeating an up-and-coming Loyola (Chicago) squad.

A completely retooled MSU Green squad advanced to the quarterfinals in the Division 1 Gold Bracket by winning hard fought matches against in-state rivals Michigan and Grand Valley.  Coach Perrelli said “considering that this year’s squad only has 4 returning players from last season, a Gold division finish speaks volumes about the team’s work ethic and determination this Fall.  He added   “I personally appreciate the work by former MSU Green player Eric Lazowski in acting as my assistant coach this Fall.  He has helped the club transition players that had been so well developed by MSU White Coach Han Chew last year, and help us teach the game to a number of new players.”

Ohio State 2 won the Division 2 Gold final by posting a “w” against Big Ten rival Indiana B.  The young Buckeyes eliminated Wisconsin B in the semi-finals with Indiana “B” disposing of in-state rival Cincinnati B” in the other Division 2 Gold semi-final match.  A rejuvenated Ferris State club captured the Division 2 Silver Division title by overcoming a spirited Michigan Tech B squad.

MSU White earned a spot in the Gold Bracket in Division 2 before bowing out in the first round.   MSU White churned out victories against Michigan Tech B and Grand Valley B. MSU White Coach Han Chew said, “the Gold Bracket finish was ‘mission-accomplished’ considering that this year’s White team was built from ground up in two months. Despite being consisted of mostly freshmen and upperclassmen redeployed in new positions, the White team stayed competitive and showed a lot of promise for the regular season.”

MSU Posse spanked MSU Greenhorns to capture the Bronze final in Division 2.  Both Posse and Greenhorns are composed of [C1] players who are gaining their first experience at playing organized and competitive volleyball.

In addition to a full practice schedule, all of MSU’s four squads actively participated in planning and execution of the 2011 Hardwood tournament this year.  Club President Mike Caldwell says that the Spartan chant “we are one” very much “describes our united effort to make men’s volleyball playing opportunities a reality for student athletes.”

This year’s event was held in connection with the MIVA (miva-vball.org) annual meetings where representative of Midwest club teams assembles to discuss plans for the upcoming 2012 club competitive playing season.  MIVA teams have captured a series of NCVF (ncvfvolleyball.org) national titles, and look poised again to pursue national acclaim in 2012.

All pool play and play-off results for both divisions of the Hardwood tournament, along with a printable bracket can be found at https://www.msu.edu/user/msuvball/hardwood/hdwindex.html. Pictures from the event can be found on the club’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MSUVBALL.

The MSU Men’s Volleyball Club is proud to announce that it is accepting registrations into this year’s annual pre-season event.   The Spartans will host Men’s Division 1 and Division 2 teams over two days on November 12 and 13, 2011 at the IM West and Demonstration Hall.  The tournament provides participating teams an opportunity to preview the upcoming 2012 season competition and get a feel for a national level tournament play format that emulates the NCVF National Championships.

In conjunction with the Hardwood, the annual MIVA Organizational Meeting will be held will take place on Saturday, November 12.  Information on the MIVA meetings can be found here.

For the most up to date Hardwood information click here.

Below is the schedule for our Fall open gyms and tryouts. Try to make it to as many open gyms as you can to knock off the rust or get some time in the gym before tryouts begin the 21st. Keep in mind that the club takes players of all skill levels and focuses on developing players with little experience once the teams have been divided. Anyone with an interest in volleyball is more than welcome to join.

Hope to see all of you in the gym!

Open Gyms:
Tuesday, Sept. 6 9-11 PM
Wednesday, Sept. 7 9-11 PM
Thursday, Sept. 8 7-9 PM

Monday, Sept. 12 7-9 PM
Wednesday, Sept. 14 9-11 PM
Thursday, Sept. 15 7-9 PM

Monday, Sept. 19 7-9 PM

Tryouts:
Wednesday, Sept. 21 9-11 PM
Thursday, Sept. 22  7-9 PM
Friday, Sept.23 7-9 PM

Green and White competed in the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Championships 2011 at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas from April 7-9.

Green — Men’s Division I

After finishing 3rd at the MIVA Division I Championships, the Green team was confident as they entered day one of the NCVF National Championships in Houston, Texas. However, their confidence was somewhat shaken after losing in keenly-fought matches against Marquette and Florida. In both matches, Green lost after taking the first set (Marquette: 25-18, 18-25, 12-15) (Florida: 25-23, 18-25, 11-15). The third match against Penn State proved to be a disappointing loss for the team (22-25, 13-25). These results placed the team into a challenge pool for placement in the Silver or Bronze Division of the event on day two.  “The teams overall inexperience showed,” said Sante Perrelli.  “Although we had some really nice moments, lack of consistency and our inability to execute down the stretch made for some very hard lessons for the young Spartans.  Green faced Colorado and in-state rival Grand Valley State on day two of the event.  Opening the day with Colorado (Mountain West Conference), the Spartans looked strong, winning in two sets 25-22, 25-21.  The second match against Grand Valley State was no different with the Spartans pushing to a  25-23, 25-22 victory. Placing first in their day-two pool, the Spartans were seeded in the Silver Bracket for. Saturday’s single elimination play. The Spartans faced one of the top teams in the nation, UC-Berkeley (Northern California Volleyball Association). After winning in dominating fashion with numerous blocks in set one,  25-18, the Spartans found difficulties adjusting to Cal’s new game plan and dropped the second and third sets 18-25,11-15.

With many new faces this year, and some promising in-season results, the team had hoped to finish stronger in the last tournament of the season. But to their credit, they finished 25th among over 100 teams that vied for the top division. The Spartans have finished with a  25th or better ranking during every season for over two decades.

White — Men’s Division III

Riding the momentum from their second place finish at the MIVA Division Championships, White was raring to go at the NCVF National Championships.. Their first day pool play saw them matched up against Texas St, UC Davis B and Arizona B. White trounced their first two opponents in dominating fashion as the entire roster was fielded against Texas St and UC Davis B. Both matches were won in two sets (Texas St: 25-15, 25-10) (UC Davis: 25-15, 25-14). White was then matched up against Arizona in their final pool game and lost after putting up a spirited fight against the eventual Division III champions (23-25, 16-25). In the challenge round on the second day, White faced Utah Valley B — with a championship pool placement on the line. However, the rough schedule took its toll on the team with White losing narrowly to Utah Valley (23-25, 21-25).  The loss was disappointing to the team who had hoped to compete in the gold bracket but the spirited players were able to pick themselves up and win their consolation pool play against MIVA adversaries Wisconsin by 25-23, 25-17.

On the final day of competition, White was matched against the University of Chicago in the quarterfinals of the Silver Bracket and dominated the match with creative tandem plays (25-12, 25-20). In the semi-finals, White was again matched up with Utah Valley but the outcome this time was very different. White took the first set 25-14 by shutting down Utah’s top scorer and putting up their trademark scrappy defense. In the second set, Utah Valley ran their version of a 6-2 system and won 19-25. In the exciting third set, every point was hotly contested with the determined Spartans able to pull out a victory 16-14. In the finals of the Silver Bracket, White had to play Cal Poly almost immediately and lost after putting up as tough a fight as they could manage (22-25, 17-25). After the game, parent Betsy Vander Meer commented that, “The Utah Valley game was the highlight of the tournament for White. They are a classy bunch of guys and it’s always fun to watch them play.”

Overall, White finished 10th in the 32 team field. Together with their 2nd place finish at MIVA’s, this year’s White team finished stronger than any White team in over a decade, making the future look bright for MSU men’s volleyball in the coming years.

Two weeks from the NCVF National Championships in Houston, the MIVA Championship Tournament in Columbus, Ohio provided MIVA teams with one last tournament to rise in the rankings before being seeded for the national event. Both Green and White took excellent advantage of this opportunity. Green finished 3rd and White 2nd in their respective divisions. This was a stellar performance by both teams. “Both Green and White played at a very high level and elevated the standing of the club in the conference over the course of the tournament,” said Spartan Head Coach Sante Perrelli.

MIVA Division I — Day one saw #16 ranked Green team going 3-1 in pool play with wins over Central Michigan, Kentucky, and Dayton and a lone loss to Illinois State in three sets. Day two was when the Green team played to their full abilities. Starting out bracket play with a play-in match versus in-state rivals University of Michigan, the Spartans took control right off the bat and won in dominating fashion 25-7, 25-18. The second round matched the Spartans with the #25 University of Iowa. The Spartans lost set one 23-25 but were able to rally and win sets two and three 25-22,15-9. The Spartans quarter final matchup was against defending NCVF National Champions #12 Ohio State University on their home court. In the first set Green was down 21-19 but rallied back to steal the first set 25-23. The second set was also all Spartan as the team showed their strength at service with multiple aces and set two was taken 25-15. The semifinal matchup was against the Hoosier-Illini Classic Champions #2 Indiana University. After a slow start and loss in set one (18-25), the Spartans fought back to win set two 25-23 but fell in the third set 8-15. Overall, the Spartans finished tied for third with #4 University of Illinois. Senior libero and Club President Kriss Petrovskis said “After a mediocre finish at the Big Ten Championships, we really came together and got exceptional contributions from everyone on the court to come up with some key ‘team’ wins down the stretch.” The finish should give the Spartans a strong seed for the National Championships in Houston, Texas, April 7-9.

MIVA Division II — White entered the Division 2 tournament as the 4th seed behind Ohio State, Indiana University and University of Illinois. At the end of pool play, White was 3-1 with wins over Earlham, Wisconsin, and Illinois State. The team narrowly lost to Illinois 27-29, 23-25. Day two saw White team in a challenging bracket. In the quarterfinals, the team was first matched with Purdue who won against top seed Ohio State in their pool play. White began with a 1-7 deficit before finding their flow, closing the gap and winning set one 27-25. Set two saw Junior Libero Mark Ogilvie going on a scoring streak with 9 consecutive serves despite Purdue calling two timeouts in an attempt to ice Ogilvie’s hot hands. The Spartans took the second set 25-19. The semifinals match opponent was second seed Indiana University. Both teams had not played each other in the regular season and this proved to be advantageous to the Spartans who were premiering a 6-2 system little-seen in the conference. Still, the semi-finals had to be decided in three sets with the Spartans edging the Hoosiers out 25-18, 24-26, 16-14. The finals saw White team matched up against Illinois again. Despite their best efforts, the Spartans fell to the Fighting Illini 25-13, 25-20 to finish second in the division. Senior middle hitter and team captain Clint Korpalski said, “The amount of growth I have seen both in individuals and in the team as a whole this semester has been amazing. The one thing that sets us apart from our opponents is the bonds we have developed with one another. There is not a single star player; everything we do is a team effort”. This is the first time in several years that the Spartans have had a medals finish in the Division II regionals.

Green competed in the Big Ten Championships at the University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill and garnered multiple conference awards. The tournament provided the team with an opportunity to continue the success they had at the Hoosier-Illini Classic. Coming off from the spring break, the team had a slow start and fell to Iowa (23-25, 24-26) in their first game. The Spartans had previously beaten Iowa at the Big Ten Round Robins. For their next game, Green was matched up with Northwestern whom they had also beaten in the round robins. Despite losing starting Middle Greg Geraci to a sprained ankle, the Spartans rallied to triumph over Northwestern 25-20, 22-25, 15-12.

After finishing 3rd in their pool, the Spartans were matched up against Purdue who entered the tournament as the 2nd seed. The team played very well with much needed energy and defeated the Boilermakers in two sets (25-16, 25-22). The win saw the Spartans being matched against top seeded Fighting Illini in front of their home crowd. Despite their valiant efforts, the Spartans lost to the Fighting Illini 17-25, 18-25.

Conference and tournament awards were given to:

Regular Season All-Conference Honorable Mention:

Sophomore OPP/OH Matthew Vander Meer

Freshman OH Mike Caldwell

All-Tournament Second-Team:

Senior Libero Kriss Petrovskis

All-Tournament Honorable Mention:

Junior Setter Jason Giecek

The Green team had their much needed breakthrough performance at the Hoosier-Illini Classic over the past weekend and edged out ranked opponents in both pool and bracket play. Overall, the Spartans finished among the top eight in a strong field and was 4-2 in the tournament.

The Spartans began their pool play against #7 Virginia Tech on Saturday and dropped their first set 23-25. Unfazed, the Spartans brushed aside the slow start and rallied in the second and third sets to pull an upset over the top seed in their pool (25-23, 15-12) . Riding on their momentum of the win over a top ten team, the Spartans then edged out #16 Ball State (25-18, 25-22) in a two set win. The team also won their game against Indiana B (25-22, 26-24) to finish 3-0 in pool play. In the cross-over play, their winning streak was broken by UW-Oshkosh who was the eventual runner-up of the tournament (15-25, 20-25).

Green advanced to the Gold bracket and was matched up against #18 Pittsburg in the first round. The team came out strong and never looked back, winning 25-15, 25-20. In the second round, the Spartans fell to the Fighting Illini in two sets 25-16, 25-22.

The weekend was a solid showing for Green especially since the team had to overcome adversities such as the absence of a coaching staff and a lackluster performance in the Big Ten Round Robin last month. Their wins over ranked opponents put the Spartans back in contention in the top division at the National tournament and set a positive note for the next few weeks leading up to the MIVA championship.

The MSU men’s volleyball team was at St. Joseph for its annual day-long clinic and match with Notre Dame last Saturday. For the 8th year running, the Spartans coached volleyball enthusiasts of varying ages from kindergarten to high school boys throughout the day at St. Joseph High School. The clinic was a great opportunity for the Spartans to develop leadership and coaching skills while showcasing and promoting men’s volleyball in Michigan.

The trip to St. Joe culminated in an evening match with Notre Dame. The Spartans looked forward to regrouping after a disappointing week at the Big Ten round robin but fell short against the Fighting Irish after an intense match that went to four sets. Despite the loss, there were high points in the match when the Spartans stepped up and displayed areas where they can be successful. The team gained much needed confidence and definitely showed potential for success as they march towards the Hoosier-Illini Classic on February 26-27.

Posse and Greenhorns take on veteran Lansing teams

For the past month, Posse and Greenhorns have been competing with veteran Lansing teams at the Michigan Athlete Club Men’s Volleyball League. Posse currently has an overall record of 3-3 and Greenhorns 0-6. League play will culminate in an all-teams tournament on March 28.

This past weekend was a busy one for the club with three of the four teams competing in tournaments.

The 20th ranked Spartans traveled to the University of Iowa for the Big Ten Men’s Volleyball Association Round Robin.http://www.miva-vball.org/files/btmva2011.html. The Green team finished the weekend with a disappointing 2-6 overall record. Losses were to #3 Illinois, #5 Wisconsin, #10 Ohio State, #18 Indiana, Purdue, and Minnesota. Although the results were disappointing, the Spartans showed some flare after playing a dominant third set against Northwestern and beating the host team Iowa Hawkeyes in a tight 3-set match. Senior libero and Club President Kriss Petrovskis noted “We are a young team and we certainly showed it this weekend. As disappointing as it is to come up short so frequently in one weekend, we have to take the positive and negative aspects and use them as learning tools for the rest of the season.” The Spartans decided to postpone their last match against Michigan to later this week in East Lansing.

Posse and Greenhorns played in the Ferris State tournament. Both teams gave great effort all day improving throughout the tournament. Posse had their best finish in a tournament this year when they beat Ferris State A and Ohio State C teams en route to the quarterfinals. They were edged out by Grand Valley in a 3-set match. For Greenhorns, the breakout performance of the tournament was Sean Merillat, an outside hitter who converted to Libero. Overall, it was a great outing and learning experience for both teams.

This coming weekend, the Green team travels to St. Joe’s for the annual clinic and match against Notre Dame.

The White team went undefeated at the MIVA Division 2 Play Day at Indiana University on January 29. The Spartans finished the Play Day with an overall record of 5-0, beating Illinois State B, Ferris State A, Purdue B, Wittenberg and Earlham. The team will compete in the second Play Day at home on February 19.