EAST LANSING, Mich. – It’s been just over a month since the last check-in with the Michigan State volleyball program and a lot has happened in that time. The team moved into its 20-hour practice allotment, spring scrimmages were set in stone, head coach Leah Johnson returned to the practice gym and assistant coach Jake Barreau spent his spring break visiting a pair of Spartan signees in Poland.
SPARTANS SET SPRING SCHEDULE
Spring scrimmages are right around the corner for Michigan State volleyball as the team is smack dab in the middle of its first true offseason under Johnson. The Spartans will face a total of nine teams on four dates in preparation for the 2023 campaign.
This is a big change for the Spartans, who due to limited spring roster numbers in 2022 were unable to participate in full scrimmages. Michigan State had just eight student-athletes (one setter, one pin, four middles, two DS/Ls) on its roster last spring prior to an influx of newcomers in August.
MSU currently boasts a spring roster of 15 with four additional players set to join over the summer in transfer Amani McArthur and freshmen Makya Clayton, Karolina Staniszewska and Zuzanna Kulig. Three 2023 newcomers opted to enroll prior to the Spring 2023 semester and have already been practicing with the team (junior Kaya Hood and freshmen Taylah Holdem and Cameron Berger).
“This year we’ll play nine opponents over four dates, and we have a roster where our student-athletes can play their natural position,” Johnson said. “We’re building up for a true competitive schedule this spring that will provide our student-athletes a chance to work themselves into competition mode. I’m excited to see the work they’ve put in and for them to see the transfer of the work they put in.”
MSU’s spring slate will see them challenge a pair of formidable regional opponents from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in Bowling Green (x2) and Ball State. Both programs were NCAA tournament qualifiers last season. Michigan State will also take on B1G foes Indiana and Michigan. Other regional teams the Spartans will see include Dayton, Oakland, Illinois-Chicago, Toledo and Western Michigan.
“We wanted a tough schedule, as tough as we could get within our region,” Johnson said.
2023 Spartan Volleyball Spring Schedule
3/25/2023 – Ball State Spring Open…
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