Friday, September 25
East Lansing, Mich.
3:00 PM
University of Washington
10-0,1-0Big Ten
3
at
1
Michigan State
10-1,0-1Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 25 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 3 |
| Michigan St. | 22 | 13 | 25 | 13 | 1 |
Huskies Win B1G Opener, Slow NCAA’s Top Attack
September 25, 2026 | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Washington Volleyball locked down the nation's leading offense and won a battle of unbeatens for an impressive start to Big Ten Conference play. The Huskies (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) handed Michigan State (10-1, 0-1 Big Ten) its first loss of the season with stellar serving and blocking. In front of 2,683 fans at the Breslin Center, UW posted a 25-22, 25-13, 16-25, 25-13 win.
The Spartans entered the match with a .345 attack percentage for the season, which ranked No. 1 in the NCAA after non-conference play. UW held them down to just .132 for the match while the Huskies hit .310 for their second-highest mark of the season. Washington tied its season-high in aces (12) and set a new season-best in blocks (13.5) and also held a 39-32 edge in digs.
Set one was the most intense of the match. Down 21-22, the Huskies closed on a 4-0 run to take the 1-0 lead, and then UW carried that into a 6-0 lead in the second set, ultimately winning 10 points in a row over the two sets.
After cruising to the 2-0 lead, UW had its one stretch of trouble going for the sweep. The Dawgs held a 14-12 lead in set three but Michigan State had a 5-0 run to push ahead and UW couldn't stem the tide in time.
But in set four the Huskies left no doubt. After a close start to the set, Maija Howse sparked UW with the first two aces of her career on back-to-back points for a 6-5 lead. Soon UW had pushed the lead to 13-7 and quickly the Dawgs ran away to reach match point at 24-11. It was a 18-5 blitz from UW to quash any MSU comeback hopes.
Second-year Simona Mateska led the Huskies with 12 kills, hitting .269, plus three aces and eight digs. First-year Kylie Kleckner had 11 kills, and second-year Maija Howse had nine kills, hitting .471, with six blocks and the aforementioned pair of aces. Katy Wessels and Julia Hunt both hit over .400 out of the middle with 11 kills between them, and Wessels had seven blocks and Hunt was in on five.
Andrea Fabikovicová continued her streak of surpassing 30 assists in every match this year, as she had 35 with three aces, nine digs, four blocks, and three kills for a season-high 8.5 points.
Up Next: Washington heads to Ann Arbor to complete the Michigan swing this Sunday, Sept. 27. First serve is at 9 a.m. Pacific time, noon Eastern, from the Crisler Center. It will be UW's first match live on Big Ten Network.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UWVolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
The Spartans entered the match with a .345 attack percentage for the season, which ranked No. 1 in the NCAA after non-conference play. UW held them down to just .132 for the match while the Huskies hit .310 for their second-highest mark of the season. Washington tied its season-high in aces (12) and set a new season-best in blocks (13.5) and also held a 39-32 edge in digs.
Take it away, Kylie!
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 26, 2026
First B1G Dub, First Interview ?#PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/ajLz0LBGGQ
Set one was the most intense of the match. Down 21-22, the Huskies closed on a 4-0 run to take the 1-0 lead, and then UW carried that into a 6-0 lead in the second set, ultimately winning 10 points in a row over the two sets.
After cruising to the 2-0 lead, UW had its one stretch of trouble going for the sweep. The Dawgs held a 14-12 lead in set three but Michigan State had a 5-0 run to push ahead and UW couldn't stem the tide in time.
But in set four the Huskies left no doubt. After a close start to the set, Maija Howse sparked UW with the first two aces of her career on back-to-back points for a 6-5 lead. Soon UW had pushed the lead to 13-7 and quickly the Dawgs ran away to reach match point at 24-11. It was a 18-5 blitz from UW to quash any MSU comeback hopes.
Great defense leads to the Fabi-Hunt slide connection! ????
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 25, 2026
Timeout, MSU.#PointHuskies // ?? B1G+ pic.twitter.com/HGSLAPcdKS
Second-year Simona Mateska led the Huskies with 12 kills, hitting .269, plus three aces and eight digs. First-year Kylie Kleckner had 11 kills, and second-year Maija Howse had nine kills, hitting .471, with six blocks and the aforementioned pair of aces. Katy Wessels and Julia Hunt both hit over .400 out of the middle with 11 kills between them, and Wessels had seven blocks and Hunt was in on five.
Andrea Fabikovicová continued her streak of surpassing 30 assists in every match this year, as she had 35 with three aces, nine digs, four blocks, and three kills for a season-high 8.5 points.
Up Next: Washington heads to Ann Arbor to complete the Michigan swing this Sunday, Sept. 27. First serve is at 9 a.m. Pacific time, noon Eastern, from the Crisler Center. It will be UW's first match live on Big Ten Network.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UWVolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
MB
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/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UW
MSU
Kills
46
39
Errors
15
24
Attempts
100
114
Hitting %
.310
.132
Points
71.5
51.0
Assists
42
35
Aces
12
6
Blocks
13.5
6
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
6
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 27
