Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Spikers Fall To Illinois in Big Ten Opener
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
September 25, 1998
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 18th-ranked Michigan State volleyball team lost its Big Ten opener to No. 23 Illinois, 7-15, 14-16, 15-11, 2-15 at Jenison Field House on Friday evening.
Illinois used .405 hitting in game one to MSU's .170 to win game one. The Spartans looked to rebound in game two and looked cohesive as a team in running up the score to 14-8. The cohesion ended there, however, as MSU gave up eight straight points to lose game two 14-16. Game three see-sawed to 11-10 as two big kills by sophomore middle Jessica Sanborn gave MSU a two-point cushion and enough confidence to close the game out 15-11. In game four, Illinois showed its tenacity, shutting down the Spartan offense while hitting .414.
Jessica Sanborn was a bright spot for the Spartans on defense, breaking the Jenison Field House record with five block solos, three alone in game two. That total places her in a tie for fourth place on the Michigan State single-match record list. Sanborn ended the match with eight total blocks. Jenna Wrobel again led all hitters with 24 kills on .321 hitting, while adding 10 digs. Graduate student Jennifer Stroffe also put in a strong showing with 10 kills for .296 with a MSU season high 17 digs.
Illinois was led by two solid hitters in Tracey Marshall with 18 kills and 20 digs, and Mary Coleman with 17 kills and 21 digs. The Fighting Illini hit .266 as a team while Michigan State hit .201.
"It's only one match out of 20 and we can't dwell on it," said Michigan State head coach Chuck Erbe. "We just have to use this as a painful learning experience. Consistency allowed Illinois to win this match and their resolve to win saw them through."
Michigan State is now 7-2 on the season, 0-1 in Big Ten action. The Spartans return to action on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Jenison Field House as they face the Purdue Boilermakers.
