Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Ohio State
Volleyball Upsets No. 18 Ohio State
9/25/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 25, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State?s volleyball team came out believing in itself against No. 18 Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 25, in Jenison Field House. The Spartans had cause to doubt after falling in game one, 15-8, but rallied to take the next three, 15-6, 15-10, 15-5 to win the match 3-1. The win was tainted, however, as MSU lost its starting setter, junior Christie Landry, for the season with a torn ACL in her right knee during game three. Junior Vicki Basil came on in relief and sparked the Spartans to victory.
?We came out flat in game one and Ohio State was hotter than a pistol, but we refocused ourselves in game two,? said Michigan State head coach Chuck Erbe. ?We just kept getting better as the match went along. We were really consistent.
?Losing Christie (setter Landry) to injury does hurt us but we have a reliable backup in Vicki Basil who is ready to step on the floor,? Erbe continued. ?We didn?t skip a beat tonight when she came in.?
The Buckeyes came out blazing in game one, hitting .316 to MSU?s .152. The teams see-sawed to 6-6, when OSU stepped up its game and scored nine points to MSU?s two to close out the game, 15-8. Rosie Snow and Dana Stearns led the Buckeyes with six kills in that game.
The teams reversed roles in game two with MSU on the winning end of a 15-6 score. The Spartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Then, the teams traded five sideouts before OSU got on the board via a Michigan State hitting error. The Buckeyes went on to score the next three points before Erin Hartley scored a kill to give MSU a sideout. The Spartans scored the next six points to open a 9-4 lead and then held on for the win. Hartley tallied five kills in the game for MSU while Snow added five for OSU. MSU hit .364 in game two, compared to .143 for OSU.
Michigan State continued to roll in game three. The Spartans fought back from an early 0-3 deficit to tie the score at 3. The teams stayed close and, as MSU was beginning to pull away, disaster struck as the Spartans? starting setter Christie Landry was felled by a torn ACL in her right knee. Backup Vicki Basil came on to spark State to a 15-10 win. MSU hit .432 to OSU?s .278 in game three, led by junior outside hitter Sarah Gustin, who had eight kills on .538 hitting. Snow kept the Buckeyes close with eight more kills in game three.
The Spartans raced to a 7-2 lead in game four and never looked back, winning the game, and the match 15-5. Junior middle Jessica Sanborn and Gustin were both perfect with four kills and no errors on six attempts in the game. The Spartans also outblocked the Buckeyes 6-2.
In the match, MSU hit .326 to OSU?s .189 and outblocked the Buckeyes 15-8. Gustin led MSU hitters with 19 kills on .531 hitting to go with seven digs and four blocks. Sanborn added 14 kills on .370 hitting, nine digs and four blocks, while Maren Witzel hit nine kills and tied for match-high with 14 digs. Landry tallied 35 assists before going down with her injury. Basil had 22 assists and two blocks in relief. Redshirt freshman Angela Morley got the job done in the middle with four kills on .667 hitting and tied her career high with nine blocks.
It was the 11th time this season that MSU has hit over .300 as a team. The Spartans are now 3-3 at home this season. Jessica Sanborn recorded her 11th double-figure kills match of the season.
Rosie Snow led all hitters with 23 kills to go with 12 digs for OSU. Shelly Draeger added 17 kills.
?I think our younger players did a good job,? said Ohio State head coach Jim Stone. They played well for their first time out and learned what it?s like to play in the Big Ten.
?It?s too early to put in all your chips,? Stone continued. ?I?m not going to sell any team short at this point in the season, especially not my own. It?s a long season still, but we?ll certainly have to play better if we want to achieve this year.?
Michigan State is now 11-3 on the season and 1-1 in Big Ten action. Ohio State falls to 6-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Spartans travel to Wisconsin and Purdue on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
