Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Ohio State
Volleyball Upsets No. 13 Buckeyes In Four
11/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2000
East Lansing, Mich. - In an emotion-charged night, 25th-ranked Michigan State University (15-10, 8-8 Big Ten) beat #13 Ohio State (21-5, 11-5 Big Ten) in four games to move their Big Ten record back to .500 and help its chances at a seventh consecutive NCAA bid.
For the match, the Spartans hit .351 to .181 for the Buckeyes. They outblocked the visitors 15-7, and outdug 60-52. Senior Sarah Gustin hit .600 (20-2-30), and was joined in double-digit kills by junior Erin Hartley at .361 (18-5-36) and freshman outside hitter Jenny Rood at .424 (18-4-33). Senior setter Christie Landry tallied 61 assists. Redshirt sophomore Angela Morley tallied seven blocks to go with seven kills, while junior Lisa Ashton notched 12 huge digs. Sophomore Kyla Smith came in and sparked the team, notching season highs in nearly every statistical category, including 11 digs.
Before the game the Spartans learned that all-Big Ten candidate Katie Virtue, a sophomore setter for the Buckeyes, would not be playing due to the effects of an ongoing injury. However, Virtue's backup, freshman Heather Whalen, helped OSU shock the Spartans in game one with a 15-9 Buckeye win. Outside hitter Anne Botica led Ohio State with five kills on nine attempts for a .556 average. The Spartans were led by Rood, who hit .400 (5-1-10) and by Gustin, who hit .600 (4-1-5). Gustin, a middle hitter her freshman and sophomore seasons, was moved from her usual outside hitter position back to the middle due to an injury to redshirt junior Maren Witzel. The Spartans as a team were outhit .389 to .229. The Buckeyes also held an edge in every other category for the game.
After the lackluster performance of game one, the Spartans came out with renewed energy in game two and climbed to a quick 4-0 lead. MSU continued its emotional play, and rolled to a 13-4 advantage. The Buckeyes scored two more points to get within seven of the Spartans, until MSU closed out the game at 15-6. Gustin continued her strong performance from game one, hitting .800 (4-0-5) and notching four digs and two solo blocks. Rood also continued her hitting with .500 (3-0-6). They were joined by Hartley, who hit a staggering .833 (5-0-6). As the score suggested, MSU dominated the statistics, outhitting the Buckeyes .471-.150, and outdigging 21-14.
Coming out of the intermission, the Spartans didn't miss a beat. OSU scored two quick points off of solid serving, but MSU quickly corrected, scoring six unanswered points to take a 6-2 lead. The teams traded points until 8-4. Then MSU went on a tear and ended game three, 15-4. Gustin one-upped Hartley's previous game's performance, hitting a torrid .875 (7-0-8), and accounting for seven of the Spartans' 11 kills in that game. MSU overwhelmed its opponent in game three, holding the Buckeyes to -.063 hitting, compared with .429. The Spartans also outblocked OSU 5-0.
After being dominated for two games, Ohio State came back with renewed energy in the fourth, jumping out to a quick 7-3 lead. The Spartans fought back to 6-7, but both teams clawed back and forth to a 12-10 Buckeye lead. Down by two, the Spartans played a side-out game with the Buckeyes, never allowing another point, and scoring one point per rotation to tie the game 12-12. After eight more side-outs, MSU took the lead for the first time in the game at 13-12 before siding out again. Two MSU rotations later, MSU finally notched two points in a row to win the game 15-12 and the match 3-1. Gustin hit a more earthly .333 (5-1-12), while Rood hit .615 (9-1-13). Hartley hit a workmanlike .333 (7-3-12), and in the game notched her 1000th career kill as a Spartan.
The Spartans return to action next Friday, Nov. 17 against Iowa at 7 p.m. ET.
