Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Wisconsin
Spartans Bow Out Of NCAA Volleyball Tournament
12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 1, 2001
MADISON, Wis. - The Michigan State volleyball team (21-8) saw its season come to a disappointing end, falling to Wisconsin (27-3), 30-21, 30-22, 30-24, Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Erin Hartley (Midland, Mich.) ended her career with eight kills and a team-high 10 digs for the Spartans, while junior Kyla Smith (Comox, B.C.) had nine kills and eight digs. Sophomore Jenny Rood (Ada, Mich.) added seven kills and three block assists for MSU.
Wisconsin controlled most of the match, hitting .272 while limiting the Spartans to an attack percentage of .112. Michigan State was its own worst enemy at times, collecting 11 service errors and 12 receiving errors. The Badgers also owned an 11-6 advantage in blocks, although MSU did outdig Wisconsin, 36-30.
"Our team has had a great season," said MSU head coach Chuck Erbe. "This loss does not diminish what our team accomplished this year."
"I would have liked to have competed better tonight," added Erbe, "but we got beat by a better team. We got off to a difficult start and never got out of it. When you don't pass the ball you can't attack a team like you want to."
Wisconsin set the tone in the opening game, blocking four shots to build an early 5-1 lead. MSU crept within 9-8, but three straight points by the Badgers gave Wisconsin a 12-8 lead and Michigan State was unable to get closer than three points the rest of the game. Wisconsin outhit the Spartans, .321 to .100, in the opening game. Hartley had five of MSU's 13 kills in the game.
Game two started with another Wisconsin block, and the Badgers added three more points before MSU finally got on the board. The lead quickly grew to 11-2, and the Spartans were never able to climb out of the hole. A kill by junior Angela Morley (Holland, Mich.) pulled MSU within 16-10, but the Spartans would get no closer. The Spartans hit only .121 in the game, but the serve and pass game proved even more costly, as MSU had no aces, five service errors and four receiving errors.
Michigan State enjoyed its first lead early in game three, after a Smith kill put the Spartans up 5-4. But Wisconsin answered with four straight points, and later used a 7-1 run to build an 18-10 advantage. Trailing 21-13, MSU scored four straight points, getting three kills from Rood, to close within 21-17, but that was as close as the Spartans would get.
"I thought that Kyla (Smith) stepped up and was a leader tonight," said sophomore Nikki Colson (Lincoln, Neb.), who had 33 assists. "She showed that she's going to be a leader next year."
"One match doesn't make an entire season," commented Rood. "Our team showed a lot of character the second half of this season."
Notes:
? Michigan State now has an all-time record of 9-8 in eight NCAA Tournament appearances, all under head coach Chuck Erbe.
? Michigan State's all-time record in the NCAA Tournament second round is now 2-4.
? This marks the third straight season Michigan State has been eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (Pepperdine in 1999, UCLA in 2000). The Spartans have not advanced past round two since 1996, when MSU reached the Regional Final.
? Freshman Diana Steplyk (Libertyville, Ill.) had a career-high three service aces for Michigan State.
