Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Purdue
No. 25 Spartan Volleyball Hammers Purdue In Three Games
10/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 25, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 25 Michigan State volleyball team had one if its finer nights of the season, dominating every aspect of its match to handily defeat Purdue, 30-23, 30-23, 30-19. The Spartans' second straight victory improved their record to 13-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten, while Purdue, which dropped its 28th consecutive Big Ten match, fell to 9-12 overall and 0-9 in the Big Ten.
Senior Angela Morley led a balanced offensive attack that featured five Spartans with eight or more kills, pounding 12 kills while hitting .417. Sophomore Kim Schram had 11 kills, redshirt freshman Megan Wallin had 10, junior Jenny Rood had nine and senior Kyla Smith had eight for MSU, which hit .328 as a team.
MSU's defense was stellar as the Spartans collected 63 digs in the three-game match, led by a career-high 14 from redshirt freshman Marley Bellwood. Junior Emmy Miller had 13 and junior Nikki Colson had 12 to go along with 43 digs, giving Colson her ninth double-double of the season.
"We have a team that's playing with a lot of confidence, a lot of rhythm," said MSU head coach Chuck Erbe. "We've got a lot of balance on the floor. As long as we serve/pass and play this kind of defense, we're solid."
Morley added seven blocks for the Spartans (one solo, six assists), pushing her career total to 578 total blocks which ranks second in school history and is only three shy of career leader Dana Cooke (1993-96). Wallin added four kills for MSU, which outblocked Purdue, 11-4.
In addition to the blocking edge, MSU's edge in digs was 63-51, the Spartans racked up 53 kills to 41 for Purdue and MSU limited Purdue to a .142 attack percentage.
MSU got off to a quick start, taking a 5-1 lead in game one after back-to-back kills from Smith. Purdue trailed only 12-9 when the Spartans reeled off five straight points, including two of Morley's eight kills in the opening game. Purdue was never able to get closer than five points the rest of the game as MSU hit a solid .395 in the game with 19 kills.
In game two MSU's defense came to life as the Spartans collected 21 digs and six blocks. Purdue did lead for much of the early going, but a kill by Colson gave MSU a 12-11 lead it would not relinquish. A block by Smith and Wallin capped an 8-2 run giving the Spartans a 19-13 lead and MSU cruised from there.
In the third game MSU's defense and passing continued to shine as the Spartans amassed 26 digs and 18 kills. A Smith ace gave MSU a 6-2 lead, and after Purdue closed within 8-7, the Spartans scored five straight points to take command. The lead grew to 20-12 on a kill by Morley and MSU continued to pour it on, ending the match on a soaring kill by Schram. The Spartans hit .306 in the game to just .125 for Purdue.
MSU will play the second of four-straight home matches when the Spartans host Illinois Saturday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m.
