Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Michigan
No. 25 MSU Volleyball Falls To Michigan
10/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 25 Michigan State volleyball team started the second half of the Big Ten season in disappointing fashion, as the Michigan Wolverines earned a 30-24, 30-27, 24-30, 30-18 victory Wednesday night in front of 2,985 fans at Jenison Field House. The victory gives Michigan (13-8, 7-4 Big Ten) a sweep of the season series and possession of the State Pride flag, which goes to the winner of the season series, for the first time since 2000. Michigan State slipped to 14-7 and 6-5 in the Big Ten.
Michigan hit .284 to earn its first sweep of Michigan State since 1992 and its first victory in Jenison Field House since 1993. The Spartans could not get untracked offensively, hitting only .153 with 30 attack errors. Junior Jenny Rood (Ada) did manage to excel offensively, pounding 16 kills while hitting .344, to lead MSU. Rood also tied a career high with four service aces. Senior Kyla Smith (Comox, B.C.) was the only other Spartan to reach double-digit kills, collecting 10.
"We made too many errors. Our offense was nonexistent," said MSU head coach Chuck Erbe. "We didn't have enough people in the offense to get us out of the hole. We have to be more consistent in what we do. That can't be fixed in one practice."
Junior Nikki Colson (Lincoln, Neb.) had 48 assists and nine digs for MSU, junior Emmy Miller (Okemos) had a team-high 14 digs and senior Angela Morley (Holland) added to her school record with six blocks.
Michigan jumped on MSU early, taking a 5-1 lead in the opening game. Michigan State closed within one at 10-9 on a block by Morley and Colson, but the Wolverines scored the next six points to regain control. The Spartans bounced back to take a 22-21 lead on a Smith kill, but Michigan scored the next four points to start a 9-2 run to end the opening game. Michigan outhit MSU, .325 to .077, in the opening game.
Game two featured 12 ties, but with the game tied at 16, Michigan scored five straight points to move ahead 21-16. The Spartans answered with a 7-2 run to even the score at 23, but after another tie at 24 the Wolverines scored the next four points, including three on Spartan errors, to forge ahead on their way to a two-games-to-none lead. Michigan collected seven blocks in the game, forcing Michigan State into a .095 attack percentage.
In the third game, the Spartans finally looked like the team that had been 8-0 at home this year. A pair of Rood aces sparked a 5-0 run that gave MSU an 8-4 lead. Michigan rallied to tie the game at 13, but never took the lead. A Morley solo block stretched the advantage to 22-18, and two more Rood aces later in the game put the Spartans up 26-20, as MSU went on to win its only game. MSU hit .294 in the game, pounding 16 kills while holding Michigan to a .067 hitting percentage.
Game four took a downward turn for MSU early, as Michigan used a 9-4 run to take a 16-9 lead. The lead grew to 26-12 as Michigan cruised to the game and match victory. The Wolverines dominated offensively in the game, pounding 21 kills while hitting .436. Michigan State hit .171 in the game, getting five of its 12 kills in the game from Rood.
Michigan outblocked MSU, 13-9 and held a slim 54-52 edge in digs. The difference in the match was 65 kills by Michigan to 53 by MSU, while Michigan State committed 30 attack errors to just 23 for Michigan.
The crowd of 2,985 was the largest for a home match for MSU since 1997 and the 11th-largest home crowd in MSU history.
The Spartans conclude a four-match homestand on Friday, Nov. 1, when No. 11 Penn State visits Jenison Field House at 8 p.m.
