Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Minnesota
No. 22 Volleyball Falls At No. 25 Minnesota, 3-1
10/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 25, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS - Michigan State volleyball fell to No. 25 Minnesota, 3-1, in Minneapolis Saturday, 30-27, 15-30, 15-30, 25-30. Megan Wallin had 14 kills on .300 hitting for the Spartans, and led MSU's blocking efforts on the night, as she posted four. State, ranked No. 22 in the nation, moves to 13-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota is now 15-7 overall, 8-2 in conference play.
Kim Schram had 20 kills in the match and 11 digs to go along with two blocks for State. Senior setter Nikki Colson had 49 assists and 14 digs as well as two block assists for the Spartans. Minnesota's Cassie Busse posted 30 kills and four errors on 44 attacks for a .591 hitting percentage. She also contributed 14 digs, two service aces and four blocks for the Golden Gophers.
"We started the night strong, but our passing and defense fell apart in the second game. That makes it tough to get our middles involved in the game," said MSU head coach Chuck Erbe. "There's not much to say about the third game, but we managed to fight back well in the fourth. It was good to see us battle back. Again, we see that we need to work on our consistency as a team. I was pleased to see Diana Steplyk and Marley Bellwood step in and give us a lift in the fourth game."
Michigan State claimed game one, 30-27. State and UM traded points early, with neither team leading by more than three points until MSU took a 17-13 lead. The Spartans led by as many as six points at 24-18, but could not put the game away, as Minnesota battled back within two at 29-27. As a team, MSU hit .444 in the game, with 22 kills and two errors on 45 attacks. Rood and Wallin each posted a service ace and five kills for the Spartans. Schram led the squad with six kills, while Colson contributed 17 assists. Minnesota's Busse and Erin Moore each had nine kills for the Gophers, while Lindsey Taatjes added 20 assists.
The Spartans dug a nine-point hole for themselves in game two, falling behind 13-4. State closed the gap to four at 16-12, but could get no closer than that, finally falling, 30-15. MSU posted an attack percentage of .000, with nine kills and nine errors on 38 total attacks, while the Gophers hit .324 (16K-4E-37TA).
In the third game, Minnesota built a comfortable five-point lead at 13-8. State never closed the gap by more than four points, and trailed by as many as 13 at 28-15, and eventually lost the game, 30-15. MSU's hitting percentage dropped to -.105 in the third game, while Minnesota remained above .300 for the third game of the night at .379. The Gophers again posted 16 kills, with five errors, on 29 total attacks. Schram had a team-best four kills in the game, while Colson added eight more assists. As a team, the Spartans added three blocks, bringing their total after three games to 7.5; Wallin contributed three block assists to help MSU's efforts.
Game four saw a see-saw battle for most of the game, as MSU led by as many as three, and didn't trail by more than two. UM tied the game with at 23 on a service ace by Taatjes, and went on to take another two-point lead at 26-24. Martin served the Gophers to a 28-24 lead before Wallin posted a kill making it 28-25. Busse had kills for each of the final two Gopher points, giving UM the game and match victories at 30-25.
The Spartans host Indiana Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. and face Purdue Saturday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. Both matches will be played in Jenison Field House.
No. 25 Minnesota 3, No. 22 Michigan State 1MSU K E TA Pct.Game 1 22 2 45 .444Game 2 9 9 38 .000Game 3 8 12 38 -.105Game 4 23 7 43 .372Total 62 30 164 .195
Minnesota K E TA Pct.Game 1 24 6 48 .375Game 2 16 4 37 .324Game 3 16 5 29 .379Game 4 18 3 40 .375Total 74 18 154 .364#MSU#
