Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
San Diego
No. 15 Volleyball Defeats No. 21 San Diego, 3-1
9/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jenny Rood (Ada, Mich.) led 15th-ranked Michigan State volleyball (7-2) to a 3-1 win against No. 21 San Diego (8-2) here in the Spartans' first match of the American Volleyball Classic Saturday. Game scores in the match were 28-30, 30-21, 30-28, 30-28. Rood contributed a team-high 20 kills and a career-best 10 total blocks to go along with two service aces an four digs.
"The key today is that both teams started sluggishly, but we were able to refocus first," said MSU head coach Chuck Erbe. "That allowed us to jump out in game two and get the lead. We played well in game three until the final points when San Diego started to come back, and we didn't match them. The same thing happened in game four. We came out of this with a win against the 21st-ranked team in the country, and that's the important thing. We'll use everything else as a learning experience."
Brooke Langston (Germantown, Tenn.) had a career-best 12 kills, on .320 hitting. Sara Villwock (Ft. Collins, Colo.) posted a team-high 15 digs in the match, a season high for her.
San Diego won the first game of the match, 30-28. The Spartans trailed for a good portion of the game, as San Diego led by as many as five points twice before MSU tied the game, 19-19. State held at least a one-point lead for the next eight points before USD knotted the game at 27 and took the lead, 29-27. A big kill from Kim Schram made the game 29-28 in USD's favor, though the Toreros went on to score match point off a kill from Devon Forster. MSU's Langston had four kills and hit .800 (4K-0E-5TA) in her first start of the season. Rood had six kills on eight attacks (.750) and two block assists in the game. State's Nikki Colson (Lincoln, Neb.) contributed 15 assists. As a team, the Spartans hit .412 (18K-4E-34TA) to the Toreros' .304 (21K-7E-46TA).
State jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. USD hung around, but could not get closer than six points (27-21), as MSU won the second game, 30-21. Co-captain Colson was a major factor in four of the last seven plays in the game, as she recorded a kill, two block assists and a block solo. Attack errors hurt USD, as the Toreros hit .000 (15K-15E-46TA) to MSU's .273 (11K-2E-33TA). Rood added four kills, a block solo and two block assists in the second game.
The Spartans won the third game, 30-28. From a little more than halfway through (17-16, USD lead), the game featured 10 ties and four lead changes. The Spartans' largest lead of three came at 25-22, but the Toreros pulled back into the game and led at 28-27. MSU tied the game at 28 and claimed the lead for good at 29-28 off two kills from Schram. A USD attack error gave MSU the win. Schram contributed six kills and a block assist in the game. Colson added 14 assists, while Villwock added four digs and a service ace. MSU outhit San Diego for the third game in the match, .228 to .125.
In the fourth game, State held an eight-point lead four times, including at 23-15 before the Toreros closed that lead to three (25-22). MSU held on for the win, 30-28. USD's Monica Peterson served San Diego back to within one point (29-28), but MSU closed out the game and the match with a kill from Schram. Rood and Schram each had five kills in the fourth game, while Rood posted her two service aces in the fourth game.
Michigan State takes on host American University (3-7) later today, in a match slated for 7 p.m. American defeated Loyola (Md.) (0-10) in three games in the first match of the day.
#15 MICHIGAN STATE 3, #21 SAN DIEGO 1 1 2 3 4 #21 SAN DIEGO 30 21 28 28#15 MICHIGAN ST. 28 30 30 30
TEAM ATTACK PER GAMEUSD K E TA Pct.1 21 7 46 .3042 15 15 46 .0003 15 8 56 .1254 16 11 48 .104TOTAL 67 41 196 .133
MSU K E TA PCT.1 18 4 34 .4122 11 2 33 .2733 19 6 57 .2284 16 8 44 .182TOTAL 64 20 168 .262
