Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Penn State
Spartan Volleyball Stumbles Against No. 4 Penn State, 3-0
11/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 26, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Senior Kim Schram had a match-best 16 kills while Maggie Griffin posted 41 assists and Marley Bellwood added 19 digs as Michigan State volleyball fell, 3-0 (28-30, 24-30, 21-30), to Penn State Friday in MSU's Jenison Field House. The Spartans drop to 12-15 overall and 7-12 in the Big Ten, while Penn State improves to 26-2 overall and 17-2 in conference play. The match loss ends MSU's hopes of a 11th consecutive NCAA berth, as the Spartans will not be able to finish the 2004 season with a .500 overall record.
Schram added five digs, three service aces and two blocks on the night, while Griffin contributed nine digs and a service ace. Freshman Meghan Schoen had eight kills and five digs in the match, and Michelle Kopka added seven kills, 12 digs and two blocks. Brooke Langston led the Spartans' blocking efforts with five, one solo and four assists, and added six kills. Penn State's Syndie Nadeau had 14 kills on .406 hitting, while Melissa Walbridge added 10 block assists. Libero Kaleena Walters had 22 digs on the night for the Nittany Lions. Penn State out-hit MSU, .274-.137, on the night, and out-blocked State, 15.0-5.0.
The Spartans and Penn State played a close first game, as there were 18 ties and eight lead changes, and neither team led by more than four (17-13, PSU) in the game, which finished with a PSU 30-28 victory. The Spartans hit .271, with 21 kills and eight errors on 48 total attacks, compared to PSU's .311 (19K-5E-45TA). Schram contributed nine kills in the game, while Griffin posted 19 assists. Diana Steplyk had a three-point service run for MSU that pulled the Spartans to within one at 18-17, and State managed to tied the game at 19-19. State pulled out to a 24-21 lead, though PSU fought back to take control of the game following a timeout.
Penn State never trailed in the second game, and took the 30-24 win. PSU's Tabitha Eshleman pulled PSU out to a 20-14 lead with a four-point service run. Kopka had five kills on .364 hitting as well as five digs in the game, and Bellwood added eight digs. Griffin had 16 assists and six digs in the game, while Langston added four kills on .333 hitting. The Spartans posted an attack percentage of .192 (16K-6E-52TA), while Penn State hit .333 (19K-3E-48TA) in the game.
The Nittany Lions took the match win on a 30-21 final game victory. State jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the game, but couldn't hold on, as PSU closed within three at 14-11. MSU still held the lead at 17-15, though a five-point run from the Nittany Lions' Sam Tortorello gave PSU the 19-18 lead. The game was tied at 20-20, and the Nittany Lions took control of the game, allowing MSU to score just one more point en route to the 30-21 win. Schram added five more kills to her total, while Bellwood had seven digs. Schoen and Katie Johnson were the only other Spartans to post a kill in the game, with two and one, respectively. As a team, PSU hit .167 (14K-7E-42TA), compared to MSU's -.103 (8K-12E-39TA).
MSU concludes its 2004 regular season with a final home match against No. 8 Ohio State (26-3, 16-3 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27. The Spartans will honor their 2004 seniors - Michelle Kopka, Kim Schram and Diana Steplyk - prior to the match, held in Jenison Field House on the MSU campus. Ohio State defeated Michigan, 3-0, in Ann Arbor on Friday.
Penn State 3, Michigan State 0 (East Lansing, Mich.)Penn State 30 30 30Michigan State 28 24 21Penn State K E TA Pct.Game 1 19 5 45 .311Game 2 19 3 48 .333Game 3 14 7 42 .167TOTAL 52 15 135 .274
Michigan State K E TA Pct.Game 1 21 8 48 .271Game 2 16 6 52 .192Game 3 8 12 39 -.103TOTAL 45 26 139 .137
