Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Kent State
Cathy George Wins Spartan Debut
8/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
MSU vs. Kent State Box Score
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The Spartan volleyball squad (1-0) defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes (0-1) in dominating fashion tonight at Jenison Field House with the 3-0 season-opening sweep (30-25, 30-19, 30-27). Head coach Cathy George won her Spartan debut, while outside hitter Katie Johnson tallied a game-high 17 kills en route to the MSU victory.
MSU dominated game one from the start taking the early 4-3 lead off a right-side kill by Johnson. Both teams were plagued by service errors during the opening set, however Kent State failed to gain offensive momentum as the Spartans posted six blocks during the opening-game win. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Schatzle added four kills in the first set, while setter Mickey Davis tallied 10 assists and one dig as MSU took the 1-0 advantage.
Game two saw both teams battle point-for-point until MSU gained the serve after a monster block at the net by Jessica Hohl to tie the contest 13-13. KSU managed to post six straight points behind the service of Anne Butts before defensive specialist Miken Trogdon rallied the Spartans from the service stripe taking the 15-14 advantage. The MSU offensive quickly caught fire as it managed to outscore the Golden Flashes 15-4 to close out the 30-19 victory. Johnson led the floor with nine kills in the second set, while Davis added 18 assists.
The third set proved the most competitive of the night as both squads matched point-for-point behind dominant offensive performances. At the 25-25 mark, Johnson took the serve for MSU where the Spartans tallied four straight points taking the 29-27 upperhand, however a kill by KSU outside hitter Danielle Holt halted the MSU scoring rush. An attack error by MSU at the net neared the lead at 29-27, however capping off a stellar performance, Johnson pounded the final kill of the night as the Spartans took the 30-27 win and 3-0 match sweep.
"I am very proud of our team winning the 2005 season opener. We've worked so hard in practice and our hard work definitely paid off with such a dominating win," George said. "Monday we will begin preparations for the Spartan Invitational continuing to work on our skills and style of play in our practice sessions before we host Wichita State on Thursday night."
Both teams suffered offensively on the night as MSU hit .228 compared to the .099 of the Golden Flashes. Defensively however the Spartans posted solid numbers with 20 block assists and one block solo by Johnson for a tally of 11.0 total blocks for the match. Davis finished the night with 32 assists, while libero Nicole Colaluca tallied a game-high 10 digs in the Spartan victory.
MSU continues 2005 action when they play host to the 2005 Spartan Invitational beginning Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. when they face Wichita State at Jenison Field House. Continuing tourney action, the Spartans face South Florida at 7 p.m. on Sept. 2 and finish tournament play Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. vs. Ball State.
