Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Purdue
Spartan Volleyball Upsets No. 16 Purdue, 3-1
11/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Michigan State volleyball team upset No. 16 Purdue, 3-1, in Big Ten action on Saturday, marking its first win over a ranked opponent this season. State won by scores of 28-30, 31-29, 30-22, and 30-26. With the loss, Purdue falls to 19-8, 9-7 Big Ten, while the Spartans improve to 17-9, 8-8 against conference opponents.
Four Spartans managed double-digit kill totals in the match, including a career-high 25 from Ashley Schatzle. Outside hitters Katie Johnson and Vanessa King added 19 and 15, respectively, while middle blocker Jessica Hohl added 10 for the Green and White. Setter Allison Ianni tallied a match-high 54 assists, directing the Spartans to a .295 attack percentage against the .126 effort by the Purdue offense.
King posted her top defensive match of the season, posting four block solos and six block assists for a career-high 10 blocks in the match. Hohl and freshman middle blocker Whitney Tremain contributed five blocks each, while Ianni added three blocks and eight digs for the Spartans.
Purdue tallied 56 digs compared to 54 by the Spartan backcourt, where libero Nicole Colaluca posted 18, and defensive specialist Melany Rarey added seven for the Green and White.
Stephanie Lynch and Danita Merlau anchored the Boilermaker offense with 14 kills each, while libero Brittany Dildine and defensive specialist Anne Mastandrea tallied 18 and 12 digs, respectively, in the loss.
In game one, State led 24-22, but Purdue put together a 4-0 run to lead 26-24, and scored three of the final four points of the set for a 30-28 victory. State was plagued by service errors, committing five compared to zero errors by the Boilermakers. Schatzle led all hitters with eight kills, while Ianni directed the Spartans to a .341 attack percentage on 17 assists in the set.
After trading points early, MSU held a 17-14 lead at the halfway point of game two. Purdue scored three straight behind the service of Dildine to lead 27-26 late in the set, but a block assist from Johnson and Hohl, and a Boilermaker attack error saw MSU even the match in extra points, 31-29. The Spartan defense was the story of the game, as the freshman duo of King and Tremain each contributed three block assists, and Colaluca led the backcourt with four digs.
The Spartans took a dominating 18-10 lead, and capitalized on Boilermaker attack errors late in the set, to take a 2-1 match advantage with a 30-22 win in game three. MSU led by as many as nine (24-15) and used 16 kills, including a floor-best six from Johnson, and 11 blocks in the set for the win.
State pushed its lead to double-digits at 23-13 in game four, but Purdue scored nine of the next 11 to pull within three at 25-22. State held strong, ending the set on a 5-4 run to capture its second conference victory of the weekend with a 30-26 game-four win. MSU tallied 22 kills on a .340 attack percentage, against just 15 kills and a .256 by the Boilermaker offense in the set. Hohl and Johnson each contributed seven kills, while Ianni added 17 assists for the Green and White.
The Spartans begin a three-match homestand when No. 3 Penn State visits Jenison Field House next Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. MSU concludes weekend play against No. 23 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. The Spartan marketing department will hold its annual canned food drive on Saturday versus the Buckeyes. Fans that donate five canned goods receive free admission to the match. For more information please contact Promotions Director Jill Mason at (517) 432-4098.
