Michigan State University
Michigan
Spartan Volleyball Drops First Match in State Pride Flag Rivalry
10/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 5, 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Spartan volleyball (10-10, 1-5) dropped its road match Friday night at Michigan, as the Wolverines (14-3, 2-3) claimed the first of two matches between the intrastate rivals. Michigan swept MSU 3-0 (30-21, 30-25, 30-23) in Cliff Keen Arena. The Spartans and Wolverines played in pink-themed jerseys tonight in an effort to raise awareness and funds to help fight the cause of breast cancer with "Dig for the Cure" promotion.
Ashley Schatzle led the Spartans with 12 kills followed closely by Jenilee Rathje with 11 and Katie Johnson with 10. On the defensive side of the ball, Johnson tallied the most digs with eight while Vanessa King tallied four blocks (one solo, three assists).
While Michigan State tallied 16 kills hitting .481, game one ultimately came down to serving for the Spartans, as they forfeited eight points to the Wolverines in service errors. The contest ended 30-21, but MSU refocused, shaking off the intrusive Michigan fans, and jumped out to a 5-2 lead with smart kills and strong defensive play in game two.
Putting pressure on Michigan, the Spartans rallied to within three, managing to keep the score close, at 24-27, led in great part by Rathje's kills; the freshman posted five kills in game two. But the aggressive net play couldn't counteract the eight hitting errors and nine service errors.
Entering a must-win game three, Michigan State played an entirely different game; the Spartans kept the game close and fought for their first lead of the match, going up 9-6 in the third. The Wolverines regained the lead at 13-12 and stayed a step ahead of the Spartans until Michigan closed out the match with a 30-23 game three.
Wrapping up the weekend tonight, Michigan State remains on the road next week with a pair of away matches. The Spartans make an Indiana road swing, playing against the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers on Oct. 12 and 13, respectively.
