Michigan State University Athletics
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Kansas
Volleyball Pulls Out 3-2 Win Over Kansas
9/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball (2-3) earned its second win of the season and in the Spartan Invitational by posting a 3-2 victory (30-16, 26-30, 30-22, 30-19, 15-4) over Kansas (2-2) Friday night. The Spartans currently lead the tournament, going undefeated in their two matches.
Senior outside hitters Ashley Schatzle and Katie Johnson picked up double-doubles in the long match against the Jayhawks; the double-double marks are Schatzle's fourth of the season and Johnson's second. Schatzle tallied 20 kills and 10 digs while Johnson posted 11 kills and 13 digs, a new single-game career-high record in digs. Johnson also tied a career-high in aces against Kansas with six.
Sophomore middle blocker Vanessa King turned out her best offensive performance this season with 15 kills, one shy of her career-high mark.
Adding to Schatzle and Johnson's digs, senior outside hitter Jessica Hohl gave an impressive defensive effort, earning a new career-high in digs with nine.
Game one came down to basics as Michigan State defeated Kansas by minimizing its own errors. The Jayhawks gave up eight serve receive errors and had a team hitting percentage of .125. Comparatively, the Spartans hit .522 percent and had zero serve receive errors. MSU took an early lead and coasted to the 30-16 game victory.
Kansas fought back to narrowly defeat the Spartans in game two with strong defensive play, tallying 15 digs and 14 total blocks as a team. While the Spartans punched out 28 digs and nine aces, the Jayhawks squeezed by for the 30-26 win.
Michigan State took the opportunity in game three to reclaim the match lead 2-1, downing Kansas 30-22. Setter Lauren O'Reilly fed Schatzle and King precise sets in order for the two to earn 14 and 13 kills, respectively. And anchoring the defensive end, Johnson picked up 10 digs in game three.
Game four's score, 30-19, heavily favored Kansas as they took advantage of MSU mistakes. But game five proved to be decisive for MSU as the Spartans whipped the Jayhawks 15-4 for the match victory. Johnson's serves played a key role in the final victory; the senior tallied all six of her aces in the final game.
In the tournament's other Friday match, Missouri State narrowly earned a win over Florida State, 3-2.
Michigan State continues action Saturday at Jenison Field House, hosting the final match of the tournament; MSU will take on Florida State at 7:30 p.m. The tournament's final day also include two neutral matches; Kansas plays Florida State at 11 a.m. followed by Missouri State against Kansas at 5 p.m. Live stats and audio coverage for MSU matches are available at www.msuspartans.com.
