Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
11-7, 3-4Big Ten
Minnesota
17-3, 7-1Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 23 | 26 | 13 | 19 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Drops Hard-Fought Match at No. 12 Minnesota
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2008
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The 2008 Michigan State volleyball team (11-7, 3-4) fell at No. 12 Minnesota 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-13, 25-19), Friday night at the Sports Pavilion. Freshman Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) notched the second double-double of her career to pace the Spartans as she posted 10 kills and 14 digs. The Spartan defense also shined in the loss as MSU was able to tally 68 digs in the four-set match, with libero Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) posting 25 of those.
The first set saw the Spartans jump out to an early lead. After a Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) ace, MSU found themselves up 3-1 in the early going. The Spartans would cling to that two-point cushion as the teams would side out on 13 consecutive points, making the score 9-8 in favor of MSU. The No. 12 Gophers would ultimately rally, using a 15-8 run to put them on top 22-17.
The teams would side out on four consecutive points, giving the Gophers five set points at 24-19. Karaba once again found herself serving to keep the Spartans alive. Karaba put together four serves that resulted in points for the green and white, pulling them within one point of tying the set, and forcing Minnesota to use their two timeouts. Needing just one point to send the first set to extra points, MSU would drop the next point, falling short at 25-23.
The Spartans got huge performances from several players in the first set, highlighted by four kills by both King and Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.). Zlabis added three more while hitting .375. The Spartan defense looked sharp in the first, tallying 15 digs and four blocks. Freshman setter Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) added 14 assists on 15 Spartans kills.
The second set saw the Spartans continue to battle with the 12th-ranked Gophers. The play of the entire Spartan back row kept them alive during so many rallies. After a series that saw two spectacular digs, one from Karaba and another from senior Heather McDaniel (Madison Heights, Mich.), Zlabis tallied a kill to draw MSU even at 18. From that point, the Spartans would finish on a 8-6 run, winning the set, 26-24. Junior Mischelle Nelson (Naperville, Ill.) tallied the final kill of the set, her fifth of the match.
Through two sets, King led the Spartans with nine kills while hitting .350. Freshman Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) added five kills in the second set, moving her match-total to seven. After posting seven digs in the first set, Karaba added four more in the second while Carli Weiler (Oak Lawn, Ill.) would post six of her own. MSU corralled 25 total digs in the second set alone, moving its total to 40. The 25 digs in the second set helped in slowing down the Gopher attack as they hit just .205 in the set. Emro would add 13 more assists to her ledger.
Minnesota would come roaring out of intermission, holding the Spartans to just 13 points in the third set, winning 25-13, giving them a 2-1 lead in the match. Minnesota posted 20 digs in the set, neutralizing the Spartan attack as MSU hit -.031.
The fourth set saw the Spartans battle, but they could not close the gap as the Gophers took the final set, 25-19.
King finished the match with a team-high 13 kills while Abron pitched in 10. Emro finished the match with 42 assists while Zlabis put together one of the most impressive stats lines. On top of her 10 kills and 14 digs, Zlabis received 38 serves with just one error on the match, giving her a .974 receiving percentage.
MSU will continue its second Big Ten road trip tomorrow night as it squares off against Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City at 8 p.m. (ET). Live audio, featuring the voice of the Spartans John Kreger, can be found at www.msuspartans.com.
