Michigan State University Athletics
Volleyball Falls at Northwestern, 3-0
11/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 1, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Michigan State volleyball team (12-11, 4-8 Big Ten) dropped a 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-23) decision at Northwestern Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Junior Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) paced the Spartans with seven kills while junior Mischelle Nelson (Naperville, Ill.) added five kills and accounted for nine total points to lead MSU.
The Spartans were unable to find their stride in either of the first two sets, struggling with their attack throughout. In the first set, MSU had 10 attack errors and just 10 kills, hitting .000 in the set. Freshman Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) was the lone bright spot for the Spartans in the first set, posting three kills while hitting .600 in her homecoming. Zlabis and Nelson were the only Spartans with a positive hitting percentage in the first set. Despite the play of Zlabis and Nelson, the Spartans dropped the first set 25-18.
The second set saw the Spartans continue to struggle with their attack. Once again, the Spartans were unable to hit in positive numbers, tallying 10 kills with 10 attack errors. Despite their struggles, MSU was able to build a 24-23 lead late in the second set thanks to several errors from Northwestern. Even with the late lead, the Spartan's errors got the best of them as they finished the set committing two attack errors and a service error, dropping the second, 26-24.
Coming out of intermission, the Spartans showed their ability to battle, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind two attack errors from Northwestern and an ace from Nelson. The Wildcats would eventually rally, earning three straight kills to tie the score. From that point, neither team could build more than a two-point advantage. The set remained tight until Northwestern was able to earn a 24-22 lead late in the set. After a kill from senior Heather McDaniel (Madison Heights, Mich.), the Spartans found themselves within one point of sending the set to extra points at 24-23, but a kill from Naomi Johnson sealed the deal for Northwestern.
Nelson shined in front of her home-town fans, leading the Spartans with nine total points. In the match, Nelson posted five kills, four block assists, one solo block and a service ace. King finished the match with a team-high seven kills while sophomore libero Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) paced the Spartans with 16 digs.
The Spartans will return home next weekend to take on No. 1 Penn State on Friday and Indiana on Saturday. Both matches are slated for 6:30 p.m. starts at Jenison Field House while live audio and video will be provided at www.msuspartans.com.
