Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
13-13, 5-10Big Ten
Michigan
22-6, 10-6Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 28 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 1 |
| Michigan | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Drops Heartbreaker at No. 19 Michigan, 3-1
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 14, 2008
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The 2008 Michigan State volleyball team (13-13, 5-10 Big Ten) fell to No. 19 Michigan, 3-1 (28-26, 17-25, 22-25, 17-25), Friday night at Cliff Keen Arena. Sophomore Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) paced the Spartans with 13 kills, while sophomore libero Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) turned in her ninth 20-dig effort of the season, finishing with 22.
The Spartans came out of the gate slowly in the first set, falling behind Michigan 8-1, but that is when Schatzle took over. Tallying two kills, Schatzle and the Spartans scored eight of the next 11 points to pull within two at 11-9. From that point, Michigan extended their advantage back to seven at 17-10. Schatzle went on to post three more kills to spark another Spartan rally. MSU won 11 of the next 14 points to take their first lead of the set at 21-20. The Spartans extended their lead to 24-21, taking advantage of several Wolverine attack errors.
With three set points, MSU gave up three in a row, extending the set to extra points. The two teams exchanged tallies until the 27-26 mark when junior Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) was able to post a kill, putting the Spartans on top. With a one-point edge, Beth Karpiak of Michigan sent an attack long, giving the first set to the Spartans, 28-26.
Schatzle paced the Spartans with seven kills on 13 attacks without an error. Her .538 hitting percentage was second to only King, who hit .571 with four kills. Freshman Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) handed out 15 helpers in the first set, a single-set high for her this season. Karaba tallied 11 digs to anchor the Spartan back row.
The second set saw MSU run out to a 6-2 lead. Four of the Spartans' first six points came on attack errors from Michigan. Freshman Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) posted four kills on six attacks to lead MSU, but it was not enough as Michigan featured a more efficient attack from that point. Despite a late rally from the Spartans, the second set went in favor of the Wolverines at 25-17.
King added two more kills to her ledger while freshman Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) led the team with five digs. After passing out 15 assists in the first set, Emro was limited to just six in the second set. Through two sets, MSU posted seven blocks.
The Spartans and Wolverines began play after intermission in a tight third set. After a kill from Zlabis made the score 12-9 in favor of Michigan, Emro found herself serving for MSU. She went on to serve three aces on four serves, giving the Spartans a 14-12 edge during her service. MSU would build a 22-20 advantage late in the third set, but Michigan scored the final five points of the set, winning 25-22.
Schatzle paced the Spartans in the third set with three kills while Karaba added five digs. As a team, MSU posted six total blocks with Schatzle and Abron each tallying a solo block.
The fourth set saw the Wolverines serve the Spartans out of the match. In the fourth, Michigan served three of their eight aces and kept the Spartans out of system throughout the set. The closest the Spartans came to the Wolverines was at 13-9. From there, Michigan went on a 7-4 run, keeping the Spartans at bay. Zlabis tallied a team-high four kills in the final set, but it was not enough as the Spartans fell, 25-17.
Emro finished the match with 37 assists while King finished with 10 kills while hitting .300. King also led the Spartans win eight block assists and one solo block. Both King and Schatzle finished with 15 points.
The Spartans will continue their road trip tomorrow night as they head to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start. Live stats and audio featuring the voice of the Spartans, John Kreger, can be found at www.msuspartans.com.
