Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
0-1
Oklahoma
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 25 | 24 | 14 | 21 | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 19 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Spartans Drop Season Opener to Oklahoma, 3-1
8/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 29, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. - The Michigan State volleyball squad dropped its season opener against Oklahoma 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 14-25, 21-25) in the first game of the Nike Sooner Legends Invitational at Howard McCasland Field House. Sophomore Jenilee Rathje (Mount Pleasant, Mich,) paced the Spartans, tallying 20 kills in the four-set match. Freshman Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) added 12 kills while hitting a team-best .435, all while handing out 35 assists in her Spartan debut.
The Spartans, who looked unshaken opening on the road, rattled Oklahoma jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead behind the serving of freshman libero Carli Weiler (Oak Lawn, Ill.). Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) tallied her first three kills of her career in the first 11 Spartan points. MSU would extend their lead to 12-6 after the serving of Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) and the hitting of both Rathje and Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.). Karaba, with her top-spin jump jump-serve, tallied two aces in the first set while Rathje finished the set with three kills. Schatzle also added three kills, but did so while hitting .600.
Weiler would go on to make the best play in the set on an attack by Sooner outside hitter Caitlin Higgins. Weiler flew across the back row, digging the ball with one arm, launching it over the net to an empty part of the Sooner court, extending the Spartan lead to 18-10. The Spartans would not relinquish that lead as they took the first set 25-19 after Emro earned her sixth kill of the match from the setter spot on the third set point. Emro would tally her six kills on just six attacks.
The Sooners seemed to gather themselves by the start of the second set as the teams went through 11 straight side-outs with neither team earning more than a one-point lead. The Sooners would then extend a service and the lead to 12-7. Going on a 5-2 run, MSU, behind Rathje, cut the lead to 14-12, keeping them in range of the Sooners. The set would tighten through the end of the game until the rallied to take a 22-21 lead late in the set. Rathje ended a long rally by sending a kill down the line to give the Spartans the late lead. After a Sooner timeout, Rahtje would add one more kill extending the lead to 23-21 lead, capping a 6-1 run. However, the Sooners would tack on a 5-1 run of their own to end the set, taking set two, 26-24.
Despite the loss, Rathje notched seven kills in set two, extending her total to 10 for the match. The Sooners seemed to have no answer for her as she compiled a .400 hitting percentage through the first two sets. Junior middle blocker Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) complied a .571 hitting percentage through the first two games, leading the team.
After the intermission, the Spartans would fall behind early. Oklahoma seemed to contain Rathje in the third set, limiting the Spartans scoring. The green and white would go on to drop the set 25-14.
The teams would exchange points at the start of set four until Oklahoma ran off three consecutive points, giving them a 7-5 lead. Capitalizing a several mistakes by a young Sooner team, the Spartans would rally to take an 11-10 lead after Rathje launched her 18th kill of the match to the back row. The teams would go on to exchange points once again until the Sooners extended their lead to 21-19. The Sooners would not look back, taking the set 25-21.
The Spartans will play again tonight against No. 10 Cal Poly at 7 p.m. ET. Live stats and streaming radio, featuring the voice of Spartan volleyball. John Kreger, can be found at www.msuspartans.com.
