Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
14-2, 2-2Big Ten
Northwestern
9-7, 0-4Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 25 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 16 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
No. 23 Volleyball Downs Northwestern, 3-1
10/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 3, 2009
Watch Match Highlights Against Northwestern
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball team (14-2, 2-2 Big Ten) downed the Northwestern Wildcats, 3-1, in Jenison Field House on Saturday night. With the win, MSU is now 5-0 in home matches this season. Junior Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) paced the Spartan attack, tallying a career-high 20 kills while hitting .543.
"It was very important to see how well the girls would respond tonight after last night's win," said head coach Cathy George. "Northwestern definitely came out strong against us and took it too us early. Fortunately, we were able to gather our composure and gut out the win tonight in a well-fought match."
After upsetting No. 12 Illinois a night before, the Spartans looked to respond at home with another win against the Wildcats. However, Northwestern had other plans in the first set, as it got out early on, 10-5, and never looked back. MSU was able to rally within four, with the score 11-7, before the Wildcats slowly pulled away from the Spartans, taking the first set 25-16. NU outhit Michigan State in the first set .387 to .241.
The second set saw MSU getting out to the 7-2 lead, before being reeled in by the Wildcats, tying the match at 16. The Spartans and Northwestern would trade service points and remain tied for a total of seven points. However, MSU relied on the backing of Schatzle as she finally put away the second match with two consecutive thunderous kills, earning a 26-24 second set win. Schatzle posted a .412 clip on eight kills, while MSU hit .191 as a team, in the set.
The Spartans came out of intermission looking as though they were on a mission, garnering a 7-3 lead early on. Northwestern failed to give up as it rallied back to bring the match within two points, with the score 7-5. Michigan State was unable to gain full control of the set until it went on a 5-3 run, which forced a Northwestern timeout with the score 12-8 in favor of MSU. The Spartans responded out of the timeout with another 5-2 run, forcing the Wildcats to call their second timeout of the set at 17-10. The Green and White slowly began to pull away and finally put away Northwestern, 25-19 in the third set. MSU posted a team hitting percentage of .350, while the Wildcats posted a .200 mark.
In the fourth and final set, MSU jumped out to a 3-1 lead, before being tracked down by Northwestern, tying the match a four. Michigan State would trade service with the Wildcats for the next several points, bringing the score to six all. However, MSU responded with three straight points, forcing Coach Keylor Chan to call a Northwestern timeout with the score 12-8. The Green and White responded out of the timeout with a 4-2 run, forcing the second Wildcat timeout. MSU began pulling away from Northwestern, riding the back of Schatzle and her seven set kills, taking the final set 25-17. The Spartans posted a .293 hitting percentage in the final set, bringing their match total to .268 overall.
Michigan State saw its defense anchored by a handful of players. Leading the team in digs was junior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.), who tallied 18 in tonight's win. Redshirt sophomore Jenilee Rathje (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) contributed a season-high 12 digs, while sophomore Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) added another 16. Sophomore Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) dished out 50 assists to Spartan attackers. Rathje also added 13 kills, while Zlabis tallied another 10. Seniors Mischelle Nelson (Naperville, Ill.) and Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) both recorded four blocks tonight.
MSU is back on the road next weekend when it travels to Madison, Wis. for an 8 p.m. ET match against the Badgers on Friday, Oct. 9. Two days later, against Iowa in Iowa City, the Spartans will have a Sunday matinee match against the Hawkeyes at 2 p.m.
