Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
6-0
Cleveland State
6-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Cleveland State | 18 | 17 | 20 | 0 |
No. 20 Volleyball Wins CSU Invitational
9/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 5, 2009
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The No. 20 Michigan State volleyball team (6-0) captured the CSU Invitational crown, after defeating Cleveland State University (6-2), 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-20) on Saturday afternoon. Earning tournament MVP honors was junior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon,) after tallying 57 digs over the course of the weekend, averaging 4.75 digs per set. This marks the best start to a season since the 2006 season, when the team also began the season winning the first six matches.
"We did a very nice job today playing sharp as well as disciplined," said head coach Cathy George. "After playing two matches yesterday, and going the distance in one, it was nice to see the team respond well against a very good Cleveland State team."
MSU began the first set by getting out to an early 3-1 lead. After trading points with Cleveland State, and finding themselves tied at 11, MSU went on a 3-0 run, before the Vikings were forced to call a timeout. Following the timeout the Green and White went on another rally, 8-2, with Cleveland State calling another time out with the score 22-14. CSU went on to score four of the next nine points, but their late rally was not enough, as MSU took the first set, 25-18. The Spartans out hit Cleveland State .438 to .182 in the first set.
The second set began very similarly to the first set, in that MSU found itself out to an early 7-3 lead. CSU was able to find themselves within one point when the score was 11-10 in the Spartans favor. MSU then called its first timeout of the match, after the Vikings won three consecutive points, making the score 17-16 in favor of CSU. Following the timeout, the Spartans went on to win the next nine points, and down the Vikings in the second set, 25-17.
Michigan State came out in the third set trading points with the Vikings. As one team found themselves out to a one point advantage, the other team would battle back to gain a slight lead for themselves. After CSU found themselves out to a 12-10 lead, the Green and White went on to win the next four out of five points, making it a 14-13 set, in favor of the Spartans, with Cleveland State calling for a timeout. Following the timeout, MSU went on a 7-2 run, getting out to a 21-16 lead, before another timeout was called by CSU. Michigan State ended up taking four of the next eight points to clinch the third set, 25-20, and sweep the Vikings.
Freshman Carli Weiler (Oak Lawn, Ill.) anchored the defense, recording 13 digs today. Sophomore Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) led all MSU attackers with 12 kills on the day, while also chipping in with seven digs on defense. Junior Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) added to the Spartan attack by recording eight kills, while tallying a .353 hitting percentage. Allyson Karaba posted 11 digs, while freshman Mandi Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) added another nine. Sophomore Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) recorded 32 assists on the day, maintaining an 11.13 assists per set average on the year.
"Ally (Karaba) was all over the court, and played with a vast amount of discipline. From last weekend to this weekend, she has improved greatly, and has understood some of the finer points we have been trying to get across to her. It's more about positioning and reading situations, and this week I thought she was a step ahead of the game, more so than last."
Joining Karaba with all-tournament honors was senior Vanessa King (Silver Lake, Mich.) and Schatzle. This is the second consecutive week Schatzle has been named to an all-tournament team, after being recognized at the MSU Showcase last weekend. King led the team this weekend with 16 total blocks, tallying a team-high five today against Cleveland State. She also posted a 1.33 blocks per set average over the weekend. Schatzle led all Spartans with a .344 hitting percentage, while also tallying 43 kills.
The Spartans will be back in action next weekend at the Chicago Classic hosted by Illinois-Chicago, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12. MSU will begin play at 6 p.m., on Friday against Duquesne, and continue action on Saturday against Georgia State at 12 p.m., and UIC at 7 p.m.
