Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
12-15, 4-12Big Ten
Minnesota
20-8, 10-6Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 31 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 5 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 29 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 15 | 3 |
Volleyball Falls to No. 22 Minnesota in Five Set Heartbreaker
11/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2010
Minneapolis, Minn. - The Michigan State volleyball team (12-15, 4-12 Big Ten) dropped a five set heartbreaker to No. 22 Minnesota (20-8, 10-6 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Minneapolis, Minn. Pacing the MSU attack for the second consecutive night was red-shirt junior Jenilee Rathje (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) with 16 kills on the night.
Michigan State got started early with a 2-0 lead in set one. Minnesota rallied back to take a 5-4 lead over the Spartans. The Green and White rattled off three straight to hold the 7-5 advantage, before UM once again tied up the set at seven. The Spartans once again regained a two point lead at 16-14. MSU remained in the lead at 19-17, causing Minnesota to call its first timeout of the match. At 23-21 with MSU in the lead, the Golden Gophers called their second timeout of the set. Two points later the Spartans called a timeout with the set tied at 23. Minnesota forced the first set point at 24-23, its third straight point. Michigan State was forced to break set point once again at 25 and 26 before finally having its first set point at 27-26. UM would take the next two points to once again have set point at 28-27. MSU saw itself with a 29-28 lead before the set was tied once again at 29. The Spartans finally put the Golden Gophers away in set one, 31-29. Rathje led the team in the opening set with five kills. Junior Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) dished nine assists and senior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) had eight digs.
The Spartans once again got the first point of the set to lead 1-0. Minnesota, however, came back to lead the set, 4-2. The UM lead was pushed to four as MSU called a timeout at 11-7. The Golden Gophers remained in control of the set with a five point lead at 14-9. Michigan State managed to get back within three at 16-13, however two straight Minnesota points resulted in a MSU timeout at 18-13. The Golden Gophers' lead once again became five at 20-15, but the Spartans got two straight to get the score to 20-17 as Minnesota called a timeout. After UM took two of the next three to lead 22-18, MSU got two straight to force another Golden Gopher timeout at 22-20. Minnesota finished off the set with three straight points to win the set, 25-20. Junior Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.), sophomore Amy Dentlinger (Arcadia, Iowa) and junior Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) each had three kills in the set. Freshman Kristen Kelsay (Wheaton, Ill.) had a team-high eight assists. Junior Carli Weiler (Oak Lawn, Ill.) reeled in five digs.
Following the intermission, MSU dropped the opening point of the set to trail 1-0. Five of the next six points went in favor of the Spartans to own a 5-2 lead. Minnesota pulled within one at 7-6, before finally tying up the set at nine. UM regained the lead at 11-10, however the Spartans scored two straight to hold the 12-11 advantage which later became 14-12. MSU held at three point lead at 16-13, its largest lead of the night. After Minnesota took four of the next six, MSU called a timeout with the 18-17 lead. Two more Golden Gopher points put them in the driver's seat for the remainder of the match as the set was tied at 19. After holding the lead at 21-19, Minnesota allowed the Spartans to get back within one at 23-22, forcing a UM timeout. The Golden Gophers forced set point at 24-22 and finally closed out the set at 25-23. Rathje once again led the team with five kills in the set. Kelsay and Emro each dished five assists, while Weiler chipped in six digs.
Looking to get back into the match, the Spartans opened the fourth set in a deadlock at two each. MSU rallied out to a 9-5 lead, just as Minnesota called a timeout. The Golden Gophers got back within one at 10-9, and finally tied the set at 12, just as the Spartans called a timeout. After Minnesota held the 13-12 lead, MSU rattled off three consecutive points to lead 16-13. As UM attempted to gain ground on Michigan State, the Spartans countered and cushioned their lead. The Spartans finally forced set point at 24-22 and closed out the set with next point, winning set four 25-22. Dentlinger was the top attacker in set four with five kills. Emro and Kelsay each tallied five assists, while Zlabis had three digs.
The Spartans opened the final set by gaining the first point of the match. They maintained a one point lead at 3-2. Five of the next six points went in favor of UM to force MSU a timeout at 7-4. Two more Minnesota points forced Michigan State into its second timeout of the set at 9-4. The Golden Gophers stormed out to the lead as it closed out the set 15-5. Zlabis was the top attacker in the final set with two kills while Kelsay dished out three assists. Weiler was the top defender with four digs.
Dentlinger joined Rathje with double-digit kill numbers with a career-best 12. Zlabis also had double-digit figures with 11 kills while red-shirt freshman Alexis Mathews (Detroit, Mich.) tied her career best with 10 kills. Kelsay recorded 27 assists and Emro dished out 21 assists herself. Zlabis also had her seventh double-double of the season when she reeled 14 digs. Weiler had a team-high 21 digs and Karaba had 19.
MSU returns to action on Friday, Nov. 19 when it hosts Indiana at 6:30 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.
