Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
13-15, 5-12Big Ten
Indiana
19-10, 7-7Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 26 | 21 | 25 | 11 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 28 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 3 |
Schatzle's Double-Double Leads MSU Past Indiana, 3-1
11/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich - Led by senior Megan Schatzle's (Monroe, Mich.) second double-double of her career on 19 kills and 10 digs, the Michigan State volleyball team (13-15, 5-12 Big Ten) topped Indiana (19-10, 7-7 Big Ten), 3-1, in Jenison Field House on Friday, Nov. 19. MSU outhit the Hoosiers .304 to .169 for the match, hitting .545 to .097 in set four alone. Joining Schatzle also with her second double-double of her career was freshman Kristen Kelsay (Wheaton, Ill.) with 26 assists and 13 digs.
"I thought this was a very hard fought match," said head coach Cathy George. "It was great to see the team keep with the game plan for most of the match and finish it out the way they did in set four. After dropping set three, one I feel we could have pulled out, the girls really showed their toughness to get out to such a big lead early on in set four. It's important for us to come back tomorrow and play like this against Purdue."
The Spartans opened match with an early 5-2 lead back-to-back Hoosier errors. The Green and White lead grew to five at 9-4 after junior Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) put away the set from junior Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.). Indiana, however, pulled within one at 13-12 after going on an 8-4 run which resulted in MSU calling a timeout. The Hoosiers would eventually tie the set at 14 before MSU regained a three point lead at 19-16, causing IU to call its first timeout. Indiana took the next five points to hold a 21-19 advantage over the Spartans. Michigan State responded with four straight itself to regain the lead at 23-21. Three more IU points game it set point at 24-23. MSU broke set point and took the 25-24 set point advantage itself. The Hoosiers tied the set back up at 25 and again at 26 before the Spartans finally closed out the set at 28-26. Schatzle tallied seven kills in the opening set, while Kelsay dished out six assists and reeled in seven digs. Zlabis tied with red-shirt freshman Alexis Mathews (Detroit, Mich.) with three blocks.
Set two opened with Indiana holding a 5-3 advantage on MSU. A 7-2 run capped off by a kill from Schatzle put the Green and White out front at 11-7, causing IU into a timeout. A kill from Zlabis gave the Spartans a five point advantage at 15-10. The Hoosiers, however, remained in the set as they battled to within two at 18-16 after an 8-1 run resulted in the Spartans calling a timeout. IU called its second timeout of the set at MSU gained four of the next seven to lead 23-19. The Spartans buried Indiana in set two by a score of 25-21. Schatzle once again was the top attacker for MSU in set two with six kills. Kelsay chipped in with eight assists, while red-shirt sophomore Mandi Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) had five digs.
Looking to close out the match in three, Michigan State came out strong in set three, holding a 4-1 advantage early on. The Hoosiers responded with a 5-1 run to hold their first lead of the set at 6-5. After the Spartans tied the set up at six and at seven, IU took off on a 5-2 run to gain the 13-9 advantage over MSU. The Green and White were not able to get within three for the remainder of the set. The IU lead grew to as much as five at 21-16, causing Michigan State to called a timeout. After the Hoosiers forced set point at 24-19, the Spartans rallied off three to get IU into a timeout at 24-22. Indiana closed out the set on the next point, winning 25-22. Schatzle was joined by Zlabis with four kills for the set. Kelsay dished out six assists, while six different players all had one dig. Red-shirt junior Jenilee Rathje (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) had two blocks for MSU.
The final set of the match opened in a close tie at four. However, a 12-0 run for MSU game it the cushion it had been looking for with a 16-4 lead. Michigan State remained in the driver's seat for the duration of the set, push its lead to 15 at 22-7. The Spartans finally closed out the set with three of the next seven points to win the match, 25-11. Rathje and Zlabis led MSU in set four with three kills each. Kelsay had six assists and Schatzle had a team-best five digs. Zlabis and Mathews each had a block in the final set.
Joining Schatzle with double-digit kill numbers was Zlabis and junior Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.). Emro dished out double-digit assists with 15, while Mathews led a team-best five blocks for the set.
The Spartans return to action tomorrow (Nov. 20) when they host Purdue at 6:30 p.m. inside Jenison Field House.
