Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
3-0
Evansville
2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville | 10 | 16 | 18 | 0 |
| Michigan State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Spartans Capture Seventh-Straight MSU Showcase Title
8/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball team (3-0) captured its seventh-straight MSU Showcase title tonight when it downed Evansville, 3-0, in the championship match. Earning MVP honors for her performance this weekend was red-shirt junior Jenilee Rathje (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.). Over the course of the three-day tournament, Rathje tallied 20 kills while hitting .424. Joining Rathje on the all-tournament team were seniors Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) and Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.).
"We played very well as a team this weekend," said head coach Cathy George. "We ran a very balanced offense throughout all three matches. We were able to get everyone into the matches and they were all able to gain valuable experience. Getting everyone into the matches allowed us to see the depth at each position. I felt that our defense was able to bring together our offense. As a team, we averaged 13.89 digs per set and blocked 2.44 balls a set."
Junior Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) got the offensive dominance started in the first set as she blasted a ball that knocked the Evansville defender to the ground to make the score 4-1. MSU extended its lead to 9-2 when Schatzle went one-on-one with the Purple Aces attacker to block the ball. Schatzle then squeaked the ball into the deep corner of the court off a set from freshman Kristen Kelsay (Wheaton, Ill.), bringing the score to 13-5. UE called a timeout with the score 17-6 after Abron ran a slide to the outside and slammed the ball away from junior Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.). The Spartans only allowed Evansville to score four more points in the set, as MSU closed out the opening set, 25-10. Schatzle led the team in the first set with five kills.
MSU once again jumped out early over Evansville, leading, 4-1. The Purple Aces rallied back to tie the match at four, before trading service with the Spartans for the next eight points to bring the score to 8-8. The Green and White took the next four points to force Evansville to call a timeout with the score 12-8. Abron once again placed the ball down the line as she put the ball inside the line for a 16-9 score. MSU increased its lead to eight points as Rathje put a set from Emro away to bring the score to 19-11. As she went up on the outside one-on-one with the Evansville blocker, Schatzle tooled the block into the stands to make the score 24-16. As the ball was flailed into the air by the arm of Abron, Schatzle closed out the set with a kill that split the Purple Aces defense. MSU topped Evansville 25-16 in set two. Schatzle was the top offensive player for the Spartans with five kills in the set.
The Spartans found themselves behind early in the third set as they trailed 8-4 early on. The Green and White, however, rallied back to tie the set at 10, before they slowly began to pull away. Abron once again showed her powerful attack as she blasted the ball towards the Evansville defender, who was unable to dig the ball, bringing the score to 15-12. Evansville called a timeout at the 19-16 mark after Kuipers and Emro blocked the Purple Aces attack. Two points later Kuipers went one-on-one with the Evansville attacker as the Spartan freshman was able to joust the ball to the ground to make the score 21-16. MSU would go on to only allow two more points as they took the third and deciding set, 25-18. Freshman Kelsey Kuipers (Otsego, Mich.) led the team in the third set with four kills on four attacks.
Schatzle was the top offensive player for the Spartans as she tallied 13 kills, while hitting .524. Emro and Kelsay each recorded 20+ assist efforts. Emro tallied 21, while Kelsay had 20. Emro also joined Abron with nine kills on the night. Allyson Karaba led the team behind the service line with three aces, and also posted a team-best 17 digs. Kelsay also recorded a double-digit dig night with 11 digs. Emro, Kuipers and Schatzle each were a force at the net as they all recorded two blocks on the night.
The 44 points the Spartans allowed is the lowest point total in program history for a three-set match since the inception of the 25-point scoring system. MSU bested the previous high of 48 set last year against Albany in the 2009 MSU Showcase.
Over the course of the three-match weekend, MSU limited its opponent to a .098 hitting mark. The Spartans also dished out 14.22 assists per set and averaged 13.89 digs per set. MSU recorded a 2.44 blocks per set average for the weekend.
The Spartans return to action next Thursday, Sept. 2, when they travel to Honolulu, HawaiI for the Hawaiin Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii. MSU opens action against New Mexico on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The following night, Friday, Sept.3, the Green and White will face the host Rainbow Wahine at 1 a.m. ET (Sept. 4). Action is closed out on Saturday, Sept. 4, when the Spartans will face the USC Trojans for the second-consecutive season. That match is slated to begin at 11 p.m. ET.
All-Tournament Team
Jenilee Rathje (MSU) - MVP
Megan Schatzle (MSU)
Allyson Karaba (MSU)
Brooke Maher (Evansville)
Emily Wandersee (Evansville)
Noelle Spitler (Bowling Green)
Brittany Anglemyer (IUPUI)
