Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
9-4, 1-1Big Ten
Iowa
5-6, 0-2Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 25 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 21 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 3 |
Spartans Rally to Down Iowa, 3-1
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball team (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten) earned its first conference win of the season when it topped Iowa (5-6, 0-2), 3-1, on Saturday night in the Breslin Center. Junior Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) was the staple for the Spartans both offensively and at the net with 15 kills and five blocks.
MSU struggled early in set one, falling behind 6-3 to Iowa. The Green and White pulled within two at 18-16 after trailing at one point by five at 14-9. The Spartans could not get any closer, as the Hawkeyes closed out set one by a score of 25-21. Senior Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) led the team in the first set with four kills.
The Spartans came out strong to begin the second set, 5-2. However, the Hawkeyes rallied to take 10 of 14 points to lead MSU 12-9 as the Green and White called a timeout. The Spartans chipped back following the break to gain a 16-15 lead before Iowa called its first timeout of the set. After growing its lead to 22-18, MSU allowed the Hawkeyes to tally two points and make it 22-20 before a Spartan timeout was called. Michigan State came back strong as it took three of the final four points to take set two, 25-21. Abron paced all attackers in the set with five kills on five attempts.
Michigan State once again came out slow in set three as it trailed Iowa 4-1. The Green and White remained strong as they tied the set at four, before gaining the 11-9 lead after two straight Hawkeye attack errors. The Spartan maintained their three point lead for a majority of the remainder of the set until the score became tied at 22. Three straight Iowa errors ended the set for the Spartans, 25-22, giving them a 2-1 lead after the set. Abron once again eclipsed the five kill mark in the set to lead the team.
In the final set of the night, the Green and White was behind Iowa early on, 9-4, before a Spartan timeout was called. A 10-1 run was MSU's response to the early struggles to give it a 14-11 lead. The Hawkeyes would not give up as they managed to tie the set up at 18, and once again at 19 before the Spartans forced match point at 24-21. Iowa would take three straight points to tie the set up once again at 24 and then again at 25. The Spartans finally closed out the match after a kill from junior Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) was followed by a kill from junior Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) to make it 27-25. Red-shirt junior Jenilee Rathje (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) had a team-best six kills in set four. In all, there were nine ties and four lead changes throughout the set.
Joining Abron with 15 kills was Rathje, bringing her weekend total to 28. Zlabis led the team with 16 digs while junior Carli Weiler (Oak Lawn, Ill.) was just behind with 14 digs herself. Emro netted 24 assists, while senior Nicole Peter (Ada, Mich.) followed with 22. Rathje also held her own at the net as she recorded four blocks on the night.
The Spartans return to action next weekend when they hit the road for the first time during the conference slate when they travel to Penn State on Friday, Oct. 1 before playing Ohio State on Saturday (Oct. 2).
