Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
10-7, 3-3Big Ten
Iowa
8-9, 0-6Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 15 | 17 | 18 | 0 |
| Michigan State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
MSU Sweeps Iowa to Wrap Homestand
10/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
East Lansing, Michigan -- - Michigan State had several offensive contributors and mounted a balanced attack as it swept Iowa, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-18) on Saturday night at Jenison Field House. The Spartans, 10-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten, have not lost a set to the Hawkeyes since 2010, a streak of eight straight matches. Iowa falls to 8-9, and 0-6 in Conference play.
WATCH: Highlights of MSU's 3-0 sweep of Iowa
The game was the backdrop for MSU's Breast Cancer Awareness night, and the Spartans wore pink jerseys and kneepads in the game. In addition, the players wore pink ribbons with the names of their friends or family who had been affected by the disease.
MSU's offense was paced by a trio in double digits for kills: Chloe Reinig (11 kills, hit .474), Allyssah Fitterer (10 kills, two blocks, three assists, hit .471), and Allyssah Garvelink (10 kills and three blocks). Rachel Minarick had 39 assists, hit .714 (5-0-7) and had three service aces, while Kori Moster took sole possession of ninth place on the Big Ten's career digs list, as her 13 digs pushed her career total to 1,956, one dig shy of eighth. As a team, MSU had 10 service aces, establishing a new season high.
For Iowa, Lauren Brobst was the hot hand, finishing her night with 13 kills and hitting .444 (13-1-27). Alex Lovell had eight kills, while no other Hawkeye player had more than two.
Michigan State used an 8-2 run to open up a seven-point lead in the first set, turning a 9-7 advantage into a 17-10 edge, and keeping its foot on the gas to post a ten-point win, 25-15. MSU registered 19 kills in the opening frame, including five from Reinig and four from Garvelik, and hit .484.
With a 7-6 lead in game two, the Spartans got the sideout on a Minarick kill, and Taylor Galloway got to the service line. She served the next six points, which included three aces and kills by Minarick, Fitterer, and Reinig, to take a 14-6 lead. The teams traded points with MSU, and the Spartans maintained its six-point lead (18-12). MSU then took three of the next four points, pushing its lead to 21-13, but the Hawkeyes cut it back down to six at 23-17, on a kill by a Minarick service ace, closed out the second set for the Spartans.
The Spartans jumped out quickly in the third set, with Rachel Minarick serving six straight points to make it 8-2, which included two aces and a pair of kills and a block by Garvelink. Iowa used a 6-1 run to cut the lead down to two points at 10-8, but most of that run was fueled by five Spartan errors. With MSU leading 19-11, the Hawkeyes scored seven of the next eight points to trim MSU's lead to just two points at 20-18, which included four kills from Alex Lovell in the run. However, the Spartans were a determined bunch, and closed out the set with a 5-0 run, which included a pair of kills by Garvelink and a Moster service ace, the teams tenth of the night.
The Spartans start a four-match road swing next weekend, playing at Maryland on Friday and at Rutgers on Saturday.
