Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
8-5 (1-1)
Purdue
12-2 (2-0)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 22 | 22 | 28 | 23 | 1 |
| Purdue | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
MSU Drops Tough Battle at No. 16 Purdue, 3-1
9/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Chloe Reinig had 15 kills, three digs and four blocks, while Allyssah Fitterer had 13 kills (hitting .281) and six blocks, (one solo), an ace, and four digs. Jazmine White led MSU with seven blocks, while Kori Moster had 23 digs and Rachel Minarick finished with 42 assists as the Spartans fell to 8-5, 1-1 in the Big Ten. Purdue is now 12-2, 2-0 B1G after a win over Michigan on Friday.
MSU out-blocked Purdue, 13-9, one night after recording 14.5 in Bloomington against Indiana. MSU hit just .053 in the first two sets combined, but rebounded to hit .325 in the third and then hit .191 in the fourth.
"Way, way too many unforced errors, but I do like the fight I saw in us continuing to come back with our backs against the wall," said head coach Cathy George. "It's just a process that we have to continue - to work on shoring up our shortcomings, and improving as we go through the season. With such a young team, we are learning every time we are out on the floor. Progress is there."
The Spartans trailed 9-6 when George called a timeout, with eight of the Boilers' first nine points coming from MSU miscues - MSU had six attacking errors and two service errors, and Purdue led by three despite hitting -.375 (0-3-8). Annie Drews got the first Boiler kill to make it 10-6. The Spartans curtailed their error-riddled early play and used a 10-4 run to tie the match at 12, fight to a 16-14 lead. The home team countered MSU's run with a streak of its own, scoring eight of the next nine points to take a 22-17 advantage and all of the momentum. Galloway halted the run with a soft dip over the net into the left corner, as MSU won three of the next four points to make it a two-point affair, 23-21. Purdue closed it out with a pair of kills from Drews, and took the first set 25-22. Galloway led the Spartans with four kills in the opening set, while Reinig had three.
Purdue built to its largest lead in the second set at 15-11, and MSU battled back to within one, at 19-18 before Purdue pushed it back to three on kills by Evans and Cuttino. Purdue got to set point at 24-20 on a kill by Azariah Stahl, but a Drews error followed by a Fitterer service ace brought MSU back within two, as Purdue called a timeout to regroup. Stahl finished off the second set with a shot into the right corner to take a 2-0 lead. Fitterer had three kills and a pair of blocks in the second, as the Spartans marginally increased their hitting percentage (.073) from the first set (.029).
The third set was much cleaner, as MSU hit a match-best .325 on 17 kills, and Purdue hit 245. - while it certainly kept the capacity crowd engaged - the third set alone featured 11 lead changes and 17 tie scores. Neither team could pull ahead by more than two, and combined for four set points. Tied at 26, Stahl hit a shot long over the endline to give MSU the lead, and with Ryian Hubbard serving for the set, Minarick set up White for the winner, a shot into the right corner. Reinig (five kills) and Fitterer (four) led the Spartan offense, while White came up with a pair of blocks and Moster seven digs.
MSU set the tone with a big block by Fitterer for the first point of the fourth, and with some help from their counterparts (five attack and service errors), MSU took a 8-4 lead before the home team called a timeout. Out of the break, Purdue got a pair of kills and a big block, knotting the score at eight. From there, it was much like the third set - negligible leads, four lead changes, and eight tie scores. Reinig gave MSU a lead a 23-22, but a service error tied the game, and MSU's final two shots of the game sailed long to hand the home team the victory.
The Spartans have a very quick turnaround, traveling to Ann Arbor on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. match with Michigan.
