Spartans Win UNH Invitational With Sweep of Delaware

Saturday, September 12

Durham, NH

4:30 PM

Michigan State University

0-06-3. Big Ten

Delaware

5-4, 0-0CAA

Michigan State

Delaware

9/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score

Sept. 12, 2015

Final Stats

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State (6-3) won its third straight match, a 3-0 victory over Delaware (25-13, 25-23, 25-10) in the finale of the Holly Young Invitational at the University of New Hampshire. The Spartans win the tournament title without dropping a set on the weekend, and have tied their longesst winning streak of the season.

Rachel Minarick was named tournament MVP, while Megan Tompkins and Alyssa Garvelink were named to the All-Tournament Team. It is the second-such selection for Garvelink this season, and the first-ever honor for both Tompkins and Minarick.

SET ONE: MSU raced out to a big lead in the opening set, holding a 17-7 lead with a hitting percentage north of 70% (12-0-7). The Spartans committed just two errors in the frame, hitting .536 overall with 17 kills, led by Megan Tompkins (6) and Allyssah Fitterer (5). All MSU players with an attempt hit .500 or better, and MSU out-blocked UD 3-0.

SET TWO: MSU held a slim one-point lead before a 5-0 run by the Blue Hens gave Delaware a 14-10 advantage. The Spartans turned the script and posted their own 8-2 rally (including two blocks and a kill by Tompkins to regain the lead. Up 20-18, three straight MSU errors gave the Blue Hens back a lead (21-20), but a service error by Delaware re-tied the set. The teams traded points and were tied at 23-23, and consecutive kills by Garvelink and Tompkins sealed it off for the Spartans as they took a 2-0 match lead. Garvelink had five kills in the frame, and both setters (Rachel Minarick and Halle Peterson) each had nine assists, after each posting seven in the opening set. The Blue Hens hit .303 in the frame after hitting -.043 to open the match.

SET THREE: MSU took an early 12-3 lead in the set, committing just one error on eight kills and 18 swings. The Spartans continued to be efficient, hitting .364 in the frame and getting five blocks in the set. Freshman Hannah Murdock made her first collegiate appearance as MSU sealed the straight-set victory.

QUOTABLE:
"I thought it was a really good way for our team to respond after a pretty disappointing weekend at home last week. We're looking to keep improving as we get closer to the Big Ten season, because there are absolutely no nights off in our league. We need to be strong, and we need to be consistent. This was a good step for us."
- Head Coach Cathy George

TOP PERFORMERS

Megan Tompkins posted a pair of career-bests with 12 kills and nine blocks, and hit .846 - good for fifth all-time in a three-set match at MSU. (11-0-13).
Allyssah Fitterer contributed 12 kills and hit .429, and added four blocks. She shared the match high for kills with Brooke Kranda, who finished with 12, three blocks, and hit .385.
Rachel Minarick had 24 assists, and also added four kills and six digs. Halle Peterson had 19 assists of her own (her season best), along with five digs.

STATS AND STORYLINES

The Spartans have won eight of their last 12 non-conference tournaments over the last three seasons, and its first since the 2014 UAB/Samford Invitational. MSU has finished second and third in its two other tournaments this season.
MSU did not drop a set this weekend, and won four of its final five sets by 10 points or more.
MSU out-blocked Delaware 11-5, and held all three opponents this weekend to a .111 hitting percentage or below.
Abby Monson, who earlier in the day had a new season high of 14 digs vs. New Hampshire, bettered that with 16 digs against the Blue Hens. It gave her three straight double-digit dig matches, all in her first three matches wearing the libero jersey.
Allyssah Fitterer had her sixth double-digit kill match of the season, and first in the last four matches.
Megan Tompkins had tied her career best of nine kills through two sets, which she had set last Sepetember against Duke. Her previous season high of eight in 2015 had come against Little Rock (Sept. 5)
MSU completes non-conference play next weekend when it travels to North Carolina and Duke.