Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
2-0
San Diego State
1-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 3 |
| San Diego State | 22 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 1 |
Spartans Take Down Scrappy SDSU, 3-1
8/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State improved to 2-0 with a four-set victory over the host Aztecs (25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 25-21) in the second round of the San Diego State Aztec Invitational. The Spartans had three players with double-digit kills, led by a double-double from redshirt junior Autumn Bailey (17 kills, 17 digs). The Spartans had 12 team blocks in the match and hit .291.
Michigan State has a second match on the day, taking on Marist in the tournament finale at 4:30 pm PT (7:30 ET). Live statistics and a video webstream will be available for that match.
Head Coach Cathy George
"That's a very well-coached team, and they were very, very scrappy and resourceful. I thought we saw what a factor we were missing last year with Autumn Bailey out with injury - and she's just played her second game in a year. We are still a work in progress, we feel - we know that there's so far we can come and I'm excited that our players are working so hard to make those improvements and clean up things. We have a very quick turnaround with a game in just over four hours, so we don't have long to enjoy a hard-fought victory."
- SET ONE: The homestanding Aztecs used a 5-0 run to turn a 9-6 deficit into a 11-9 advantage, forcing MU into a timeout. Toliver came up with a big kill to halt the run, and MSU scored three straight out of the pause to regain a 12-11 edge. The teams traded points and leads, with a kill from Autumn Bailey tying the game at 21-21. MSU got their hosts to make two critical errors - a block out of bounds and then a shot that sailed wide left - to take a 23-21 lead, and the Aztecs called timeout to regroup. Garvelink and Bailey put up a block to get to set point, and after the Aztecs held off for one more point, their next shot sailed wide and allowed MSU to take the opening frame by a 25-23 margin. The set featured 10 tie scores and six lead changs overall, and the Spartans were hampered by six service errors. Autumn Bailey, Chloe Reinig, and Alyssa Garvelink all had four kills each, and the Spartans hit .364 as a team after their early error issues.
- SET TWO: MSU limited it's errors in the second set, and ran out to a 21-14 lead before the Aztecs went on a 5-0 run to pull within two at 21-19. SDSU was playing scrappy defense to get themselves back into the match, as the Spartans were throwing heavy hit after heavy hit at their hosts and impressive defensive plays were keeping rallies alive. Megan Tompkins stopped the run with back-to-back kills to give MSU a 23-19 lead, and Toliver stepped in to serve. A block by Tompkins and Bailey brought the Spartans to set point, but the home team continued to fight and claw to stay in the set with a nice shot over the block. Tompkins and Minarick ended it with a block at the right pin to take a 2-0 match lead.
- SET THREE: The Spartans were plagued again with service errors in the third set, but still hit .308. The scrappy SDSU squad was playing strong defense, coming up with impressive digs to continue rallies despite the Spartans battering them with big hit after big hit. The home fans were delighted with the display and were squarely behind their team, as rally after rally was extended. Danielle Bolden served up back-to-back aces to bring the home team to set point, but her service error tied the match at 24-24. The Spartans could not capitlize, however - dishing up an error from the line as well, and the Aztecs extended the match to four sets with a kill by Hannah Turnlund.
- SET FOUR: The teams continued to battle through into the fourth set, and MSU began to pull away a bit at 14-11, then extended it to 19-13 before SDSU called a time out. The home team got back into it, pulling within two at 21-19, and with a 22-20 advantage, a kill from Reinig pushed the lead back out to three, and after SDSU cut it back down to two at 23-21, an Aztec attack error set up the match point - a block by Reinig and Tompkins at the right pin - to close out the 3-1 win. Bailey had seven of her 17 kills in the frame, adding six digs.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Autumn Bailey led all players in the match with 17 kills, recording a double-double with 17 digs and adding five blocks, and hitting .306.
- Chloe Reinig had her second consecutive double-digit kill outing, with a 16-5-33 line (.333) and adding five blocks and seven digs.
- Megan Tompkins was big at the net, contributing four blocks and six kills, hitting .556 and adding a pair of digs.
- Alyssa Garvelink had 12 kills, hit a match-best .550, and led all players with seven blocks .
STATS AND STORYLINES
- The trio of Bailey, Reinig, and Garvelink all hit over .300, taking 36, 33, and 20 swings, respectively.
- Holly Toliver just missed a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs.
- Autumn Bailey had her second career double-double at MSU, in just three games played. She had 12 kills and 11 digs in last year's season-opener at Kentucky before suffering an injury that cost her the remainder of the 2015 season.
- The Spartans finished with 10 service errors, countering with seven aces on the night.
- Holly Toliver finished with five service aces, just short of her career best of six, set Nov, 28, 2015 vs. Iowa. She was also one shy of her career-best in digs, finishing with 13. She had 14 at Illinois on Oct. 30 last year.
- Rachel Minarick had 49 assists, and also had a pair of kills and two blocks digs. Abby Monson had 10 digs as the Spartan libero, contributing three assists.
