Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
8-1
Western Kentucky
9-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 27 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 15 | 3 |
| Western Kentucky | 29 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 11 | 2 |
Resilient Spartans Outlast No. 23 Western Kentucky
9/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State battled through a five-set thriller with No. 23 Western Kentucky, upsetting the Hilltoppers on their home floor, 3-2 (27-29, 25-21, 25-19, 21-25 , 15-11) on Saturday evening. The Spartans win their second non-conference tournament of the season to improve to 8-1 on the season.
MSU dropped the opening set 29-27, foreshadowing the back-and-forth action the crowd of more than 800 would be treated to over the course of the match. Juniors Rachel Minarick and Alyssa Garvelink were named to the All-Tournament team. Minarick, the tournament Most Valuable Player, had her first double-double of the year with 46 assists and 12 digs to go along with six kills, while Garvelink had 13 kils and five blocks, a match high.
Down 1-0 in the match, the Spartans won the second and third sets before dropping the fourth, 25-19. The home team held an 8-6 lead at the fifth-set crossover, but the determined Spartan squad outscored their hosts 9-3 over the balance of the match to take home the win. Combined with 3-0 sweeps of Cincinnati and Southern Illinois, MSU finished first in its second tournament in three weeks.
The Spartans complete non-conference play next weekend by hosting the Spartan Classic. MSU welcomes Notre Dame, Maryland-Eastern Shore, and DePaul to Jenison Field House.
Quoteable:
"I was really proud of the way our team responded to adversity tonight, as well as earlier today. Matches like this make you better; however, I'm also very pleased that we're taking away a very hard-fought win. We had our backs up the wall a few times, and our players found a way to battle back and fight their way out of situations. We saw players step up and deliver when we really needed them to. It's a great way to head into our final week of pre-Big Ten play." -- Head Coach Cathy George
- SET ONE: After a delayed start to the match, the teams engaged in a tight, fast-paced opening set, where neither team led by more than two points. The Spartans had three blocks with a 17-13 lead, and Megan Tompkins had a hand in all three MSU stuffs. WKU pulled ahead by scoring six of the next eight points, but the Spartans would not allow the home team to pull ahead by more than two points. Tied at 20-20, WKU scored the next two points, but Reinig's tip from the left side brought the Spartans back within one. After trading points, an MSU shot sailed long, giving the home team set point. Bailey fought it off with a crosscourt shot from the left pin, and then MSU tied it with a big block by Tompkins and Kranda. The teams kept trading points and MSU continued to fend off set point, but the home team finally bested the Spartans with a 29-27 score. The set featured 15 tie scores and five lead changes, and MSU hit just .167 - committing 11 hitting errors to help the Toppers.
- SET TWO: The Spartans jumped out early to a 4-1 advantage, thanks in part to two kills and a block by Garvelink, but the Toppers fought back to tie it at 11-11. With Kristen Brashear on the service line, MSU ran off four straight points, but back-to-back points on a kill and a shot that kissed the back line for WKU cut MSU's lead back to two, 15-13. The teams delighted the crowd with extended rallies and big hits, with the Spartan lead only briefly extending to three points at 21-18; Brashear stepped in to serve again, got kills by Toliver and Minarick to get to set point at 24-20, and then WKU got the sideout to cut it back to three. A Hilltopper service error then gave the set to MSU, 25-21. MSU committed just four hitting errors and hit .294.
- SET THREE: Tied at 10-10, MSU used a 3-0 run with kills from Garvelink, Bailey, and Kranda to force the home team into a time out to try to stop the momentum. The plan didn't work, as MSU ripped off three more points - two from Bailey swings to push her to 11 kills in the match - to take the largest lead for either team all night (16-10). A kill by Sydney Engle finally stopped the Spartan run and got the sideout for the home team. With MSU holding a 22-16 edge. the Toppers scored back-to-back points on plays at the net, and MSU called its first timeout to regroup. Garvelink and Reinig came up with a big block at the right pin for a 23-18 edge, and with MSU holding a 24-19 lead, a WKU attempt sailed long for MSU to take the set, 25-19. Bailey led MSU with five kills and four digs, while Fitterer came in with four kills. The Spartans hit .480 in the frame (13-1-25) to improve their match hitting percentage to .287.
- SET FOUR: Out to a 7-7 tie early in the frame, the home team used a 3-0 rally to pull ahead 10-7, and MSU called its first time out. MSU trimmed it to one at 11-10, but was forced to call another timeout after WKU scored three straight to pull ahead 15-10. Their lead grew to 17-10 after a block out of bounds, but MSU roared back with eight straight points, including three from Kranda and two from Fitterer. The home team went on a tear of its own, using a 6-1 run to go ahead 24-19 . A Minarick dump into the corner, followed by a Kranda kill, fought it off, but a shot by Alyssa Cavanagh gave the home team a tie ballgame, winning the fourth set 25-21. MSU committed just one hitting error for the second consecutive frame (11-1-26)
- SET FIVE: The home team maintained a two-point lead early, and led 8-6 at the crossover - but a serving error gave MSU a sideout and Brooke Kranda delivered her second ace of the set to tie it 8-8. A kill by Fitterer gave MSU its first lead and kept Kranda on the service line, and a lucky snap off the top tape gave her a third ace in the match, tying her career best set vs. Morgan State. Tied at 10-10, MSU scored the next three points, and after a WKU time out, the Toppers got the sideout, but Minarick put it away with a dump for match point. Garvelink put up a big block to seal the win for the Spartans on the road.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Alyssa Garvelink had a season-high 13 kills and She also had five blocks (one solo) and added a pair of digs in addition to hitting .357.
- Rachel Minarick had 46 assists, and also compiled 12 digs for her first double-double of the season The setter added a season-best six kills and tied her season high with a pair of blocks.
- Autumn Bailey had a team-high 14 kills and hit .294, and also had nine digs, just missing her third double-double of the season..
STATS AND STORYLINES
- The Spartans won their second tournament of the year. MSU captured their first turnament of the season at SDSU the last weekend in August, then finished second last week in the Spartan Invitational after a loss to Florida. MSU has won 10 of its last 15 non-conference tournaments over the last five seasons.
- MSU had to play more than three sets for just the second time in nine matches this season. MSU downed San Diego State on their home floor in four sets on Aug. 27.
- The Green and White captured their first five-set victory of the season. MSU went xxx in five-set matches a year ago.
- Abby Monson had season-best totals of 17 digs and eight assists, adding an ace.
- Chloe Reinig had 10 kills, four blocks, and four digs.
- Brooke Kranda tied her career best with three service aces, set last week vs. Morgan State. She also tied her season high of five kills (also set against the Bears, and hit .556 and added a block.
- The Spartans recovered from poor hitting in the opening frame (.167, 18-11-42) to hit .294 in the second on four fewer kills (14-4-34). MSU had just one hitting error in both the third and fourth sets, and had nine combined hitting errors in the final four sets compared to the 11 in the first.
- The complete All-Tournament Team consisted of: MVP - Rachel Minarick, Michigan State; Alyssa Garvelink, Michigan State; Alyssa Cavanaugh, WKU; Jessica Lucas, WKU; Kolby Meeks, Southern Illinois; and Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati
