Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
11-1
DePaul
6-6
Non-Conference Action Wraps With Sweep of DePaul
9/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score | 
WATCH: Highlights vs. UMES & DePaul
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
No. 22 Michigan State improved to 11-1 on the year and captured the Spartan Classic title with a 3-0 win over DePaul (25-12, 25-23, 25-23) on Saturday evening. DePaul falls to 6-6 on the year and finishes third in the Spartan Classic field with a 1-2 weekend record; Notre Dame finished second with a 2-1 weekend mark and Maryland-Eastern Shore fell in all three matches they played.
The Spartans were led in the match by Holly Toliver's double-double, hitting .435 (10-0-23) with two aces, 12 digs, and three blocks. Brooke Kranda abnd Autumn Bailey each had nine kills, with Kranda adding a season-best five blocks. Alyssa Garvelink hit .455 (6-1-11) and tied her season high with seven blocks.
The Spartans out-blocked their guests 10-4, and dialed up a season-best 11 service aces for the second straight game and third time this year. MSU hit .326 on the night, committing just 11 errors (four in the first two sets combined before seven in the third frame).
The match featured 25 tie scores and 14 lead changes between the teams, as the scrappy Blue Demons overcame a .040 hitting percentge in the first set to hit .429 in the second. DePaul had 38 digs to MSU's 27, and fell by just two points in each of the final two sets.
Autumn Bailey earned Tournament MVP honors, posting nine kills, an ace, and five digs vs. the Blue Demons. On the weekend, the outside hitter averagd 4.22 kills per set and hit .405, adding eight service aces (0.89 per set) and 1.78 digs per set. Joining her on the All-Tournament team was teammates Garvelink and setter Rachel Minarick., as well as setter Colleen Smith of DePaul, who had a double-double with 19 assists and 12 digs.
Michigan State opens Big Ten play next weekend when it hosts Iowa (Friday) and Nebraska (Saturday) at Jenison Field House.
Quotable:
"I thought we let things get away from us a bit in the second two sets, and that can't happen in a Big Ten match if we don't want to pay for it dearly. We actually hit the ball really well in sets one and two. I thought that our offense was pretty balanced, and our serving game again was strong. In all, I think we have to be pleased with an 11-1 non-conference record, but we know that we start back at 0-0 on Monday when we start preparing for our Big Ten opener."
-- Head Coach Cathy George
- SET ONE: MSU jumped out to a 7-2 advantage, and maintained the five-point advantage through a 12-7 lead. MSU reeled off three straight points to extend their lead to eight, at which point the Blue Demons called their second time out. MSU never took its foot off the gas, going up by 10 at 22-12 and closed it out with a pair of Garvelink blocks, sealing the 25-12 victory. Kranda and Toliver each with three kills, and Kranda added three big blocks. MSU hit .400 in the frame, as compared to .040 for their guiests.
- SET TWO: The visiting Blue Demons didnt allow any big Spartan runs in the second frame, and MSU's built to its largest lead at 21-15. DePaul cut it to three on a service run by Caitlyn Coffey that included two service aces, and then a killl by Myah Reed and a block by Jasmine King and Brittany Maxwell got them within a point of the Spartans at 23-22. The teams traded kills to make it 24-23, and Kranda ended the comeback attempt by the Blue Demons with her sixth kill of the night to secure a 25-23 set victory and 2-0 match lead. Toliver and Autumn Bailey each had four kills in the set, while Kranda and Fitterer each posted three. MSU hit .419 in the set, but allowed DePaul 15-3-28 (.429), which kept the set close.
- SET THREE: DePaul raced out to a 7-3 lead, but a Monson ace and some big swings by Toliver get the match back to 7-7. With the set tied 12-12, MSU reeled off three straight points on a kill and an ace by Minarick and a Toliver kill - but some Spartan miscues allowed DePaul to answer with a 3-0 run of its own to tie it back up at 15-15. The Spartans scored five of the next eight points to pull ahead 20-17, capped with Monson's fourth ace of the night, her career high. The visitors, who let a 2-0 match lead slip away earlier in the day to Notre Dame, hung in on every point, and used a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 23-22. A block by Allyssah Fitterer and Minarick tied the game at 23-23, a kill from Garvelink made it match point, and Garvelink and Kranda closed it out for MSU on a block at the right pin to secure the match win. MSU hit just .220 in the frame, committing seven of its 11 errors in that third set.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Holly Toliver had 10 kills and hit a season-best .435 (10-0-23) and added 12 digs and three blocks for her second double-double of the season.
- Brooke Kranda finished with nine kills and her season-best five blocks.
- Alyssa Garvelink had six kills, hit.455, and a tied her season high with seven blocks.
STATS AND STORYLINES
- MSU's winning streak has reached six straight games, matching the Spartans' longest winning streak in each of the last two seasons.
- MSU's record of 11-1 is the best non-conference ledger since the 2013 team started 11-1.
- MSU had 11 service aces for the second straight match, and third time this season. MSU had 31 aces over three matches this weekend (3.44 per set)
- The Spartans had a weekend high of 10 blocks, their fourth double-digit blocking match of the year.
- Abby Monson dealt out a career-best four service aces, and added three digs and four assists.
- Autumn Bailey had a nine kills and five digs and added one block.
- DePaul hit .220, the third-highest hitting percentage of any opponent this season.
2016 Spartan Classic All-Tournament Team
Mere Serea, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Colleen Smith, DePaul
Jemma Yeadon, Notre Dame
Katie Higgins, Notre Dame
Alyssa Garvelink, Michigan State
Rachel Minarick, Michigan State
MVP: Autumn Bailey, Michigan State
