Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
1-0
Furman
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUR | 20 | 13 | 11 | 0 |
| Michigan State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Garvelink Powers MSU to 3-0 Sweep of Furman
8/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
MSU opened its 2017 season on Friday night in Atlanta, sweeping Furman 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-11).
Furman came out full of energy and led the Spartans by as many as four points early in the fourth set, but MSU tied it up at 11-11 and kept their foot on the gas from there. After a 25-20 victory in the opening set, MSU put its foot on the gas and took the next two sets by sizable margins, downing the Paladins 25-13 and 25-11 to close out the sweep.
The Spartans recorded 12 team blocks, and hit .269. Furman hit .206 in the close first set, but then committed 17 errors in the final two sets and hit 0.40 for the match.
Alyssa Garvelink just missed a double-double, amassing 12 kills, hitting .500 (12-2-20) and had nine blocks (one solo). Autumn Bailey also narrowly missed a double-double, recording 12 digs and nine kills. Senior Rachel Minarick had 22 assists and added a match-high four service aces.
The Spartans went to their bench liberally in the third period, as 14 players saw action in the match.
MSU will play twice on Saturday, taking on Auburn at 12 pm, and then host Georgia Tech at 8 pm.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Alyssa Garvelink had 12 kills and nine blocks, leading all players with a .500 hitting percentage.
- Autumn Bailey recorded nine kills and led the Spartans with 12 digs.
- Rachel Minarick served up four aces, and contributed 22 assists.
STATS AND STORYLINES
- MSU opened the season with a win for the seventh time in the last eight years. It was the 598th victory in the career of Spartan head coach Cathy George.
- Brooke Kranda and Holly Toliver each had five kills, and Kranda added six blocks.
- MSU out-blocked the Paladins 12-2 in the match. Both Furman blocks came in the opening set.
- Freshman Meredith Norris had three kills (3-0-5, .600) with six digs and a pair of blocks.
- Jamye Cox (three digs, one assist), Lauren Swartz, and Julia Hatcher all made their collegiate debuts in addition to Norris.
