Michigan State University
4-1
UNC Greensboro
2-3
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
MSU Defeats UNC-Greensboro in 3-0 Sweep
9/1/2018 1:47:00 PM | Volleyball
Johnson, Gros Help MSU to third double-digit blocking performance
SPARTAN SYNOPSISÂ Â
Michigan State improved to 4-1 on the year with a three-set sweep of UNC-Greensboro (25-18, 25-19, 25-17) in the second game of the Carolina Classic.Â
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MSU got double-digit kill performances from Alyssa Chronowski (her fifth straight) and freshman Molly Johnson. Chronowski had 12 kills, while Johnson had 10, hitting .500 (10-1-18) and adding five blocks. Classmate Naya Gros tied Johnson for the match high with five stuffs and added eight kills.Â
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The Green & White hit .323 in the match, the second straight game hitting .300 or better. Elena Shklyar got the start at setter and had 33 kills, seven digs, and had four kills without an error.Â
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UNCG was led by 10 kills from Holly Behrends, who added six digs in the match. Greensboro hit .107 and was out-blocked by a 10-4 margin on the day.Â
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Michigan State returns to the floor to tangle with the host UNC Tar Heels at 6:30 pm.Â
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 TOP PERFORMERS   Â
• Molly Johnson had 10 kills and hit .500 (10-1-18), and added five blocks.
• Naya Gros had five blocks and eight kills, hitting .429.  Â
• Elena Shklyar had 33 assists, seven digs, and was a perfect 4-0-4 on hitting percentage.
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 STATS AND STORYLINES Â
•   MSU tallied double-digit blocks for the third time in five games this season, finishing with 10.Â
•   Alyssa Chronowski had her fifth consecutive double-digit kill performance, putting up 12 kills.
•   The Green & White hit .323 in the match, the second-best hitting percentage this season
•  Samantha McLean had 13 digs in the match, a career best. Jamye Cox had a match-high 14.
•  Rebecka Poljan had four blocks to establish a new career high and also had four kills.
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 GAME REPLAY Â
•  SET ONE:  MSU hit an impressive .376 in the opening frame, and out-blocked UNCG by a 3-0 margin. Greensboro jumped out with a 3-0 lead, but that was short-lived as MSU tied it at 5-5 and went on to pull ahead 18-9, an 18-6 run overall that established MSU's baseline. MSU had 15 kills against just one error in that first frame, creating its own leads and consistently pulling away. After MSU had built its lead to a set-high nine points, UNCG did battle back to trim it to five at 20-15; Michigan State closed it out on a 5-3 run, helped by a pair of kills from Johnson. Chronowski was MSU's workhorse in the first set, recording five kills; Naya Gros jumped out with three blocks (one solo). Â
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•  SET TWO:  A point-for-point battle started off the action in set two, with MSU going up 8-7. Greensboro  went on a 5-0 run to pull ahead 12-8, its largest lead of the match, and MSU called a time out. The Green and White came out of the break to barrel back and takes a 15-12 advantage, a 7-0 run out of the time out capped by another block for Gros.  It was UNCG's turn for a time out, and out of that break pulled back within one at 16-15.  Shklyar responded with a block and an ace to re-establish a three-point edge, and the teams once again pulled into a point-for-point tussle. Johnson turned up the heat for MSU and had two of her five kills and four blocks in the frame down the stretch, and helped MSU to a 25-19 win to take a 2-0 match lead.  Samantha McLean had five digs for the second straight set, and Rebecka Poljan posted three blocks.Â
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•  SET THREE:  Johnson continued to be a force that UNCG struggled to contain early in the third set, and she helped MSU to a 11-7 edge  MSU's largest lead came at 21-14, after a pair of stellar defensive plays by junior Samantha McLane helped MSU build that lead.  The Spartans got to match point on a blistering shot by Chronowski, but UNCG fended it off three times to pull within seven, 24-17. Gros finished it off on the right pin for a 25-17 win and MSU's second 3-0 victory of the weekend. Chronowski had five kills and a block in the final set.
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