Saturday, September 15
East Lansing, MI
11 am
Michigan State University
11-1
3
vs
0
UAB
8-5
1
2
3
F
Alabama-Birmingham
7
16
25
0
Michigan State
25
25
27
3
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Team Stats
UAB
MSU
Kills
26
37
Errors
28
13
Attempts
101
85
Hitting %
-.020
.282
Points
34.0
58.0
Assists
25
33
Aces
3
7
Blocks
5.0
14.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
8
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballPhoto by: Matthew Mitchell
Spartans Win 11th Straight with 3-0 Sweep
9/15/2018 1:19:00 PM | Volleyball
Poljan posts season-best eight blocks
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State posted a sixth consecutive 3-0 sweep, a straight-sets decision over Alabama-Birmingham (25-7, 25-16, 27-25) in the second-day opener of the annual Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational.
MSU improved to 11-1 on the season, and UAB falls to 8-5. The Spartans have reeled off 11 consecutive wins, and have won 21 straight sets.
UAB found its footing as the match went on, rebounding from a tough 25-7 setback in the opening frame to give MSU a real run for its money in the third set, where the Spartans had to battle back from a five-point deficit and finally won the frame by a 27-25 score. The seven points allowed to UAB in the first set was a season low for an MSU opponent, as was its -.020 hitting percentage.
The Spartans out-blocked their guests with a season-high 14 rejections, compared to just five for UAB. MSU's established its season best of 14 in the season opener vs. Tennessee. Rebecka Poljan had a season-best eight stuffs, bettering the seven she had a night before vs. Albany.
Alyssa Chronowski hit .409 and posted 11 kills, match bests in both categories. Meredith Norris had eight kills, and Molly Johnson tied her season best with six blocks.
For UAB, Abby Carlile led the way with nine kills, while Emily Rudolph was the top hitter (.286, 6-2-14)
The tournament concludes Saturday evening with the marquee match of the tournament, where the Spartans will tangle with in-state rival Western Michigan. Bronco mentor Colleen Munson was Cathy George's assistant coach at Western before taking the reins when George moved on to Michigan State. That match will take place at 7:30 pm.
TOP PERFORMERS
• Alyssa Chronowski led the Spartan offense with 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage
• Rebecka Poljan posted a career-best eight blocks and added five kills, hitting 5-1-11 (.364).
• Meredith Norris had eight kills and seven digs, serving up a pair of aces.
STATS AND STORYLINES
• Rebecka Poljan has averaged 2.44 blocks per set over her last three matches, with 7 blocks each vs. UNC and Albany and eight vs. UAB.
• Molly Johnson tied her career best of six blocks, which she first set vs. Chattanooga
• MSU used both setters for the second straight match. Elena Shklyar had 1 assists, three digs, and two each kills and aces; Maggie Midgette had 11 assists, two blocks, and a kill in the final frame.
GAME REPLAY
• SET ONE: Michigan State opened the frame with a 7-0 run, with Shklyar posting a pair of aces in her opening service run. UAB struggled to get anything going throughout the frame – MSU dished out four aces, three digs, and hit .286 on its way to a 20-6 lead, while the Blazer struggled with a -.237 hitting percentage. MSU got to set point at 24-6, but the teams then traded service aces to give the Spartans a 25-7 win, its largest set victory of the season. Chronowski led the way with four kills, while Rebecka Poljan and Molly Johnson each contributed two blocks.
• SET TWO: UAB took advantage of some Spartan miscues early in the second set and took a 6-3 advantage, but MSU went on an 11-4 run to pull ahead 14-10. The Blazers remained in striking distance in this frame, however, and they cut it to three at 18-15, but two errors in a three-point span for UAB allowed MSU to open up the lead to 21-15. MSU got to set point at 24-16, but the Blazers challenged that MSU's 24th point was a net violation, but the point was upheld. Chronowski put down a dagger to seal the second set, 24-16, a 6-1 run to close it out for MSU. Chronowski and Norris each had three kills, while Johnson recorded four blocks (one solo) ad Poljan three. MSU hit just .167 in the set, but held its opponent to -.103, the second straight negative-hitting set for the Blazers.
• SET THREE: The third frame got a little too close for comfort for the Spartans in their quest for a sweep – MSU led 1-0, then did not have another lead until they went up 25-24. The visitors largest lead was five (15-10), but the Spartans continued to fight back. The UAB advantage shrunk to two, and the teams traded points from 19-17 to 22-20, and the Spartans eventually tied it at 24-all after a block by Julia Hatcher, two kills by Norris, one from Chronowski, and the block from Poljan and Midgette that tied things at 24-24. A block by Chronowski gave MSU set and match point, but after a review overturned a point that would have sealed things for MSU, UAB tied the set at 25-25. Poljan's fifth kill once again gave MSU an advantage, and an attempt by UAB sailed long to end it. Chronowski and Norris each had four kills in the final frame, and Poljan had three more blocks for her match-best (and career-best) eight.
Michigan State posted a sixth consecutive 3-0 sweep, a straight-sets decision over Alabama-Birmingham (25-7, 25-16, 27-25) in the second-day opener of the annual Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational.
MSU improved to 11-1 on the season, and UAB falls to 8-5. The Spartans have reeled off 11 consecutive wins, and have won 21 straight sets.
UAB found its footing as the match went on, rebounding from a tough 25-7 setback in the opening frame to give MSU a real run for its money in the third set, where the Spartans had to battle back from a five-point deficit and finally won the frame by a 27-25 score. The seven points allowed to UAB in the first set was a season low for an MSU opponent, as was its -.020 hitting percentage.
The Spartans out-blocked their guests with a season-high 14 rejections, compared to just five for UAB. MSU's established its season best of 14 in the season opener vs. Tennessee. Rebecka Poljan had a season-best eight stuffs, bettering the seven she had a night before vs. Albany.
Alyssa Chronowski hit .409 and posted 11 kills, match bests in both categories. Meredith Norris had eight kills, and Molly Johnson tied her season best with six blocks.
For UAB, Abby Carlile led the way with nine kills, while Emily Rudolph was the top hitter (.286, 6-2-14)
The tournament concludes Saturday evening with the marquee match of the tournament, where the Spartans will tangle with in-state rival Western Michigan. Bronco mentor Colleen Munson was Cathy George's assistant coach at Western before taking the reins when George moved on to Michigan State. That match will take place at 7:30 pm.
TOP PERFORMERS
• Alyssa Chronowski led the Spartan offense with 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage
• Rebecka Poljan posted a career-best eight blocks and added five kills, hitting 5-1-11 (.364).
• Meredith Norris had eight kills and seven digs, serving up a pair of aces.
STATS AND STORYLINES
• Rebecka Poljan has averaged 2.44 blocks per set over her last three matches, with 7 blocks each vs. UNC and Albany and eight vs. UAB.
• Molly Johnson tied her career best of six blocks, which she first set vs. Chattanooga
• MSU used both setters for the second straight match. Elena Shklyar had 1 assists, three digs, and two each kills and aces; Maggie Midgette had 11 assists, two blocks, and a kill in the final frame.
GAME REPLAY
• SET ONE: Michigan State opened the frame with a 7-0 run, with Shklyar posting a pair of aces in her opening service run. UAB struggled to get anything going throughout the frame – MSU dished out four aces, three digs, and hit .286 on its way to a 20-6 lead, while the Blazer struggled with a -.237 hitting percentage. MSU got to set point at 24-6, but the teams then traded service aces to give the Spartans a 25-7 win, its largest set victory of the season. Chronowski led the way with four kills, while Rebecka Poljan and Molly Johnson each contributed two blocks.
• SET TWO: UAB took advantage of some Spartan miscues early in the second set and took a 6-3 advantage, but MSU went on an 11-4 run to pull ahead 14-10. The Blazers remained in striking distance in this frame, however, and they cut it to three at 18-15, but two errors in a three-point span for UAB allowed MSU to open up the lead to 21-15. MSU got to set point at 24-16, but the Blazers challenged that MSU's 24th point was a net violation, but the point was upheld. Chronowski put down a dagger to seal the second set, 24-16, a 6-1 run to close it out for MSU. Chronowski and Norris each had three kills, while Johnson recorded four blocks (one solo) ad Poljan three. MSU hit just .167 in the set, but held its opponent to -.103, the second straight negative-hitting set for the Blazers.
• SET THREE: The third frame got a little too close for comfort for the Spartans in their quest for a sweep – MSU led 1-0, then did not have another lead until they went up 25-24. The visitors largest lead was five (15-10), but the Spartans continued to fight back. The UAB advantage shrunk to two, and the teams traded points from 19-17 to 22-20, and the Spartans eventually tied it at 24-all after a block by Julia Hatcher, two kills by Norris, one from Chronowski, and the block from Poljan and Midgette that tied things at 24-24. A block by Chronowski gave MSU set and match point, but after a review overturned a point that would have sealed things for MSU, UAB tied the set at 25-25. Poljan's fifth kill once again gave MSU an advantage, and an attempt by UAB sailed long to end it. Chronowski and Norris each had four kills in the final frame, and Poljan had three more blocks for her match-best (and career-best) eight.
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