MSU Rolls In Home Opener, 3-0

GAME CAPSULE
Michigan State opened its home slate with a 3-0 sweep of Indiana State (25-9, 25-19, 25-10) as part of the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational at Jenison Field House.

Rebecka Poljan had 10 kills and three blocks to pace the Spartans, while freshman Biamba Kabengle and junior Alyssa Chronowski finished with six each. Audrey Alford had 17 assists, four aces, and three digs, and Meredith Norris added five kills, three aces, and eight digs.

For the visitors, Nikkie White had seven kills for the Sycamores (0-4), and Grethen Kuckkan contributed six kills and six digs.

The Spartans (3-0) hit .450 or better in two of the three sets for a match total of .376 (40-8-85), and limited the Sycamores to a .085 percentage (26-19-82), the second-straight sub-.100 performance for an MSU opponent. The Green and White had a season-best nine service aces.

MSU earned commanding victories in both the first and third sets, and a scrappy Indiana State held a four-point edge in the second set before MSU finished out the second set on an 8-0 run that turned a 17-19 deficit into a 25-19 victory.

The Spartans are back in action at 7:30 pm when they take on Cincinnati, upset winners over No. 21 Tennessee (3-0) in the first match of the day. The Volunteers take on Miami (Ohio) at 5 pm.

PLAYER HIGHS

Rebecka Poljan posted 10 kills and three digs, hitting .600 (10-1-15).
Biamba Kabengele saw her first extended action of the season, delivering six kills and adding a block.
Meredith Norris had five kills, eight digs, and three aces.

STATS & STORYLINES

MSU had eight blocks in the match, its first this season without double-digit blocks.
MSU recorded a season-best nine service aces in the match after a combined six in the first two matches of the season. Audrey Alford had a career-best four and Meredith Norris tied her career best with three.
The Spartans had multiple runs of seven-plus points, with a match-best 11 in the third set.
MSU had five players with either five or six kills, evenly distributing the offense.

SET SYNOPSIS

SET ONE: Michigan State was in control early and rode a .459 hitting percentage to a 25-9 victory in the opening frame. The Spartans got six kills from Becka Poljan on nine swings, and three each from Alyssa Chronowski and Lauren Swartz. Meredith Norris had a pair of kills and four digs.

SET TWO: Indiana State pulled out to a four-point edge at 9-5, but Becka Poljan had a trio of kills and a block that pulled the home team even with its guests at 10-10. The teams stayed within two points, with MSU using an 8-0 run to turn a 19-17 deficit into a 25-19 set victory. Freshman outside Kabengele led the way with four kills and a block, new career bests in the second set alone. MSU's hitting percentage cooled to .214, but battled back after the early deficit.

SET THREE: Michigan State continued its hot streak from the late part of the second and used a 11-0 run to pull ahead 14-4, when Indiana State called a time out. The hiatus did not cool down MSU's offense, a it continued its balanced scoring and added five blocks in the set to cruise to a 25-10 victory. Chronowski posted three kills on five swings in the set, while Kabengele and Lauren Swartz each contributed two. MSU hit .450 in the frame.

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Players Mentioned

Audrey Alford

Alyssa Chronowski

Biamba Kabengele

Meredith Norris

Rebecka Poljan

Lauren Swartz

Players Mentioned

Audrey Alford

Alyssa Chronowski

Biamba Kabengele

Meredith Norris

Rebecka Poljan

Lauren Swartz

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Audrey Alford

Alyssa Chronowski

Biamba Kabengele

Meredith Norris

Rebecka Poljan

Lauren Swartz