Spartans Fight, Fall to No. 1 Wisconsin 3-1

Sunday, February 21

East Lansing, MI

3:30 pm

Michigan State University

2-7,2-7Big Ten

Wisconsin

10-0,10-0Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Wisconsin	25	25	21	25	3
Michigan St.	10	16	25	22	1

2/21/2021 6:01:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

GAME CAPSULE

No. 1 Wisconsin had to hold off a furious comeback attempt from Michigan State, but came away with a 3-1 win to sweep the weekend series (10-25, 16-25, 25-21, 22-25). The Badgers improve to 10-0 on the season, while MSU falls to 2-7.

The Spartans started slow, but found their groove in the third set, going from negative hitting percentages in the first two sets to hit .265 and .182 in the final two frames and push the No. 1 team in the nation. Wisconsin hadn't lost a set since Jan. 30 at Illinois, and after losing the third frame, needed to fend off a determined MSU crew in the fourth, a set they gutted out 25-22.

Cecilee Max-Brown led the Spartans with 12 kills, and had two digs, two blocks, and two aces. Mamye cox had a season-best 20 digs, while Talia Edmonds set a new career best with 11. Naya Gros led MSU with four blocs and added four kills, while senior Lauren Swartz hit a team-best .375 and had six kills.

Jade Demps led the Badgers with 17 kills, hitting .531. Grace Loberg had nine kills, five digs, and five blocks. Dana Rettke had six blocks (five solo) and added six kills.

MSU completes its five-match homestand at Jenison Field House next weekend when it welcomes Illinois for a two-match set.

PLAYER HIGHS

Cecilee Max-Brown had 12 kills, two blocks, two digs, and two aces.
Jamye Cox had a season-best 20 digs and an ace.
Lauren Swartz had six kills, two digs, and hit a team-best .375.

STATS AND STORYLINES

Wisconsin lost a set for the first time since January 30.
Meredith Norris came off the bench to contribute four of MSU's nine service aces and also added three kills, four digs and an assist.
Talia Edmonds had a career best of 11 digs.
MSU was out-blocked by a 14-6 margin.

SET SYNOPSIS

SET ONE: The teams were within two points of one another to 6-6, and a 4-0 run (thanks to three MSU miscues) allowed the visiting team to go up four (10-6) and MSU called time out. The break did more for Wisconsin than it did the Spartans, as they went on a 8-2 run to blow the set open. In all, the Badgers had four blocks and hit .364 in the frame to win it by a 25-10 score. The Badgers spread out their offense, with four players downing two kills each; Dana Rettke added three of UW's four blocks. Max-Brown put down three kills for MSU, which hit -.133 (5-9-30) in the set.

SET TWO: MSU took a 8-5 lead in the second set, thanks to a Kabengele kill and a solo stuff from Emma Monks. Wisconsin used a 4-1 run to tie things up at 9-9, and then with the match tied at 13's, put together a 5-1 run to make it 18-14. After MSU's second time out, the Badgers closed it out on a 7-2 run to take a 2-0 match lead. Wisconsin hit .296 and had five blocks in the frame led by two kills and three blocks (two solo) from Rettke. Both Robinson and Hart had three kills for the visitors. MSU got two kills each from Kabengle and Swartz, but had as many errors as it did kills (8).

SET THREE: MSU used three aces – two back-to-back from Norris, and one from Cox – and a pair of early blocks to build an 8-5 lead in the third set. Wisconsin rallied to tie things up at 10-10, and then MSU went back up by a pair with Norris' third service ace of the frame. With MSU leading 14-11, Wisconsin called time out; the Spartans went back up three at 18-16 after back-to-back Chronowski kills, and then again after the Badgers pulled within one when Monks had back-to-back terminations. The Spartans won the race to 20 hitting .240 (10-4-25), its most terminal set of the weekend to date. After the Badgers called a time out, MSU was able to stretch its lead to four (23-19) after a kill from Swartz and a solo stuff by Gros; MSU got to set point on a kill from Max-Brown, and then a termination from Chronowski to win the set, 25-21. MSU hit a weekend best .265 in the frame, with Chronowski putting down five kills to lead the way. Swartz had four kills and Ma-Brown three, while Gros had three blocks (two solo). Demps had four of Wisconsin's 10 kills.

SET FOUR: Having found a sustainable gear in the third set, MSU brought similar mojo into the fourth. Both teams had stints of being up by three, but neither team able to really pull away. The teams were tied at 14-14, and the Badgers went up 16-14 on back-to-back kills, but then a service error lets MSU back within one. Wisconsin then took a three-point edge at 19-16 but Monks responded with a tool off the block in the middle for her fourth of the match. MSU came back and tied things up at 20-20 on a kill and an ace by Monks and a solo stuff from Gros. Tied at 21-21, Demps and Robinson both went high off the block to go up 23-21, but MSU countered with Gros. Match point went to the Badgers on a block at the right pin, giving the visitors a 3-1 win. Max-Brown had five kills to lead MSU with a pair of aces in the frame, while Emma Monks had three and two aces as well. Jade Demps had eight of her 17 kills while Grace Loberg had six of her nine in that final set, and added three blocks for UW.