Gros Ties School Record In Sweep of Dixie State

GAME CAPSULE

Michigan State improved to 3-1 on the season with a 3-0 victory over Dixie State (25-19, 25-17, 25-20) in the first game of the BYU Invitational.

MSU had a hot-hand day, hitting a season-best .341 and was over .400 for most of the match. Sarah Franklin led MSU with 13 kills, while Celia Cullen had a double-double with 34 assists and 10 blocks. Naya Gros was a devastating figure at the net with 10 blocks (five solo) – a mark which tied the three-set match record for solo stuffs.

MSU limited Dixie State to a .091 hitting percentage. The Trailblazers hit .269 in the opening frame (12-5-26), but hit just 18-17-62 over the final two sets. Megan Traanor led hr team with nine kills, three digs, and two of DSU's two service aces.

Michigan State has a second game on Friday, a 4 pm MT game vs. Weber State.

PLAYER HIGHS

Naya Gros tied a school record with five solo blocks and added five block assists while putting down a pair of kills.
Sarah Franklin led MSU with 13 kills and hit a career-best .650, adding three blocks, six digs and an ace.
Celia Cullen had four aces to go along with her double-double of 34 assists and 10 digs. She also had a pair of blocks.

STATS AND STORYLINES

Rebecka Poljan hit .500 (8-1-14), and added two blocks, a dig, and an ace.
Biamba Kabengele had nine kills and hit .222, adding three digs.
Gros' five solo blocks tied the record for solo stuffs in a three-set match, last accomplished by Alyssa Garvelink vs. Michigan in 2015. Her 10 total blocks is tied for the fifth-highest total in a three-set match, last posted by Sarah Gustin vs. Northwestern in 1998. The school record of 12 total blocks in a three-setter is held by Alexis Matthews vs. Michigan (November 2010).
MSU had 13 team blocks, the most in three sets since a Sept. 2018 victory over Alabama-Birmingham (14).
The Spartans had their first double-digit blocking match of the season.
MSU's .341 hitting percentage was its top performance in a match this season. Dixie State hit .091, the lowest for an MSU opponent this year.

SET SYNOPSIS

SET ONE: Dixie State took a three-point edge early on a pair of aces and a .300 hitting percentage, but the Spartans were back within one at 14-13 on a kill by Max-Brown. The Spartans were on fire from there, closing out the set with a .400 hitting percentage (13-3-25) after starting off with 4-3-12. Sarah Franklin had six kills on six swings, while Celia Cullen had 11 assists, three aces, and three digs.. Dixie hit consistently throughout, finishing with .269 (12-5-26), but couldn't keep up when the Spartans pulled away.

SET TWO: MSU jumped out to its largest lead at 15-12, hitting .500 (11-2-18) and forcing the Trailblazers into a time out. Gros came out of the break with back-to-back kills off the block to extend the MSU lead to five, all on a Grace Danziger service run. MSU kept the offensive pressure on, getting big kills from Gros, Kabengele and Franklin combined with a solo stuff by Poljan to take a set two win, 25-17, closing out the set on a 15-7 run after the teams were tied at 10-10. Franklin and Poljan combined for nine kills on 13 swings with no errors in the set, as MSU hit a scorching .462 (16-4-26). Gros had two kills and three blocks. MSU held Dixie State to just eight kills against seven errors.

SET THREE: The third set was again tight early, with the teams tied at 8-8. MSU pulled away again late, starting with a 3-0 run that made it 15-12. MSU won the race to 20 (20-16), and led by five 22-17. Naya Gros was a devastating force at the net, putting up six blocks in the final frame – four solo – to keep the Trailblazers from getting much closer. MSU closed out the set with a 25-20 victory to record their third 3-0 sweep of the season. Cecilee Max-Brown had four kills in the third, while both Kabengele and Franklin had three.

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Team Stats

Sarah Franklin

Biamba Kabengele

Rebecka Poljan

Cecilee Max-Brown

Players Mentioned

Celia Cullen

Grace Danziger

Sarah Franklin

Naya Gros

Biamba Kabengele

Cecilee Max-Brown

Rebecka Poljan

Players Mentioned

Celia Cullen

Grace Danziger

Sarah Franklin

Naya Gros

Biamba Kabengele

Cecilee Max-Brown

Rebecka Poljan