Sweep of Weber State Fueled by Career Bests

GAME CAPSULE

Michigan State scored a 3-0 sweep of Weber State on Saturday afternoon to complete a 2-0 opening day at the BYU Invitational.

The teams battled through three tight sets, with MSU's .341 hitting percentage in the match helping earn the final edge. MSU put up 108 swings and landed 50 kills, led by Rebecka Poljan's career bests of 14 kills and a .778 hitting percentage. She added six blocks – three solo – for season bests in those two categories.

Cecilee Max-Brown had her second double-double of the season with 12 kills, a .455 hitting percentage, and 10 digs. Sarah Franklin and Biamba Kabengele each had nine kills, with Franklin just shy of a double double with nine digs.

MSU had a season-best 53 digs in the match, its most in a three-set match since 2019. Talia Edmonds recorded a career-high 21.

The Spartans held another commanding edge in blocking, with 12 stuffs compared to just two for the Wildcats.

Michigan State, now 4-1, finishes the BYU Invitational on Saturday with a 7 pm MT game against the host Cougars.

PLAYER HIGHS

Rebecka Poljan delivered 14 kills on .778 hitting (both career bests), six blocks (season-high) and added a pair of aces.
Cecilee Max-Brown had a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs.
Talia Edmonds had a career-best 21 digs

STATS AND STORYLINES

MSU had 53 digs in the match, the most digs in three sets since posting 59 in a 3-0 sweep at College of Charleston in 2019.
The Spartans hit .361, their season best. The Spartans had just one error in the first set and three in the third.
MSU out-blocked Weber State by a 12-2 margin after posting a 13-1 blocking difference in the morning match against Dixie State.

SET SYNOPSIS

SET ONE: The teams were tight within the first 14 points, working their way to a 7-7 deadlock. MSU scored the next seven points – three on unforced errors by the Wildcats. MSU pressed on with a .333 hitting percentage and putting up five blocks to take an eight-point edge. After a Max-Brown kill got the Spartans to 20 with a seven-point edge, Weber State cut into the lead and made it a four-point deficit with a kill and an ace by Dani Nay to make it 22-18. Franklin and Gros polished it off for MSU, which hit a blistering .444 (17-1-36), and put up five blocks to none for the Wildcats. Max-Brown had six kills on nine swings, Poljan had four on four plus a set-best three blocks.

SET TWO: Trailing 4-1 after three early hitting errors, MSU went on top with a 6-1 run, including a pair of terminations from Max-Brown. The Wildcats countered with a 3-0 run that turned a 9-7 MSU edge into a 10-9 Weber State advantage, at which point MSU called time out. MSU returned the favor with its own 3-0 run on an ace by Max-Brown and a tip over the block by Kabengele to make it 12-10 Spartans. MSU held on to that lead to 17-15, as the teams were fighting through longer rallies. A kill and an ace by Poljan extended MSU's lead out to three at 19-16, but a Max-Brown kill followed by a block from Gros and Cullen made it 21-17. The teams continued trading points, and MSU kept it alive to get to set point at 24-20. After Weber fended off the end twice, Franklin terminated to give MSU the 2-0 match lead. Poljan and Max-Brown each had four kills, and Edmonds had 10 digs in the frame. Overall, MSU dug up 24 balls in the set compared to 13 for the Wildcats.

SET THREE: MSU picked up six of its first seven points on eight swings (six kills), but Weber State took a 10-8 lead. MSU stopped a 3-0 Wildcat scoring run with a cross-court dagger from Poljan, who remained the hot hand. With a 15-11 lead, Weber State called timeout, and trimmed it back down to two (16-14) on two straight kills. MSU won the race to 20 on a kill by Kabengele and held a four-point edge, and closed it out with a 25-19 score with the final touch being Poljan's 14^th kill of the match. Franklin put down five of her nine kills in the final set, while Poljan had six of her 14 and two solo blocks. MSU hit .469 in the third overall (18-3-32).

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Team Stats

Rebecka Poljan

Cecilee Max-Brown

Biamba Kabengele

Sarah Franklin

Players Mentioned

Talia Edmonds

Sarah Franklin

Biamba Kabengele

Cecilee Max-Brown

Rebecka Poljan

Players Mentioned

Talia Edmonds

Sarah Franklin

Biamba Kabengele

Cecilee Max-Brown

Rebecka Poljan