Saturday, September 10
Durham, N.C.
6:30 pm
Michigan State University
2
at
3
Duke
Spartans Battle to Five Sets at Duke
9/10/2022 10:08:00 PM | Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. – Michigan State volleyball competed hard on Saturday night, falling just short in its bid for a reverse sweep against Duke (25-17, 25-13, 17-25, 22-25, 15-10) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Spartans went down 2-0 early but battled back to force a decisive fifth set.
"We had a lineup change at the very start of the match and never found a rhythm out of it, we just kept searching for the answer," said Michigan State volleyball head coach Leah Johnson. "But the team never stopped fighting. They never got wavered by the changes, and eventually we found some rhythm. The slow start is on me. I know we're fighting hard. I know we're working hard. I know we're competing. I know they're all bought in. I just have to keep developing our talent."
Freshman Maradith O'Gorman turned in a standout performance for Michigan State, tallying her first career double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs. Senior Emma Monks and sophomore Aliyah Moore each added eight kills for the Spartans. Monks led the team in hitting efficiency with a .467 attacking percentage (8-1-15). Graduate student Zoe Nunez paced MSU with 35 assists while junior Nalani Iosia tied O'Gorman for the team lead in digs with 13.
"Zoe (Nunez) and Nalani (Iosia) are so consistent with the poise and their competitive nature," Johnson said. "They are starting to demand more out of their teammates, and they are willing us to some of those moments. I'm very proud of them."
After getting out-hit by the Blue Devils in sets one and two, Michigan State turned things up a notch in sets two and three, besting Duke's hitting marks .300 to .000 and .205 to .075, respectively. The Spartans were out-hit overall, .203 to .137. Blocking was fairly even, with Duke owning an 8-7 advantage.
Full story to come…
Up Next: Michigan State returns to action next weekend when it hosts the Green & White Classic from the Breslin Center. The Spartans will take on Oakland on Friday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m. before meeting Chicago State and Evansville on Saturday, September 17. MSU meets Chicago State at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and will close the night with a 5:30 p.m. match against Evansville.
"We had a lineup change at the very start of the match and never found a rhythm out of it, we just kept searching for the answer," said Michigan State volleyball head coach Leah Johnson. "But the team never stopped fighting. They never got wavered by the changes, and eventually we found some rhythm. The slow start is on me. I know we're fighting hard. I know we're working hard. I know we're competing. I know they're all bought in. I just have to keep developing our talent."
Freshman Maradith O'Gorman turned in a standout performance for Michigan State, tallying her first career double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs. Senior Emma Monks and sophomore Aliyah Moore each added eight kills for the Spartans. Monks led the team in hitting efficiency with a .467 attacking percentage (8-1-15). Graduate student Zoe Nunez paced MSU with 35 assists while junior Nalani Iosia tied O'Gorman for the team lead in digs with 13.
"Zoe (Nunez) and Nalani (Iosia) are so consistent with the poise and their competitive nature," Johnson said. "They are starting to demand more out of their teammates, and they are willing us to some of those moments. I'm very proud of them."
After getting out-hit by the Blue Devils in sets one and two, Michigan State turned things up a notch in sets two and three, besting Duke's hitting marks .300 to .000 and .205 to .075, respectively. The Spartans were out-hit overall, .203 to .137. Blocking was fairly even, with Duke owning an 8-7 advantage.
Full story to come…
Up Next: Michigan State returns to action next weekend when it hosts the Green & White Classic from the Breslin Center. The Spartans will take on Oakland on Friday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m. before meeting Chicago State and Evansville on Saturday, September 17. MSU meets Chicago State at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and will close the night with a 5:30 p.m. match against Evansville.
Players Mentioned
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