Friday, September 23
Lincoln, Neb.
8:00 pm ET
Michigan State University
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at
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#3 Nebraska
Volleyball Pushes #3 Nebraska in B1G Opener
9/24/2022 12:54:00 PM | Volleyball
LINCOLN, Neb. – Michigan State volleyball was defeated by No. 3-ranked Nebraska to open Big Ten action on Friday night, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-23) from the Bob Devaney Center. The young Spartan squad stayed competitive throughout the match, nearly taking the Cornhuskers to a fourth set thanks to strong play in set three.
MSU hit .170 as a team as opposed to .224 for Nebraska. Michigan State out-hit the highly ranked Nebraska squad in set three, .184 to .135. The Spartans out-blocked the Cornhuskers 9-6 overall with a trio of blocks in each set. Both teams struggled from the service line with 10 service errors by Nebraska and 15 for MSU.
Freshman Evie Doezema led the Spartans with eight kills, ending the match in the positive for hitting percentage with a strong performance in set three. Doezema and freshman Maradith O'Gorman each had four kills for Michigan State in a tight third set. O'Gorman ended the match with seven kills and posted the best efficiency of MSU's outsides hitting .278.
Sophomore Julia Bishop had a strong night with 19 assists, six digs and five kills. Nebraska could not stop Bishop's dump throughout the evening. Junior Nalani Iosia led the team with 16 digs while senior Emma Monks and freshman Nil Okur tied for the match high with four blocks each.
The Cornhuskers were led by a 14-kill performance from Madi Kubik. Anni Evans was the leading setter with 18 assists while Kennedi Orr added 14. Libero Lexi Rodriguez finished with 13 digs and six assists. Nebraska saw success on first ball attacks, hitting .415 in those situations as opposed to hitting .106 in transition situations.
Nebraska used an 8-1 run early in the first set to pull out in front. The Spartans chipped away at times using their block, as MSU out-blocked the Husker 3-1 in set one. Okur had a hand in all three of MSU's blocks in the set. Michigan State stayed in the fight, keeping the second set within three points until a Nebraska 4-1 run ended the set. The Spartans went on a 4-1 run of their own to bring the score to 21-18 late thanks to a series of Husker errors.
MSU played its best volleyball of the night in set three, come back from a 20-13 deficit to nearly force a fourth set against the country's No. 3-ranked team. Michigan State's 9-2 run late tied the match at 22-22 in front of 8,000+ screaming fans in the Devaney Center. O'Gorman and Doezema each had kills for the Spartans in the run as O'Gorman went on a six-point scoring run.
Up Next: Michigan State stays on the road, heading to Piscataway, N.J. following the conclusion of the Nebraska match in preparation for a 1:00 p.m. match against Rutgers on Sunday, September 25. The Spartans are 13-2 against the Scarlet Knights all-time and won each of the meetings last season (3-1, 3-0). Rutgers (6-7, 0-1 B1G) was swept by Michigan on Friday night.
MSU hit .170 as a team as opposed to .224 for Nebraska. Michigan State out-hit the highly ranked Nebraska squad in set three, .184 to .135. The Spartans out-blocked the Cornhuskers 9-6 overall with a trio of blocks in each set. Both teams struggled from the service line with 10 service errors by Nebraska and 15 for MSU.
Freshman Evie Doezema led the Spartans with eight kills, ending the match in the positive for hitting percentage with a strong performance in set three. Doezema and freshman Maradith O'Gorman each had four kills for Michigan State in a tight third set. O'Gorman ended the match with seven kills and posted the best efficiency of MSU's outsides hitting .278.
Sophomore Julia Bishop had a strong night with 19 assists, six digs and five kills. Nebraska could not stop Bishop's dump throughout the evening. Junior Nalani Iosia led the team with 16 digs while senior Emma Monks and freshman Nil Okur tied for the match high with four blocks each.
Can't sleep on @juliabishop25! pic.twitter.com/KRBGxAWc5g
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 24, 2022
The Cornhuskers were led by a 14-kill performance from Madi Kubik. Anni Evans was the leading setter with 18 assists while Kennedi Orr added 14. Libero Lexi Rodriguez finished with 13 digs and six assists. Nebraska saw success on first ball attacks, hitting .415 in those situations as opposed to hitting .106 in transition situations.
Nebraska used an 8-1 run early in the first set to pull out in front. The Spartans chipped away at times using their block, as MSU out-blocked the Husker 3-1 in set one. Okur had a hand in all three of MSU's blocks in the set. Michigan State stayed in the fight, keeping the second set within three points until a Nebraska 4-1 run ended the set. The Spartans went on a 4-1 run of their own to bring the score to 21-18 late thanks to a series of Husker errors.
Maradith O'Gorman's third kill of the night forces a Nebraska timeout as we cut the lead to four in set two!
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 24, 2022
S2 | NEB 12, MSU 8 pic.twitter.com/6xwNRgmoMl
MSU played its best volleyball of the night in set three, come back from a 20-13 deficit to nearly force a fourth set against the country's No. 3-ranked team. Michigan State's 9-2 run late tied the match at 22-22 in front of 8,000+ screaming fans in the Devaney Center. O'Gorman and Doezema each had kills for the Spartans in the run as O'Gorman went on a six-point scoring run.
An emphatic block from Emma Monks and Maradith O'Gorman brings us within a pair in set three! pic.twitter.com/5iXLGwsqHb
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 24, 2022
Up Next: Michigan State stays on the road, heading to Piscataway, N.J. following the conclusion of the Nebraska match in preparation for a 1:00 p.m. match against Rutgers on Sunday, September 25. The Spartans are 13-2 against the Scarlet Knights all-time and won each of the meetings last season (3-1, 3-0). Rutgers (6-7, 0-1 B1G) was swept by Michigan on Friday night.
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