Sunday, September 25
Piscataway, N.J.
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Michigan State University
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Rutgers
7-7,1-1Big Ten
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Michigan St.
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Rutgers
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Rutgers Tops Michigan State in Five Sets
9/25/2022 9:00:00 PM | Volleyball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Michigan State volleyball went to five sets for the fifth time this season on Sunday afternoon, falling to Rutgers 3-2 (25-17, 27-25, 13-25, 20-25, 7-15) at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Spartans won the first two sets of the match, including a 27-25 thriller in set two, but the veteran led Scarlet Knights came from behind to win the final three sets.
Rutgers out-hit Michigan State (9-4, 0-2 B1G) .200 to .044 overall due in part to a strong team blocking effort. The Scarlet Knights finished the match with 19 blocks, the most Michigan State has faced in a match since the season-opener against Louisiana (16 total blocks).
Freshman outside hitter Maradith O'Gorman led the Spartans in kills (14) for the fourth time this season. Sophomore Aliyah Moore was just behind O'Gorman with 13. Michigan State's other freshman outside, Evie Doezema, was one kill away from her first career double-double with nine kills and a season-high 11 digs. Sophomore Julia Bishop had a team best 33 assists while junior Nalani Iosia posted 24 digs for the Spartan defense.
The Spartans made quick work of the first set, scoring the first kill of the match on a Doezema swing and never looking back. MSU led for the entirety of the first set led by Doezema's five kills. Rutgers briefly cut Michigan State's lead to three in the set, but a 4-0 Spartan run put the set out of reach. Michigan State once again built a sizable lead in set two to force a Rutgers timeout, but this time the Scarlet Knights got right back in it, going on a 7-1 run to cut MSU's lead to one point at 17-16. Both teams traded runs up until the set was tied at 25-25. Kills from freshman Nil Okur and Moore clinched the set for the Spartans.
Rutgers led for the entirety of the third set despite MSU keeping it close in the early stages. After a Michigan State timeout down 13-8, the Scarlet Knights went on a 12-5 run to gain some momentum on their home floor. Set four was back-and-forth throughout, with Michigan State leading late at 18-17. Rutgers once again made plays when it needed them most, using a series of blocks and aces to score in the closing stages of the set. The Spartans led early in the fifth, taking a 4-3 lead on a Scarlet Knight attacking error. Michigan State found a kill out of a timeout to cut Rutgers' lead to 6-5, but the Scarlet Knights would control the remainder of the match using a 9-2 run.
Up Next: Michigan State makes a brief return home before traveling for matches at Maryland and Penn State next weekend. The Spartans will meet Maryland in College Park at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 30. Friday night's match will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. MSU will have an off day on Saturday before heading to State College, Pa. on Sunday, Oct. 2 for a 1:00 p.m. first serve at Penn State.
Rutgers out-hit Michigan State (9-4, 0-2 B1G) .200 to .044 overall due in part to a strong team blocking effort. The Scarlet Knights finished the match with 19 blocks, the most Michigan State has faced in a match since the season-opener against Louisiana (16 total blocks).
Freshman outside hitter Maradith O'Gorman led the Spartans in kills (14) for the fourth time this season. Sophomore Aliyah Moore was just behind O'Gorman with 13. Michigan State's other freshman outside, Evie Doezema, was one kill away from her first career double-double with nine kills and a season-high 11 digs. Sophomore Julia Bishop had a team best 33 assists while junior Nalani Iosia posted 24 digs for the Spartan defense.
The Spartans made quick work of the first set, scoring the first kill of the match on a Doezema swing and never looking back. MSU led for the entirety of the first set led by Doezema's five kills. Rutgers briefly cut Michigan State's lead to three in the set, but a 4-0 Spartan run put the set out of reach. Michigan State once again built a sizable lead in set two to force a Rutgers timeout, but this time the Scarlet Knights got right back in it, going on a 7-1 run to cut MSU's lead to one point at 17-16. Both teams traded runs up until the set was tied at 25-25. Kills from freshman Nil Okur and Moore clinched the set for the Spartans.
Rutgers led for the entirety of the third set despite MSU keeping it close in the early stages. After a Michigan State timeout down 13-8, the Scarlet Knights went on a 12-5 run to gain some momentum on their home floor. Set four was back-and-forth throughout, with Michigan State leading late at 18-17. Rutgers once again made plays when it needed them most, using a series of blocks and aces to score in the closing stages of the set. The Spartans led early in the fifth, taking a 4-3 lead on a Scarlet Knight attacking error. Michigan State found a kill out of a timeout to cut Rutgers' lead to 6-5, but the Scarlet Knights would control the remainder of the match using a 9-2 run.
Up Next: Michigan State makes a brief return home before traveling for matches at Maryland and Penn State next weekend. The Spartans will meet Maryland in College Park at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 30. Friday night's match will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. MSU will have an off day on Saturday before heading to State College, Pa. on Sunday, Oct. 2 for a 1:00 p.m. first serve at Penn State.
Team Stats
MSU
RU
Kills
49
51
Errors
42
21
Attempts
159
150
Hitting %
.044
.200
Points
64
76
Assists
45
47
Aces
6
6
Blocks
9
19
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
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