
Photo by: Brittney Kimball
Volleyball Extends Win Streak with Sweep of Iowa
11/4/2023 10:17:00 PM | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State volleyball earned its second sweep of the weekend on Saturday night, defeating Iowa in straight sets, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-22), from the Breslin Center.
"I was very proud of our point management, we were very low error tonight," Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson said. "I challenged the team to get 16 kills per set tonight and the team got close to that. It kept us aggressive to have that kind of output expectation."
With a win MSU improves to 16-9 overall and 8-6 in B1G action. Iowa falls to 8-18 with an 0-14 mark in conference play. The Spartans extend their win streak to three matches and secure an above .500 finish for the first time since 2018. A three-match winning streak is the longest conference streak by Michigan State since 2017.
Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem led all players with 16 kills in three sets, hitting .419 and adding eight digs. Fifth year middle blocker Amani McArthur finished with eight kills on highly efficient .778 hitting along with four blocks. Sophomore opposite Evie Doezema posted eight kills and freshman outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska added seven. Senior libero Nalani Iosia led all players with 13 digs and junior setter Julia Bishop added 25 assists.
The Spartans hit .400 in the match, marking the team's highest efficiency in B1G competition. MSU held Iowa to .126 hitting and sub .100 hitting in sets one and three. Michigan State opened the match hitting an impressive .542 in set one. The Spartans led in kills (46 to 31), assists (44 to 28), digs (43 to 27) and blocks (6 to 3).
Iowa was led in kills by Gabby Deery and Delaney McSweeney who each tallied eight. Bailey Ortega and Harlei Cole finished with six digs apiece, with Ortega leading with 14 assists.
Michigan State got off to a fast start in set one and never looked back, opening up a 7-3 advantage to force Iowa's first timeout. The Spartans continued to gradually extend their lead and used a 6-2 run mid-way through the frame to take a 16-9 advantage. A kill by Doezema pushed the Hawkeyes to burn their final timeout of the set. Michigan State came out of the break hot to end the set on a 9-2 run. Staniszewska had five of her seven kills in the first as she paced the attack early.
MSU controlled much of set two, leading Iowa by as many as six points late in the set, 18-12. The Hawkeyes started to mount a comeback effort however, using a 9-4 run to pull within one of Michigan State following a kill by McSweeney. Back-to-back Spartan kills by McArthur and Doezema put MSU on set point though as Michigan State thwarted Iowa's attempt at late heroics. Holdem started to find her groove in the second posting seven kills.
Set three was the tightest of the night featuring nine tied scores and six lead changes after the Hawkeyes led by as many as five early. An 8-3 Iowa run put them ahead of MSU 14-9 tas Michigan State called its final timeout of the set. It was the Spartans who responded well to the break though as MSU rattled off four straight points to force Iowa to stop the momentum leading by one, 14-13. McArthur took over in the run, starting things off with a kill and forcing the Hawkeye timeout after back-to-back-to-back blocks. A Michigan State attacking error put Iowa back in front by two, 17-15, but a 3-0 Spartan run that featured a pair of kills by Staniszewska gave MSU its first lead in the set (18-17) since the 6-5 mark early. Both sides traded blows late, with Iowa retaking a 22-21 advantage, but Michigan State settled themselves and scored four straight to take set three, 25-22.
UP NEXT
Michigan State hits the road next week, first taking on Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. inside the Covelli Center. Ohio State is currently 9-14 overall and 6-8 in B1G play after a 3-1 win over Indiana on Saturday night.
"I was very proud of our point management, we were very low error tonight," Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson said. "I challenged the team to get 16 kills per set tonight and the team got close to that. It kept us aggressive to have that kind of output expectation."
With a win MSU improves to 16-9 overall and 8-6 in B1G action. Iowa falls to 8-18 with an 0-14 mark in conference play. The Spartans extend their win streak to three matches and secure an above .500 finish for the first time since 2018. A three-match winning streak is the longest conference streak by Michigan State since 2017.
Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem led all players with 16 kills in three sets, hitting .419 and adding eight digs. Fifth year middle blocker Amani McArthur finished with eight kills on highly efficient .778 hitting along with four blocks. Sophomore opposite Evie Doezema posted eight kills and freshman outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska added seven. Senior libero Nalani Iosia led all players with 13 digs and junior setter Julia Bishop added 25 assists.
A successful weekend at home 🟢⚪️#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/DOeJfPP1KR
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) November 5, 2023
The Spartans hit .400 in the match, marking the team's highest efficiency in B1G competition. MSU held Iowa to .126 hitting and sub .100 hitting in sets one and three. Michigan State opened the match hitting an impressive .542 in set one. The Spartans led in kills (46 to 31), assists (44 to 28), digs (43 to 27) and blocks (6 to 3).
Iowa was led in kills by Gabby Deery and Delaney McSweeney who each tallied eight. Bailey Ortega and Harlei Cole finished with six digs apiece, with Ortega leading with 14 assists.
Michigan State got off to a fast start in set one and never looked back, opening up a 7-3 advantage to force Iowa's first timeout. The Spartans continued to gradually extend their lead and used a 6-2 run mid-way through the frame to take a 16-9 advantage. A kill by Doezema pushed the Hawkeyes to burn their final timeout of the set. Michigan State came out of the break hot to end the set on a 9-2 run. Staniszewska had five of her seven kills in the first as she paced the attack early.
MSU controlled much of set two, leading Iowa by as many as six points late in the set, 18-12. The Hawkeyes started to mount a comeback effort however, using a 9-4 run to pull within one of Michigan State following a kill by McSweeney. Back-to-back Spartan kills by McArthur and Doezema put MSU on set point though as Michigan State thwarted Iowa's attempt at late heroics. Holdem started to find her groove in the second posting seven kills.
Set three was the tightest of the night featuring nine tied scores and six lead changes after the Hawkeyes led by as many as five early. An 8-3 Iowa run put them ahead of MSU 14-9 tas Michigan State called its final timeout of the set. It was the Spartans who responded well to the break though as MSU rattled off four straight points to force Iowa to stop the momentum leading by one, 14-13. McArthur took over in the run, starting things off with a kill and forcing the Hawkeye timeout after back-to-back-to-back blocks. A Michigan State attacking error put Iowa back in front by two, 17-15, but a 3-0 Spartan run that featured a pair of kills by Staniszewska gave MSU its first lead in the set (18-17) since the 6-5 mark early. Both sides traded blows late, with Iowa retaking a 22-21 advantage, but Michigan State settled themselves and scored four straight to take set three, 25-22.
Winning in *sweeping* fashion for @MSU_Volleyball. 🤩
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) November 5, 2023
💻: @BigTenPlus pic.twitter.com/FCG92d4TsN
UP NEXT
Michigan State hits the road next week, first taking on Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. inside the Covelli Center. Ohio State is currently 9-14 overall and 6-8 in B1G play after a 3-1 win over Indiana on Saturday night.
Team Stats
Iowa
MSU
Kills
31
46
Errors
18
10
Attempts
103
90
Hitting %
.126
.400
Points
38.0
54.0
Assists
28
44
Aces
4
2
Blocks
3
6
Game Leaders
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