Saturday, October 26
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Photo by: Brittney Kimball
Volleyball's Anderson Continues Strong Weekend at UCLA
10/26/2024 9:43:00 PM | Volleyball
LOS ANGELES – Michigan State volleyball concluded its West Coast trip on Saturday night falling to UCLA, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) at Pauley Pavilion. Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson continued a strong stretch of play leading the Spartans with 12 kills on .290 hitting and three blocks.
MSU moves to 8-13 (1-9 B1G) while UCLA improves to 10-9 (4-6 B1G). The Spartans will return to the Breslin Center next weekend to host No. 15-ranked Minnesota and Ohio State.
Anderson finishes her weekend with 38 kills on 4.75 kills/set and 5.50 points/set to go with 17 digs, eight blocks and a pair of service aces.
Middle blockers Zuzanna Kulig and Evie Doezema each tallied six kills on 10 swings for MSU to hit a combined .550 (12-1-20). Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston posted seven kills, while sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem led MSU with eight digs.
Senior setter Julia Bishop finished with 28 assists and senior libero Nalani Iosia added seven digs.
The Spartans hit a strong .281 for the match that included a .320 swinging first set but were outmatched by UCLA's .353 hitting. MSU out-blocked the Bruins 5-to-3 led by Kulig's four blocks.
Michigan State hit .320 and got five kills from Anderson in set one but was opposed by a hot hitting UCLA squad who hit .625 in the first en route to a first set victory. The Bruins opened the frame up 6-2, but a 3-1 Spartan stretch got the deficit down to two points on a Preston kill to trail 9-7. UCLA used a 10-3 run to build a 20-11 lead over the Spartans late. Michigan State started to find its footing late in the set thanks to Anderson who tallied three late kills before an ace from sophomore Ky Clayton capped a 4-1 run for MSU.
After a Preston kill tied set two at 6-6 the Spartans went on an 8-3 run that saw them build a 13-9 lead over UCLA. Preston and Anderson factored heavily into the run with two kills apiece. The Bruins swung momentum back in their favor with a 16-6 scoring stretch to conclude set two, 25-19. Anderson's eighth kill of the match kept the Spartans in striking distance trailing 18-16.
Anderson's strong play continued into set three when her kill put Michigan State ahead 8-4. UCLA found another gear using a 9-1 run to lead 13-9 over MSU before a kill by Preston and a double block by Anderson and Kulig stymied the momentum. Michigan State got hot late in the set as they looked to send the match to set four utilizing a 6-2 stretch to tie the set at 20-20 following consecutive Preston kills. UCLA scored three straight out of a timeout before a two-point Spartan swing capped off by Anderson's 12th kill pulled MSU within one point late, 23-22. UCLA scored the final two points of the third to end the match.
MSU moves to 8-13 (1-9 B1G) while UCLA improves to 10-9 (4-6 B1G). The Spartans will return to the Breslin Center next weekend to host No. 15-ranked Minnesota and Ohio State.
Anderson finishes her weekend with 38 kills on 4.75 kills/set and 5.50 points/set to go with 17 digs, eight blocks and a pair of service aces.
Middle blockers Zuzanna Kulig and Evie Doezema each tallied six kills on 10 swings for MSU to hit a combined .550 (12-1-20). Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston posted seven kills, while sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem led MSU with eight digs.
Senior setter Julia Bishop finished with 28 assists and senior libero Nalani Iosia added seven digs.
The Spartans hit a strong .281 for the match that included a .320 swinging first set but were outmatched by UCLA's .353 hitting. MSU out-blocked the Bruins 5-to-3 led by Kulig's four blocks.
Michigan State hit .320 and got five kills from Anderson in set one but was opposed by a hot hitting UCLA squad who hit .625 in the first en route to a first set victory. The Bruins opened the frame up 6-2, but a 3-1 Spartan stretch got the deficit down to two points on a Preston kill to trail 9-7. UCLA used a 10-3 run to build a 20-11 lead over the Spartans late. Michigan State started to find its footing late in the set thanks to Anderson who tallied three late kills before an ace from sophomore Ky Clayton capped a 4-1 run for MSU.
Ky stays hot behind the service line with her fourth ACE of the weekend!#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/mqW0u9DaXc
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 26, 2024
After a Preston kill tied set two at 6-6 the Spartans went on an 8-3 run that saw them build a 13-9 lead over UCLA. Preston and Anderson factored heavily into the run with two kills apiece. The Bruins swung momentum back in their favor with a 16-6 scoring stretch to conclude set two, 25-19. Anderson's eighth kill of the match kept the Spartans in striking distance trailing 18-16.
Kash stays hot with her eighth kill of the night!#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/kvAWawBnrl
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 27, 2024
Anderson's strong play continued into set three when her kill put Michigan State ahead 8-4. UCLA found another gear using a 9-1 run to lead 13-9 over MSU before a kill by Preston and a double block by Anderson and Kulig stymied the momentum. Michigan State got hot late in the set as they looked to send the match to set four utilizing a 6-2 stretch to tie the set at 20-20 following consecutive Preston kills. UCLA scored three straight out of a timeout before a two-point Spartan swing capped off by Anderson's 12th kill pulled MSU within one point late, 23-22. UCLA scored the final two points of the third to end the match.
Taylor Preston finds a soft spot in the defense to tie the third at 20-20!#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/f9VYi2jcqs
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 27, 2024
Team Stats
MSU
UCLA
Kills
35
49
Errors
8
13
Attempts
96
102
Hitting %
.281
.353
Points
41.0
54.0
Assists
34
46
Aces
1
2
Blocks
5
3
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
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