Sunday, September 1
Fort Collins, Colo.
5 PM ET
Michigan State University
1-2,0-0Big Ten
0
vs
3
Florida
3-0,0-0SEC
1
2
3
F
Michigan St.
24
18
17
0
Florida
26
25
25
3
Photo by: Brittney Kimball
Spartans Battle in Loss to #11 Florida
9/1/2024 7:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Spartans Battle in Loss to #11 Florida
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Michigan State volleyball concluded its trip out west on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 11-ranked Florida, 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-17), in match that was closer than the final score indicated. MSU hung close with the Gators throughout the match, but prolonged scoring runs were the difference.
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A loss to nationally ranked Florida moves Michigan State's overall record to 1-2, while the Gators finish the weekend in Colorado 3-0.
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Junior Akasha Anderson led MSU with 10 kills with sophomore Taylah Holdem adding seven. Holdem led all Spartans with two service aces. Sophomore Zuzanna Kulig continued her efficient weekend hitting .556 with five kills on nine attempts. Kulig tallied four blocks to tie junior Evie Doezema for the team high.
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Seniors Julia Bishop and Rachel Muisenga added 15 and 12 assists, respectively, with Bishop finishing one dig away from a double-double at nine. Senior Nalani Iosia posted a team-best 13 digs.
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Michigan State hit .206 overall including a .323 clip in set one but were outpaced by the .361 hitting of Florida. The Gators held a 5-3 advantage in aces and led in blocks 9-to-8.5.
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A back-and-forth first saw the Spartans lead by as many as two points late at 20-18 and 23-21. Both MSU advantages forced Gator timeouts after back-to-back aces by Holdem and Anderson's fifth kill of the set. Moore's second kill put Michigan State on set point, 24-23, but Florida rattled off three straight to steal set one.
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Holdem's fourth kill of the match tied set two early at 8-8, but Florida picked up the pressure using a 9-3 run, taking a 17-11 lead that forced MSU into calling each of its timeouts. Michigan State looked to get back into things out of the break using a 4-1 run to pull back within three points after consecutive kills by Holdem and senior Aliyah Moore. The Gators would stave off the Spartan momentum however scoring five-straight to take a 23-15 lead, only to have their run stopped by three kills from Moore and Kulig (x2). Florida found set point however to take a 2-0 match lead.
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Both sides traded runs to start the third set, with a 4-0 Spartan run forcing a Gator breather and the ensuing 5-0 Florida run tying the frame at 6-6. A Holdem kill briefly gave MSU back an 8-7 lead, but Florida used a 7-2 stretch to lead 14-10 and burn Michigan State's second timeout. It was MSU that came out of the timeout with momentum however as they'd cut Florida's led to two, 15-13, after kills by graduate Danyle Courtley and Anderson (x2). Runs continued to be the name of the game in set three as Florida took a 22-14 lead off a late 7-1 swing. Michigan State continued to grind things out scoring three of the next four points including a kill by senior Grace Kelly, but Florida took the set 25-17.
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Up Next
Michigan State will take the Breslin Center floor for the first time in 2024 next weekend when it hosts the second annual Kathy DeBoer Invitational presented by Auto-Owners Insurance on September 6-8. MSU starts the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. match against Western Kentucky on Friday, September 6.
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The Hilltoppers are 2-1 following an opening weekend in which they defeated Morehead State (3-1) and Northern Kentucky (3-0), while dropping their final match to No. 9-ranked Kentucky (3-1). Western Kentucky was the first team left out of the initial AVCA Top 25 poll of the season garnering 157 votes.
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Michigan State volleyball concluded its trip out west on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 11-ranked Florida, 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-17), in match that was closer than the final score indicated. MSU hung close with the Gators throughout the match, but prolonged scoring runs were the difference.
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A loss to nationally ranked Florida moves Michigan State's overall record to 1-2, while the Gators finish the weekend in Colorado 3-0.
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Junior Akasha Anderson led MSU with 10 kills with sophomore Taylah Holdem adding seven. Holdem led all Spartans with two service aces. Sophomore Zuzanna Kulig continued her efficient weekend hitting .556 with five kills on nine attempts. Kulig tallied four blocks to tie junior Evie Doezema for the team high.
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Seniors Julia Bishop and Rachel Muisenga added 15 and 12 assists, respectively, with Bishop finishing one dig away from a double-double at nine. Senior Nalani Iosia posted a team-best 13 digs.
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Michigan State hit .206 overall including a .323 clip in set one but were outpaced by the .361 hitting of Florida. The Gators held a 5-3 advantage in aces and led in blocks 9-to-8.5.
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A back-and-forth first saw the Spartans lead by as many as two points late at 20-18 and 23-21. Both MSU advantages forced Gator timeouts after back-to-back aces by Holdem and Anderson's fifth kill of the set. Moore's second kill put Michigan State on set point, 24-23, but Florida rattled off three straight to steal set one.
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Holdem's fourth kill of the match tied set two early at 8-8, but Florida picked up the pressure using a 9-3 run, taking a 17-11 lead that forced MSU into calling each of its timeouts. Michigan State looked to get back into things out of the break using a 4-1 run to pull back within three points after consecutive kills by Holdem and senior Aliyah Moore. The Gators would stave off the Spartan momentum however scoring five-straight to take a 23-15 lead, only to have their run stopped by three kills from Moore and Kulig (x2). Florida found set point however to take a 2-0 match lead.
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Both sides traded runs to start the third set, with a 4-0 Spartan run forcing a Gator breather and the ensuing 5-0 Florida run tying the frame at 6-6. A Holdem kill briefly gave MSU back an 8-7 lead, but Florida used a 7-2 stretch to lead 14-10 and burn Michigan State's second timeout. It was MSU that came out of the timeout with momentum however as they'd cut Florida's led to two, 15-13, after kills by graduate Danyle Courtley and Anderson (x2). Runs continued to be the name of the game in set three as Florida took a 22-14 lead off a late 7-1 swing. Michigan State continued to grind things out scoring three of the next four points including a kill by senior Grace Kelly, but Florida took the set 25-17.
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Up Next
Michigan State will take the Breslin Center floor for the first time in 2024 next weekend when it hosts the second annual Kathy DeBoer Invitational presented by Auto-Owners Insurance on September 6-8. MSU starts the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. match against Western Kentucky on Friday, September 6.
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The Hilltoppers are 2-1 following an opening weekend in which they defeated Morehead State (3-1) and Northern Kentucky (3-0), while dropping their final match to No. 9-ranked Kentucky (3-1). Western Kentucky was the first team left out of the initial AVCA Top 25 poll of the season garnering 157 votes.
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Team Stats
MSU
UF
Kills
37
47
Errors
16
12
Attempts
102
97
Hitting %
.206
.361
Points
48.5
61.0
Assists
29
44
Aces
3
5
Blocks
8.5
9
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
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MB
/ VolleyballOH
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DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH
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OH
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S
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