Wednesday, September 11
East Lansing, Mich.
6 PM
Michigan State University
4-3,0-0Big Ten
0
vs
3
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Western Michigan
4-2,0-0MAC
1
2
3
F
Western Mich.
25
25
25
3
Michigan St.
17
21
21
0
Photo by: Brittney Kimball
Volleyball Bested by Reigning MAC Champion Western Michigan
9/11/2024 9:05:00 PM | Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State volleyball was defeated by 2023 NCAA Tournament qualifier Western Michigan on Wednesday night, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21), at the Breslin Student Events Center.
MSU moves to 4-3 overall while the Broncos improve to 4-2. Western Michigan finished the 2023 season with a 31-3 (18-0 MAC) record en route to a round of 32 appearance at the NCAA Tournament and entered the week fresh off a win over No. 24-ranked Marquette.
Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston finished the match with 11 kills to lead Michigan State, adding a season-high eight digs and three blocks to her final tally. Senior opposite Aliyah Moore finished with seven kills to hit an efficient .357.
Sophomore Cameron Berger posted a season-best 13 assists and senior libero Nalani Iosia led all players with 17 digs on Wednesday night.
Michigan State hit .202 but got better as the match went on hitting .293 in set three. MSU out-blocked Western Michigan, 7-to-3, behind junior middle blocker Nil Okur's four blocks. The Spartans finished the night with five aces led by sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem's two.
Western Michigan got out to a 16-7 lead in set one, but MSU charged back using an 8-2 run to pull within three points of the Broncos at 18-15. The run featured both of Holdem's aces on the night and was capped off on a double block by sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig and senior setter Rachel Muisenga. WMU pulled away late to take the first.
Michigan State once again made a run to get themselves back into set two after trailing 8-1 early. Moore went on a personal four point run to cut the deficit to 13-10, finding the floor for three kills and teaming with Kulig for a block. The Broncos stretched their lead to 20-14 late, but Michigan State battled to score four-straight, slicing the advantage to 20-18. A block from Okur and Preston finished the run and looked to halt the WMU momentum for good. Iosia's ace prevented the Broncos from going on set point, 23-21, but Western ended the set on top.
The Spartans got out to their quickest start of the night leading 5-1 in the third. Preston put down two of her 11 kills in that stretch. Michigan State rallied with the Broncos for over a minute straight up 2-1, ultimately winning their third point on a block by Moore and Okur. Western Michigan would not go down easy rattling off six-straight points to force a Spartan timeout. An 8-1 Bronco streak put WMU ahead 18-9 and forced Michigan State to dig deep once again. Dig deep they did, scoring four of the next five and eight of the next 11 points to trail 21-17. Holdem had an efficient attacking third set with four kills on six attempts and no errors. The Spartans out-scored Western Michigan 12-7 in the third after going down 18-9.
Up Next
Michigan State returns to action on Monday night in Ypsilanti, Mich. when it meets Eastern Michigan at 6:00 p.m. inside the Gervin GameAbove Center. EMU is 2-5 to start the season and will play Evansville, Morehead State and Duquesne at the Comfort Inn-Vitational this weekend prior to meeting MSU. It'll be a quick turnaround for the Spartans on Tuesday night hosting Purdue Fort Wayne for a 6:00 p.m. first serve in the Breslin Center.
MSU moves to 4-3 overall while the Broncos improve to 4-2. Western Michigan finished the 2023 season with a 31-3 (18-0 MAC) record en route to a round of 32 appearance at the NCAA Tournament and entered the week fresh off a win over No. 24-ranked Marquette.
Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston finished the match with 11 kills to lead Michigan State, adding a season-high eight digs and three blocks to her final tally. Senior opposite Aliyah Moore finished with seven kills to hit an efficient .357.
Sophomore Cameron Berger posted a season-best 13 assists and senior libero Nalani Iosia led all players with 17 digs on Wednesday night.
Michigan State hit .202 but got better as the match went on hitting .293 in set three. MSU out-blocked Western Michigan, 7-to-3, behind junior middle blocker Nil Okur's four blocks. The Spartans finished the night with five aces led by sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem's two.
We're back in Breslin for more mid week action next Tuesday the 17th! See you then, Spartans 🟢⚪️#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/hcTFK3aMcI
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 12, 2024
Western Michigan got out to a 16-7 lead in set one, but MSU charged back using an 8-2 run to pull within three points of the Broncos at 18-15. The run featured both of Holdem's aces on the night and was capped off on a double block by sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig and senior setter Rachel Muisenga. WMU pulled away late to take the first.
Michigan State once again made a run to get themselves back into set two after trailing 8-1 early. Moore went on a personal four point run to cut the deficit to 13-10, finding the floor for three kills and teaming with Kulig for a block. The Broncos stretched their lead to 20-14 late, but Michigan State battled to score four-straight, slicing the advantage to 20-18. A block from Okur and Preston finished the run and looked to halt the WMU momentum for good. Iosia's ace prevented the Broncos from going on set point, 23-21, but Western ended the set on top.
The Spartans got out to their quickest start of the night leading 5-1 in the third. Preston put down two of her 11 kills in that stretch. Michigan State rallied with the Broncos for over a minute straight up 2-1, ultimately winning their third point on a block by Moore and Okur. Western Michigan would not go down easy rattling off six-straight points to force a Spartan timeout. An 8-1 Bronco streak put WMU ahead 18-9 and forced Michigan State to dig deep once again. Dig deep they did, scoring four of the next five and eight of the next 11 points to trail 21-17. Holdem had an efficient attacking third set with four kills on six attempts and no errors. The Spartans out-scored Western Michigan 12-7 in the third after going down 18-9.
An over one minute long rally ends in an MSU block party!#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/WVvZcUJnGb
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) September 11, 2024
Up Next
Michigan State returns to action on Monday night in Ypsilanti, Mich. when it meets Eastern Michigan at 6:00 p.m. inside the Gervin GameAbove Center. EMU is 2-5 to start the season and will play Evansville, Morehead State and Duquesne at the Comfort Inn-Vitational this weekend prior to meeting MSU. It'll be a quick turnaround for the Spartans on Tuesday night hosting Purdue Fort Wayne for a 6:00 p.m. first serve in the Breslin Center.
Team Stats
WMU
MSU
Kills
45
37
Errors
12
14
Attempts
108
114
Hitting %
.306
.202
Points
52.0
49.0
Assists
45
31
Aces
4
5
Blocks
3
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
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