Michigan State University
Penn State
Volleyball Falls At No. 16 Penn State, 3-2
11/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 15, 2003
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Michigan State volleyball's five-match winning streak was snapped in University Park, Pa., Saturday night as No. 16 Penn State defeated the Spartans, 3-2 (28-30, 30-24, 21-30, 30-28, 8-15). With the loss, the Spartans move to 18-8 on the year and 10-6 in Big Ten play, while Penn State is now 24-4 overall and 13-3 in the league.
Sara Villwock and Kim Schram each had 19 kills in the match; Schram had 15 digs and three service aces. Nikki Colson added 60 assists in the match, while Megan Wallin contributed a career-best nine blocks to go along with 12 kills. Volwock also had eight digs and five blocks. The match was just the second time this season MSU has lost a five-game match; both losses are at the hands of Penn State.
Penn State led for most of the first game, and eventually claimed the win, 30-28. The Spartans, down by as many as five late in the game (29-24), fought back to close the gap to one (29-28), though a kill from Penn State's Cassy Salyer gave the Nittany Lions the win. Schram had four kills for the Spartans, and added two block assists and an assist. Wallin had three kills on .600 hitting, and led MSU with four blocks, one solo and three assists. The teams posted similar attack percentages, as MSU hit .239 (17K-6E-46TA) to Penn State's .245 (20K-8E-49TA).
Game two saw the Spartans jump out to a five-point lead on a service run from Colson. From there, the Spartans never trailed, and won 30-24 to even the match at a game each. MSU led by seven (18-11), and Penn State closed the gap to one (20-19), though MSU hung on to the lead. Rood contributed seven kills in the second game, hitting .778 in the game. Wallin had three more blocks to go along with two kills and a dig, while Colson added 15 assists to the MSU effort. The Spartans hit .262, while holding PSU to .037 in the second game.
Penn State controlled the third game, and took the win, 30-21. The Nittany Lions took at one-point lead at 5-4 and never let the Spartans back into the game. As a team, Michigan State hit .062 in the third game to PSU's .213. Schram added six kills for the Spartans, while Wallin had four in the game to go along with another block assist. Through four games, Schram (13), Colson (10) and Marley Bellwood (10) each had double-figure digs.
In the fourth game, the Spartans battled back from a five-point deficit to tie the game at 13, and took the lead at 22-20 on the basis of two service aces from Schram. From there, the teams traded the lead until MSU took the game, 30-28. Schram and Villwock each had five kills in the game. Colson had 13 assists, while Wallin added another block assist.
Penn State handed the Spartans their second five-game loss of the season, 15-8. The fifth game saw Penn State jump out to a 6-2 lead on the basis of block assists from Sam Tortorello and Cara Smith, and a block solo from Smith. Attack errors hurt the Spartans early in the game, as well, with three errors on their first five attacks. Syndie Nadeau posted an eight-point service run to move the Nittany Lions to a 10-2 lead. Villwock had three kills in the fifth game.
MSU has won seven of its last nine matches in Big Ten play, and returns to East Lansing for its final home matches of the season on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22. Friday, MSU faces Minnesota and takes on Iowa Saturday. Both matches begin at 8 p.m. in Jenison Field House.
