Michigan State University
Michigan
Spartan Volleyball Downs Wolverines In Conference Action
10/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 11, 2006
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball team improved its record to 12-5, 3-4 Big Ten with a 3-0 sweep of Michigan on Wednesday. State won by scores of 30-27, 30-28, and 30-26 in its first sweep of Michigan since 1999, and first victory in Ann Arbor since the 2003 campaign. U-M falls to 15-5, 2-5 in conference play with the loss.
The sweep marked the first win of Spartan head coach Cathy George's tenure at Michigan State versus the Wolverines, and the first time MSU has held a lead in the State Pride Flag series since the 2000 season.
"I was very proud of the way our team kept its composure tonight," George said. "We were down a little in games two and three and kept our focus through the remainder of the match to get the win."
The duo of Ashley Schatzle and Katie Johnson tallied double-digit kill totals in the same match for the 13th time this season, as Schatzle matched a career high with 24 kills on 42 attempts (.476), and Johnson added 13 for the Green and White.
Michigan State out-hit the Wolverines .314-.244 in the match, as setter Allison Ianni spread out 40 assists, adding six kills and four digs in the Spartan backcourt. State won the defensive battle, posting 9.0 total blocks against 6.5 by the U-M defenders. Middle blocker Jessica Hohl and Ianni each contributed one block solo and five block assists.
Libero Nicole Colaluca posted a match-high 15 digs, her ninth consecutive match with double-digit dig totals, while defensive specialist Miken Trogdon tallied 12 for the Green and White. State matched a season-low with four service errors compared to three aces, while Michigan managed two aces, committing eight service errors in the loss.
The Wolverines were led by Katie Bruzdzinski with 17 kills, while Veronica Rood and Lyndsay Miller added 13 and eight, respectively.
After matching points early in game one, Michigan State put together a 6-3 run to take a 22-18 advantage. Michigan pulled within three points of the Spartan lead at 27-24, but Schatzle's eighth kill of the set closed the 30-27 victory for the Green and White. Schatzle's total was a floor-high, while Johnson and Hohl each added three kills in the opening set. Ianni tallied 13 assists, directing the Spartans to a .310 attack percentage.
State committed nine attack errors in the early going of game two, and trailed the Wolverines 15-12 at the halfway point. Michigan used a three-point run to push its lead to 18-15, but MSU scored the next three points to knot the score at 18-18. Following a Spartan timeout, the Green and White battled back from a two-point deficit to tie the Wolverines at 28-28, then capitalized on a U-M attack error to take game two, 30-28. Schatzle matched her game-one total with eight kills, while Ianni and King each added one block in the set.
Trailing 18-12 in game three, State scored five of the next seven points to pull within three of the Wolverine lead at 20-17. An Ianni block sparked a 7-0 Spartan run, as MSU took its largest lead of the set, 23-20. Michigan scored two straight to pull within one of the Spartan lead at 26-25, but Michigan State scored four of the last five to earn the 30-26 game-three victory. Johnson and Schatzle combined for 12 kills in the set, while Trogdon tallied seven digs in the Spartan backcourt.
Michigan State returns home to host Iowa on Saturday at Jenison Field House. The Big Ten contest is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Fans who hold a ticket stub from Saturday's Michigan State-Ohio State football game will receive free admission.
