Michigan State University
Miami
Volleyball Captures Sixth Consecutive Spartan Invitational Crown
9/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball team (6-0) captured its sixth consecutive Spartan Invitational crown with a 3-0 sweep against Miami (2-4), Saturday night at Jension Field House. The Spartans posted scores of 30-15, 30-27 and 30-12 in the win. Junior outside hitter Jessica Hohl was named the tournament MVP, while senior setter Allison Ianni and junior outside hitter Ashley Schatzle also garnered all-tournament accolades.
"I was extremely pleased with our determination and focus throughout this entire tournament," Spartan head coach Cathy George said. "Winning this weekend was a reflection of the passion and hard work that our entire time has put forth this year. We are playing like a cohesive unit, which is exactly what we want as we continue to near the Big Ten Conference season."
Hohl paced the Green and White offense, posting 12 kills on 16 attempts for a career-high .750 hitting percentage. Schatzle added 12 kills on 24 attempts for a .417 average, while outside hitter Katie Johnson tallied 15 kills, two digs, one block solo, and three block assists for the match. Ianni spread out 41 assists, adding three digs and two block assists, while Mischelle Nelson and Heather McDaniel added four and five kills, respectively.
"I am so proud of our team and the way we battled this weekend," Hohl said. "We showed composure throughout the entire tournament and the crowd was such a great contribution to the win."
State dominated at the net, posting 9.0 total blocks compared to just 2.0 by the Hurricanes. Miami tallied just 16 digs against 39 by the Spartan backcourt where libero Nicole Colaluca tallied a match-best 13 digs and defensive specialists Melany Rarey and Miken Trogdon added seven and five digs, respectively. Hohl anchored the Spartans at the net, posting five block assists, while Nelson and Schatzle added two blocks each.
Michigan State scored 13 of the first 15 points to take a 13-2 lead in the opening set of the night. Miami was unable to overcome the deficit as the Spartans scored eight of the final 12 points to take a 30-15 game-one victory. Hohl was perfect for the set, pounding six kills on six attempts, while Johnson and McDaniel added five and three kills, respectively. Ianni tallied two digs and directed the Spartan offense to a .577 hitting percentage in game one.
Game two saw the teams match points early before an Ianni kill gave MSU a 15-12 advantage midway through the set. Miami rallied to score four consecutive points to knot the score at 16-16 before Johnson and Schatzle connected on back-to-back swings for an 18-16 Spartan lead. After an MSU timeout, State scored six of the next nine points and a Vanessa King kill down the line secured the 30-27 game-two win. Schatzle posted a game-best seven kills, while Hohl added three kills and two block assists.
State led 15-7 at the midway point of game three behind back-to-back kills by Schatzle and King. After a Hurricane timeout, State scored eight of the next 10 points capped by a Tracy Bellwood ace to take a commanding 27-12 lead. Schatzle scored the last point of the match on an assist by freshman setter Katie Vander Meer, as MSU clinched the tournament crown with a 30-12 game-three win. Johnson posted a game-high six kills, while Colaluca added five digs for the Spartan defense.
MSU continues non-conference action when it travels to the Buckeye Invitational hosted by Ohio State University, Sept. 8-9. MSU will face Arizona State and Tennessee Tech at the two-day event.
Spartan Invitational All-Tournament Team
Jessica Hohl, MVP - MSU
Allison Ianni - MSU
Ashley Schatzle - MSU
Becky Reenders - Eastern Michigan
Lindsay Piccolini - Eastern Michigan
Adrian Semrau - Villanova
Jill Robinson - Miami
