MSU Scores Second Straight Sweep, Downs Buckeyes

Friday, October 4

Columbus, Ohio

7 pm

Michigan State University

11-2, 2-1B1G

Ohio State

8-7, 1-2B1G

Michigan State

Ohio State

Michigan State Athletics Announces Kristen Kelsay Contract Extension

Monday, December 29

Kulig Named CSC Academic All-District

Tuesday, December 16

Staniszewska Earns AVCA All-North Region Honors

Tuesday, December 09

Karolina Staniszewska Named Second Team All-Big Ten

Tuesday, December 02

Next Event

Maryland

L, 2-3

Oct 5 (Sat)

7 pm

Box Score Recap PDF Box Watch: BTN+Listen Preview Live Stats History

Full Schedule

Team Stats

MSU

OSU

Kills

Errors

Attempts

118

Hitting %

.340

.119

Points

56.0

44.0

Assists

Aces

Blocks

11.0

3.0

10/4/2019 8:41:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Columbus, Ohio -- Michigan State earned its second straight sweep in Big Ten play, a 3-0 decision at Ohio State on Friday. MSU improves to 11-2, 2-1 Big Ten, and OSU falls to 8-7, 1-2 overall.

The Spartans hit .340 in the match with 11 blocks, firing at a better than .400 clip through the first two sets. MSU committed a season-low six hitting errors in the match and had its seventh double-digit blocking match of the season and first in B1G play.

MSU did it once again with a balanced offensive attack – Meredith Norris had 11 kills and hit .435 (11-1-23), while Naya Gros, Rebecka Poljan, and Alyssa Chronowski all had seven kills; Poljan had a match-best six blocks, hit .375, and added two aces, and Gros added four stuffs and hit .500.

For the Buckeyes, Madison Smeathers had 12 kills and hit .290, while Gabby Gonzales had nine kills and seven digs.

The Spartans continue their road swing on Saturday night at Maryland, the second meeting between the teams in as many weeks.

PLAYER HIGHS

Naya Gros delivered seven kills, four blocks and hit .500
Meredith Norris had 11 kills and four digs, hitting .435.
Rebecka Poljan led all players with six blocks and added seven kills and a pair of service aces.

STATS & STORYLINES

Through two sets, the Spartans had just two hitting errors and were hitting ..439 (27-2-57). The lone two errors were OSU blocks. MSU finished the night with a .340 percentage and a season-low six hitting errors.
The Spartans had four service aces in the second set, tying its season best in a frame.
MSU had 11 blocks, its first double-digit blocking effort since Sept. 20 vs. IUPUI. This was its seventh match with double-digit blocks in 13 matches this season.
Lauren Swartz had five blocks, tying career best. Her previous high of five came in November 2018 against the Buckeyes.
Molly Johnson had five kills, seven digs, and added three blocks (one solo).

SET SYNOPSIS

SET ONE: The Spartans raced out to a 7-3 lead after back-to-back blocks by Naya Gros and Lauren Swartz, forcing the home team into an early first time out. The Buckeyes had to call their second with a 15-9 deficit, as MSU was steadily building their lead with hot offense and a sound defense at the net. MSU turned on the jets, turning aa 17-10 lead into a 25-12 set victory by closing out the frame on a 9-2 run. Gros finished with three kills and three blocks in the set, (3-0-5, .600). Lauren Swartz shared the blocking lead with Gros and added three digs, and Rebecka Poljan had two kills and two blocks for MSU, which hit .429 in the frame (10-1-21). OSU hit negative (-.097, 9-12-31), with its block accounting for MSU's only hitting error in the frame.

SET TWO: Michigan State trailed its hosts 4-3 early in the second, but a 4-0 run – fueled by a kill and an ace by Norris – put MSU up 6-4. OSU rallied to tie it up at 7-all, then got a block out of bounds to go up one again, 8-7. A 4-1 run for the Buckeyes made it 11-8, and the Spartans called their first time out of the night to regroup. Hot hitting was the story on both sides of the net - MSU at .385 (6-1-13), OSU at .353 (6-0-17). MSU scored the first two points out of the break on a block by Swartz and Poljan and a termination by Norris, and Norris added a second in the sequence that allowed the Green & White to tie things up at 12- all. MSU continued its run out to 7-2, with a block and consecutive aces by Poljan to make it 15-13, and the Buckeyes called time out. The hiatus did not slow the momentum for MSU - the visitors pushed their lead out to four (18-14), but the home team took back some momentum with a 4-1 run that made it a one-point deficit at 19-18. A Gros kill and Norris service ace – MSU's fourth of the set – gave the Spartans back a three-point edge, which they held to 23-20. Chronowski got MSU to set point, and after the Buckeyes fended it off, an error gave the 25-20 win to MSU. The Spartans improved to hit .444 in the second with 17 kills adding four aces and two blocks. OSU was better (.262, 14-3-42) after hitting negative in the first set, but had a hard time containing the Spartan offense. Norris had seven kills in the set on nine swings, while Chronowski had four terminations. Jamye Cox had seven digs and Samantha McLean six, adding to MSU's total of 22 in the set (one shy of its season best of 23 in the first match vs. Duke). MSU's four service aces also tied its season high for a set this season.

SET THREE: Ohio State tried to run out to an early lead, but MSU used a 4-0 run to reverse a 6-3 deficit. A 3-0 run for the Buckeyes (helped by two MSU errors) gave the Buckeyes a 13-10 lead, but MSU battled it back within a point at 15-14 on a big block by Gros and Swartz followed by an OSU error. MSU tied things up at 17's and then kept going to take a 20-18 advantage, then raced out to get to set point at 24-18. The Buckeyes fended it off three times, but Poljan (two kills, two blocks) and Johnson (two kills, block) were a handful for the home team. The Spartans closed it out on a quick set in the middle to Gros, sealing the 25-21 win and the 3-0 sweep.

Michigan State Athletics Announces Kristen Kelsay Contract Extension

Monday, December 29

Kulig Named CSC Academic All-District

Tuesday, December 16

Staniszewska Earns AVCA All-North Region Honors

Tuesday, December 09

Karolina Staniszewska Named Second Team All-Big Ten

Tuesday, December 02

Next Event

Team Stats

Meredith Norris

Alyssa Chronowski

Naya Gros

Rebecka Poljan

Players Mentioned

Alyssa Chronowski

Jamye Cox

Naya Gros

Molly Johnson

Samantha McLean

Meredith Norris

Rebecka Poljan

Lauren Swartz