Sunday, September 29
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2 PM
Michigan State University
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Penn State
12-1,2-0Big Ten
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Michigan St.
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Photo by: Brittney Kimball
Volleyball Takes Set Off #4 Penn State in Gritty Effort
9/29/2024 5:04:00 PM | Volleyball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A gritty four-set effort was not enough for Michigan State volleyball on Sunday as it fell 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-23) to No. 4-ranked Penn State at Rec Hall. Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston turned in her best performance of the season tallying 18 kills on .317 hitting alongside seven digs and two blocks.
MSU moves to 7-6 (0-2 B1G) while the Nittany Lions improve to 12-1 (2-0 B1G). The Spartans are back on the road next weekend traveling to the state of Indiana to face Indiana (7-5, 0-2 B1G) and No. 10-ranked Purdue (10-3, 1-1 B1G).
Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson notched her second double-double as a Spartan with 10 kills and 10 digs in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig led the team with four blocks. Senior setter Julia Bishop assisted on a season-high 33 attempts and senior libero Nalani Iosia recorded 14 digs.
The Spartans hit .176, hitting .286 in set four. Penn State hit .247 for the match as MSU held them to .109 hitting in set one. PSU outside hitter Jess Mruzik finished with a match-high 29 kills to lead the Nittany Lions.
Michigan State took an 8-7 lead early in the first and never looked back, holding the Nittany Lions to just .109 hitting in the frame. The Spartans led by as many as five in the frame, including at 17-13 after Penn State service error. PSU used a 3-0 run to pull within one point of Michigan State late, 22-21, but Preston won the set for MSU with her fourth kill of the stanza.
Penn State led by as many as eight in the second set with an 18-10 advantage over the Spartans. A late 5-1 MSU run forced the Nittany Lions to call a timeout to thwart the Spartan momentum however after a Bishop ace brought the score back to 20-16. MSU scored three straight to end the run after a block by Kulig and Bishop started things. PSU took advantage of the timeout scoring five of six points out of the break to take set two.
MSU brought its deficit down to one point after a Preston kill mid-way through set made it 12-11 in favor of the Nittany Lions. A PSU block gave Penn State a 22-17 lead over the Spartans, but Michigan State responded with a 4-1 run to cut the advantage to two. Preston highlighted the run with her 12th kill of the afternoon.
The Spartans led 14-12 mid-way through the fourth after a Preston kill, but a 10-4 Nittany Lion run saw PSU ahead by four late at 22-18. Michigan State battled back to tie the fourth at 22-22 after two Penn State errors were compounded by a block from Preston and junior middle blocker Evie Doezema. Preston's final kill of the afternoon tied the final set at 23-23 before consecutive Nittany Lion kills ended the match.
Up Next
Michigan State remains on the road in B1G play next weekend taking on Indiana and Purdue. The Spartans start their weekend with a 7:00 p.m. match at Indiana on Friday, October 4. Sunday night's match against Purdue will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m.
MSU moves to 7-6 (0-2 B1G) while the Nittany Lions improve to 12-1 (2-0 B1G). The Spartans are back on the road next weekend traveling to the state of Indiana to face Indiana (7-5, 0-2 B1G) and No. 10-ranked Purdue (10-3, 1-1 B1G).
Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson notched her second double-double as a Spartan with 10 kills and 10 digs in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig led the team with four blocks. Senior setter Julia Bishop assisted on a season-high 33 attempts and senior libero Nalani Iosia recorded 14 digs.
The Spartans hit .176, hitting .286 in set four. Penn State hit .247 for the match as MSU held them to .109 hitting in set one. PSU outside hitter Jess Mruzik finished with a match-high 29 kills to lead the Nittany Lions.
Michigan State took an 8-7 lead early in the first and never looked back, holding the Nittany Lions to just .109 hitting in the frame. The Spartans led by as many as five in the frame, including at 17-13 after Penn State service error. PSU used a 3-0 run to pull within one point of Michigan State late, 22-21, but Preston won the set for MSU with her fourth kill of the stanza.
Penn State led by as many as eight in the second set with an 18-10 advantage over the Spartans. A late 5-1 MSU run forced the Nittany Lions to call a timeout to thwart the Spartan momentum however after a Bishop ace brought the score back to 20-16. MSU scored three straight to end the run after a block by Kulig and Bishop started things. PSU took advantage of the timeout scoring five of six points out of the break to take set two.
MSU brought its deficit down to one point after a Preston kill mid-way through set made it 12-11 in favor of the Nittany Lions. A PSU block gave Penn State a 22-17 lead over the Spartans, but Michigan State responded with a 4-1 run to cut the advantage to two. Preston highlighted the run with her 12th kill of the afternoon.
The Spartans led 14-12 mid-way through the fourth after a Preston kill, but a 10-4 Nittany Lion run saw PSU ahead by four late at 22-18. Michigan State battled back to tie the fourth at 22-22 after two Penn State errors were compounded by a block from Preston and junior middle blocker Evie Doezema. Preston's final kill of the afternoon tied the final set at 23-23 before consecutive Nittany Lion kills ended the match.
Up Next
Michigan State remains on the road in B1G play next weekend taking on Indiana and Purdue. The Spartans start their weekend with a 7:00 p.m. match at Indiana on Friday, October 4. Sunday night's match against Purdue will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m.
Team Stats
MSU
PSU
Kills
42
68
Errors
18
30
Attempts
136
154
Hitting %
.176
.247
Points
52.0
82.0
Assists
39
63
Aces
3
5
Blocks
7
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
3
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
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