Michigan State University
7-0,0-0Big Ten
Appalachian State
6-1,0-0Sun Belt
Volleyball Knocks Off Appalachian State in Five Sets
9/12/2025 5:51:00 PM | Volleyball
KENNESAW, Ga. -Â Michigan State volleyball got off to its best start since the 2012 season with a gritty five-set win over previously undefeated Appalachian State (26-24, 21-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-10) Friday afternoon at Kennesaw State's VyStar Arena.Â
MSU moves to 7-0 with the victory, its best start to a season since 2012 when the Spartans started at 12-0. The 7-0 start also matches the best start in program history for a first-year head coach, with head coach Kristen Kelsay matching Annelies Knoppers' 7-0 start in 1974.Â
App State falls to 6-1 with the loss.Â
Despite being out-hit .243 to .197 in the match, the Spartans outpaced the Mountaineers in total kills (66-60) and digs (64-62) and out-blocked App State with a new season high in blocks, 13-to-12.Â
Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska led the Spartans in kills with a career-high 19, topping her previous high of 16 set during on Aug. 26, 2023 against Tulsa. Junior outside hitter Taylah Holdem and senior opposite Evie Doezema each recorded 11, while junior middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig added a season-high seven and freshman Bianca Mumcular posted a career-high nine on .250 hitting. Kulig also matched a season high in blocks with a team-leading seven and added a match-high four service aces.Â
Redshirt sophomore Malayah Long notched her fourth-straight double-double with 50 assists and a team-leading and career-high 16 digs. Liberos Lia Schneider and Sarah Vellucci also recorded double-digit digs with 15 and 13, respectively.Â
Schneider, Holdem and junior defensive specialist Ky Clayton each provided a service ace.Â
App State got out to an 11-6 lead in the first set, but a kill from Kulig and an attack error from the Mountaineers followed by back-to-back service aces from Kulig brought the Spartans within a point at 11-10. The Mountaineers followed with a kill to extend the lead back to two before kills from Doezema and Holdem and a service ace from Schneider gave the Spartans their first lead of the set, 13-12. Â
App State retook the lead at 14-13 and extended it to two with back-to-back blocks to make it 16-14. The teams then traded points back-and-forth until an attack error from the Mountaineers and a block from junior middle blocker Breccan Scheck and Long tied the set at 20-20. MSU then forced an App State timeout after taking a 22-21 lead after kills from Holdem and Staniszewska. App State tied the match again at 22-22, but back-to-back kills from Staniszewska got the Spartans to set point at 24-22. The Mountaineers fought off the set point with a pair of kills to tie the set again at 24-24, but a service error from App State got the Spartans to set point again at 25-24 and a solo block from Kulig sealed the first set, 26-24.Â
After a back-and-forth start to the second set, the Mountaineers got out to a four-point lead at 15-12. A kill from Kulig and a block from Scheck and Doezema brought the Spartans within one at 15-14, but a three-point swing from the Mountaineers got the App State lead back up to four at 18-14. A 5-1 run from the Spartans capped off by back-to-back kills from Staniszewska tied the set again at 19-19, but a 6-1 run from the Mountaineers to close the set gave App State the second frame, 25-21, and tied the match at 1-1.Â
MSU got out to a 3-0 start and used a 5-1 run after App State tied the set at 9-9 to take a 14-10 lead in the third set. The Mountaineers then used a 7-2 run of their own to take their first lead of the set at 17-16. Back-to-back Mountaineer errors then helped the Spartans back to a one-point lead at 18-17. App State recorded a kill and an ace to take the lead back at 19-18, but a solo block from Staniszewska tied the set again at 19-19. Â
A kill from Kulig and a Mountaineer attack error put the Spartans back up by one at 21-20, but a pair of App State points to retake the lead at 22-21 forced an MSU timeout. Kills from Doezema tied the match at 22-22 and again at 23-23 before the Mountaineers rallied for back-to-back points to take the third set, 25-23.Â
Neither team was able to take more than a one-point lead in the fourth set until MSU opened up a three-point advantage at 12-9 following a kill from Doezema, a service ace from Kulig and a pair of Mountaineer attack errors. After App State tied the set at 12-12, a 5-0 Spartan run that featured a pair of kills from Mumcular, a kill from Long and a service ace from Clayton forced an App State timeout at 17-12. Another kill from Staniszewska helped the Spartans to a 21-15 lead before a block from Kulig and Staniszewska got the MSU to set point at 24-17. App State fought off four Spartan match points to get within three at 24-21, but a career-high-matching 16th kill from Staniszewska forced a fifth set at 25-21.Â
Mumcular tallied three-straight kills and Scheck added another to help the Spartans to an 11-4 lead in the final set. App State rattled off four-straight points to get within three and force an MSU timeout at 11-8, but a kill from Scheck out of the timeout extended the MSU lead back to four. Staniszewska recorded three more kills to secure the set for the Spartans, including her career-high 19th to end the match, 15-10.Â
Up next, MSU returns home to host the third annual Kathy DeBoer Invitational presented by Auto-Owners Insurance inside Jenison Field House, beginning with a 6 p.m. match against Binghamton on Thursday, Sept. 18.Â
