Michigan State University
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Western Michigan
1-6,0-0MAC
Career Highs Push Spartans Past Broncos, 3-1
9/8/2025 11:09:00 PM | Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Four Spartans recorded career highs en route to a 3-1 win for Michigan State volleyball at Western Michigan Monday night inside University Arena.
MSU moves to 5-0 with the win, while Western Michigan drops to 1-6 this season.
The Spartans hit .251 for the match and totaled a season-high 68 kills while holding the Broncos to .128 hitting. MSU outpaced the Broncos in total kills (68-to-43), service aces (3-2), blocks (10-7) and digs (89-73).
For the first time this season, multiple Spartans posted double-doubles in the same match, with redshirt freshman setter Malayah Long recording her second-straight with career highs in assists (56) and digs (14) while also tallying a career-high four blocks. She was joined by junior outside hitter Taylah Holdem, who registered a career-high 26 kills on .375 hitting and a season-high 11 digs. Long's 56 digs were the most in a match by a Spartan since Elena Shklyar tallied 58 against Maryland on Oct. 12, 2018.
Redshirt sophomore libero Sarah Vellucci shattered her previous career high in digs (13) with 31, the third-best dig total in a four-set match in program history and sixth-best total overall. Junior libero Lia Schneider also added a season-high 14 digs.
Senior opposite Evie Doezema hit .282 for the match and tied a career-high 16 kills. Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska just missed a career high with 14 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Breccan Scheck added seven kills to tie a season high and posted a match and season-high six blocks.
WMU got out to a 4-1 start and led early in the first set until a kill from Long tied the match at 7-7. The Spartans took their first lead of the night at 9-8 and increased their lead to 11-9 after three kills from Holdem, but the Broncos stormed back with a 5-1 run to retake the lead at 13-11. WMU took its largest lead of the set at 18-13, but a 6-2 run from the Spartans capped off by a kill from Scheck and a Bronco attack error got the Spartans within two at 20-18. Three kills from Holdem helped MSU get back within a point at 22-21 before a WMU kill followed by an MSU service error got the Broncos to set point, who ended the set with a service ace to take the first frame, 25-22.
MSU came out firing in the second set with a 13-0 run after the Broncos took an early 3-1 lead. WMU scored three-straight points after MSU took a 13-3 advantage following a Vellucci ace, but could not get any closer than nine points down the stretch as the Spartans closed the set on a 6-3 run to take the frame, 25-13. MSU produced its best hitting of the night in the second set, .325, while Doezema and Holdem each added five kills.
Staniszewska provided five of her seven third-set kills early in the set to help MSU to an early 10-4 lead. WMU went on a 6-2 run to shrink the MSU advantage to two at 12-10, but a 7-2 run from the Spartans to follow forced a WMU timeout at 19-13. After a service error, the Spartans got to set point with a 5-2 run and took the set 25-18 following a WMU service error.
After a back-and-forth start to the fourth set, MSU rattled off six-straight points capped off by a Ky Clayton service ace to force a Bronco timeout at 10-7. WMU called another timeout after a 9-2 run from the Spartans made it 19-10. Holdem and Doezema each added two kills while Scheck provided another to get the Spartans to set point before the Broncos went on a four-point swing to get within four, but a career-high 26th kill from Holdem out of an MSU timeout put the set and match away, 25-20.
Up next, the Spartans travel to Kennesaw, Georgia, to take on Kennesaw State on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Kennesaw State Invitational. The match will stream on ESPN+.
