Michigan State Falls to Washington in B1G Opener

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State volleyball dropped its first contest of the season with a four-set loss to Washington (25-22, 25-13, 16-25, 25-13) Friday evening inside the Breslin Center in its Big Ten opener.

MSU falls to 10-1 overall and 0-1 in the B1G this season, while Washington stays perfect with a 10-0 record (1-0 B1G).

The Huskies out-hit the Spartans, .310 to .132, and led in kills (49-39), service aces (12-6), digs (39-32) and total blocks (13.5-6).

Senior outside hitter Alanna Bankston led MSU in kills with 14, posting her seventh-straight and eighth overall match this season with double-digit kills. Freshman outside hitter Madi Andrews tied a career-high seven kills, while senior middle blocker Zora Hardison had six. Hardison also tied junior middle Carmen Waye with a team-best three total blocks.

Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long posted a team-best 26 assists. Seniors Ky Clayton and Taylah Holdem each posted a team-best two service aces and senior libero Lia Schneider recorded a team-high 12 digs.

After Washington took an early 9-7 lead in the first set, MSU used a block from Waye and Bankston and a Washington attack error to tie the set at 9-9. The Spartans responded with a 6-3 run after the Huskies took back a one-point lead with kills from Bankston, Hardison, Waye and Karolina Staniszewska and a Clayton service ace to take a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. MSU was forced into a timeout after the Huskies fired off a 4-0 run to retake the lead at 18-17, but the Spartans responded with three-straight points from a Waye and Long block, Washington attack error and Long service ace to force Washington into a timeout of its own at a 20-18 MSU advantage. The Huskies tied the set back up again at 20-20 with back-to-back points and retook the lead at 23-22 after a pair of kills to force another MSU timeout. Two-straight Washington points out of the timeout gave the Huskies the first set, 25-22.

The Huskies opened the second set with a 10-1 lead before four-straight MSU points with back-to-back Bankston kills and a Waye kill cut the deficit to five. Washington responded with a 5-1 run to take a 15-6 advantage at the media timeout. MSU put up back-to-back points with a kill from Staniszewska and block from Bianca Mumcular and Hardison, but could not get any closer than 10 as Washington closed the set with back-to-back kills to take the second, 25-13.

MSU tied the third set at 5-5 after Washington opened on a 4-1 run with a kill from Hayley Ogden and back-to-back Andrews kills. The Huskies retook the lead at 6-5 with a kill before kills from Hardison and Bankston and an Andrews service ace helped MSU to a 3-0 run to take an 8-6 lead. After MSU tied the set at 12-12 following a Washington service error, the teams traded points back-and-forth until back-to-back Andrews kills and a service ace from Holdem helped MSU to a 3-0 run and 15-14 lead at the media timeout. A second ace from Holdem out of the timeout and an Andrews kill extended the MSU lead to three at 17-14 before Washington cut the advantage back to two at 17-15 with a kill. The Spartans responded again with back-to-back kills from Hardison and Bankston to force a Washington timeout at 19-15. Five-straight points from MSU out of the timeout with a trio of Bankston kills, a Hardison kill and block from Hardison and Long helped MSU to set point at 24-15 before a Washington service error ended the third 25-16.

Washington used a 4-0 run after MSU opened the set at 5-2 to take a one-point lead at 6-5. MSU tied the set back up after a Washington service error before three-straight Washington points forced an MSU timeout at 9-6. The Huskies used a kill and MSU attack error to take a 15-8 lead at the media timeout and forced an MSU timeout at 20-9 after back-to-back points. MSU stopped two Washington match points, but an MSU service error ended the set and match, 25-13.

Up next, MSU hosts No. 14 Penn State on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. inside the Breslin Center. The match will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.