Lansing Sun

Michigan State volleyball began its 2024 season on the road against Northern Colorado, a regular NCAA tournament participant, on Friday night. The Spartans were defeated 3-1 (21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-25) at Bank of Colorado Arena. Despite trailing significantly in the third set, Michigan State managed a comeback to win that set 25-23.

The Spartans start their season with a record of 0-1 and will aim to recover on Saturday night against Colorado State at Moby Arena. Northern Colorado begins their season with a victory and holds a record of 1-0.

"I was impressed by Northern Colorado tonight," said Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson. "I was impressed with them before we showed up tonight after going through our scout. Everything we did as a team was soft. That's not who we're going to be, so our only option is to change. We didn't compete hard until we had nothing to lose."

Sophomore Taylah Holdem led the Spartan offense with 12 kills and an ace, while junior Akasha Anderson contributed 11 kills in her debut for MSU. Seniors Rachel Muisenga and Julia Bishop shared setting duties, adding 16 and 14 assists respectively.

Sophomore Zuzanna Kulig set a new career-high in blocks with seven (three solo, four assisted) and tied freshman Mya Bolton for a team-best two aces behind the service line. Fifth-year Nalani Iosia led the team with seven digs, closely followed by Anderson, Holdem, and Bolton each with six.

Northern Colorado built momentum in the first set with a significant run leading to a score of 19-12 over MSU. Despite efforts from Holdem and senior Aliyah Moore cutting the lead to two points late in the frame, Northern Colorado secured the first set at 25-21.

In the second set, both teams exchanged points initially before MSU took an 18-16 lead following contributions from junior Nil Okur and Moore. However, Northern Colorado closed out the set with a strong finish taking it at 25-22.

Trailing significantly in the third set at one point (16-7), Michigan State rallied back fueled by senior Grace Kelly's kill off the bench. The Spartans managed to tie it at 20-20 before securing three consecutive points for a final score of 25-23 in favor of MSU.

In the fourth set, Bolton’s ace brought MSU within three points early on but Northern Colorado extended their lead following strong post-timeout plays eventually closing out the match at 25-15.

Michigan State continues its weekend play against Colorado State on Saturday night with an anticipated start time of 8:00 p.m. ET.

---