Lansing Sun

Michigan State volleyball achieved a decisive 3-0 victory over Eastern Michigan on Monday night at the Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson led the Spartans offensively with a season-high 17 kills, while senior setter Julia Bishop recorded her 10th career double-double with 17 assists and 12 digs.

"I liked our fight and I liked how we kept pressing tonight," said Michigan State head coach Leah Johnson. "I loved how aggressive we were throughout the match. Akasha Anderson finished with 17 kills hitting over .400 with four stuff blocks and finished one dig shy of a double-double; she earned us a lot of our points throughout the match."

With this win, MSU improves to an overall record of 5-3 as they prepare for their next home match against Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. The Spartans will honor hometown heroes by offering complimentary admission to first responders, educators, active military personnel, and veterans who present ID.

Anderson's performance was efficient as she hit .414 on 29 attempts. Junior Taylor Preston added eight kills in her first start of the season on the right side. Sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem and junior middle blocker Evie Doezema also contributed effectively, with Holdem achieving six kills on .556 hitting and Doezema securing six kills on .714 swinging.

Doezema's three blocks ranked second on the team behind Anderson's four. Bishop led the team with 12 digs and her 17 assists were second only to senior setter Rachel Muisenga's 20. Both Muisenga and Anderson were one dig short of double-doubles, each recording nine digs. Senior libero Nalani Iosia added eight digs and eight assists as Eastern Michigan targeted Spartan setters in their attacks.

Michigan State showed improvement throughout the match, hitting .406 in set three to finish with a .257 hitting percentage for the match while limiting Eastern Michigan to .176 hitting. The Spartans led in total kills (50-to-33), digs (52-to-31), and service aces (4-1). However, EMU out-blocked MSU by nine-to-six.

The opening set saw Michigan State pull ahead after a back-and-forth start, leading 15-10 at the media timeout following a kill from sophomore outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska. Despite a brief run from Eastern Michigan that brought them within one point at 18-17, two kills and a block by Anderson helped MSU regain control at 21-18. Seven of Anderson’s kills came in this set where she hit .600.

In set two, after trailing briefly at mid-set point (11-9), MSU rallied with six consecutive points capped off by Bishop’s service ace to reclaim control. Tied at 21 apiece later in the set, MSU closed it out on another strong run featuring Bishop’s second ace.

Set three witnessed another close contest until midway through when Michigan State surged ahead following key plays from Holdem and Nil Okur along with an ace from Anderson. A late push ensured their lead stayed intact ending in final points scored by Preston and Anderson sealing their victory.

Michigan State will face Purdue Fort Wayne next inside Breslin Student Events Center aiming to continue their momentum against an opponent currently holding an overall record of 4-5 for this year.