Lansing Sun

Michigan State Volleyball Triumphs Over Duke in Five-Set Match

DURHAM, N.C. – In its first five-set match of the season, Michigan State emerged victorious against Duke with a 3-2 win (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 21-25, 15-10) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night. The Spartans controlled the decisive fifth set after Duke rallied to take the third and fourth sets.

"I loved the resilience," said Michigan State head coach Leah Johnson. "We had the 2-0 lead and kept fighting; I never felt like we caved. We stayed in control. We were hungry in that fifth set and willed ourselves to win."

This victory improves Michigan State's record to 7-3 as they prepare for their Sunday afternoon match against the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig led the Spartans with an impressive performance of 11 blocks, matching Alyssa Garvelink's record from November 19, 2014. Kulig also contributed nine kills out of 18 swings with a .500 hitting percentage and a service ace.

Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson paced Michigan State’s offense with 13 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Taylah Holdem added ten kills and eight digs. Senior opposite Aliyah Moore achieved a season-high nine kills. Junior middle blocker Evie Doezema recorded six kills on seven attempts, contributing to a combined .600 hitting percentage for Spartan middles.

Senior setter Rachel Muisenga led MSU with 28 assists and fifth-year libero Nalani Iosia matched her season high with 25 digs.

As a team, Michigan State out-hit Duke .268 to .246 and out-blocked them 16 to six—marking their highest blocking performance this season.

A pivotal moment came in set one when Muisenga’s service ace initiated a 7-0 run giving MSU a significant lead. Despite Duke’s late surge cutting the lead to two points at 22-20, a service error from Duke followed by Kulig’s kill secured the set for MSU.

In set two, despite trailing mid-way through at 15-11, MSU responded strongly with contributions from Holdem and junior outside hitter Taylor Preston during a critical run. Again benefiting from Duke's service errors, Anderson closed out the frame for MSU.

The third set was tightly contested with twelve tied scores before Duke closed it out on an extended run. In the fourth set, despite efforts from Doezema and Preston bringing MSU close mid-way through at 16-15, Duke forced a deciding fifth set buoyed by their home crowd support.

Michigan State took command early in set five leading by three points on multiple occasions. Service errors continued to hinder Duke allowing MSU to maintain their lead before Holdem sealed victory with her final kill and first ace of the night.

Up Next:

Michigan State will face North Carolina (7-1) at Carmichael Arena on Sunday afternoon following North Carolina’s own five-set victory over Michigan.