Kristin Mackley Executive Assistant to Athletic Director | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Kristin Mackley Executive Assistant to Athletic Director | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Michigan State volleyball faced a setback in its Big Ten opener, losing to Michigan 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17) at the Crisler Center on Friday night. Senior setter Julia Bishop led the Spartans with a double-double, contributing 16 assists and 11 digs.
With this result, MSU's record stands at 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten, while Michigan improved to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Michigan State will next play against No. 4-ranked Penn State on Sunday, September 29 at 2:00 p.m.
"Reset and get ready for the next match… We are on the road again this Sunday at Penn State at 2 PM #GoGreen | #SetTheStandard," stated Michigan State Volleyball's official Twitter account.
Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson was a key offensive player for the Spartans with 13 kills. She also led the team in points with a total of 15.5, adding an ace and two blocks. Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston recorded seven kills and tied for team-high blocks with two alongside Anderson and sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig.
MSU finished the match hitting .071 with totals of 33 kills, 44 digs, five blocks, and three aces. In contrast, Michigan hit .245 and was led by Allison Jacobs who had a standout performance with 14 kills.
In set one, MSU initially led after a strong start but eventually fell behind as Michigan closed out the set on a strong run. "Taylor Preston with the solo stuff to give MSU the lead! #GoGreen | #SetTheStandard," tweeted Michigan State Volleyball during an early rally.
Set two saw MSU trailing late but mounting a comeback driven by Anderson's scoring spree which brought them within one point before ultimately falling short as Michigan finished strong once again. "Make it four straight points for Akasha Anderson who dials up the solo block! #GoGreen | #SetTheStandard," highlighted another tweet from their account.
During set three, MSU managed to tie it midway through but could not sustain their momentum as Michigan pulled away to secure both the set and match victory.
Michigan State will continue its first weekend of Big Ten action in University Park against Penn State on Sunday afternoon.
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