Lansing Sun

Michigan State's volleyball team faced a challenging match against Indiana, ultimately losing 3-1 in a competitive encounter at Wilkinson Hall. The Spartans fought hard but were unable to secure victory in the close sets.

Head coach Leah Johnson commented on the team's performance, saying, "I told the team there was a lot of good in tonight's match. We're still just a little too high error offensively and that's what we have to clean up. I like what we're doing, but disappointed in the close sets that we weren't able to prevail. We get stuck in one rotation every set and that's the difference."

The defeat leaves Michigan State with an overall record of 7-7 and 0-3 in Big Ten play, while Indiana improves to 8-5 overall and 1-2 in conference matches.

Looking ahead, Michigan State aims for its first Big Ten win of the season against Purdue on Sunday. The match will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m., featuring commentary by Connor Onion and Elena Shkylar.

In individual performances, senior libero Nalani Iosia led with 20 digs, marking her fifth match this season with such a high tally. Freshman Mya Bolton made her first career start, contributing nine digs. Junior outside hitters Akasha Anderson and Taylor Preston recorded double-digit kills with 13 and 11 respectively. Senior opposite Aliyah Moore added eight kills along with five blocks.

Julia Bishop achieved a season-high of 36 assists as setter and came close to a double-double with eight digs. Sophomore Zuzanna Kulig contributed significantly with eight blocks.

The Spartans' hitting percentage was .162 overall but improved to .400 during the third set. They managed five service aces throughout the match, two from Iosia alone. Indiana's hitting percentage stood at .201 for the game; however, Michigan State restricted them to lower percentages in later sets.

In set one, Michigan State overcame an early deficit but couldn't maintain momentum as Indiana secured it 25-21 after a late timeout proved effective for them.

During set two, MSU built an initial lead post-timeout but faltered as Indiana mounted a comeback leading to another Hoosier victory at 25-21 despite efforts from players like Carmen Waye and Anderson.

Set three saw Michigan State dominate after taking an early lead which they maintained through strategic plays by Kulig and Anderson among others until securing it comfortably due to errors from their opponents.

The fourth set started unfavorably for MSU; however tactical plays including blocks by Bishop helped regain some control before Indiana closed out both set (25–22) & match amidst tense exchanges towards its conclusion.