EAST LANSING – Following a Big Ten victory over Rutgers on Sunday, Sept. 30, Michigan State volleyball headed into Friday evening’s match with a big test against one the nation’s toughest opponents. The Spartans fell to No. 2 Nebraska 3-1 on Friday evening at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State volleyball set an attendance record at the Breslin Center, with 8,789 spectators.
The match began with a hard-fought first set, as it stayed neck and neck until the midpoint. The Spartans jumped to a 20-15 lead behind an energized crowd at the Breslin Center. Momentum shifted following a Nebraska timeout as they held Michigan State to just three scores, taking the set 25-23.
While Nebraska made five total serving errors in the first set, Michigan State made their fair share of mistakes down the stretch with nine total attacking errors, allowing the Huskers to draw first blood.
Michigan State would not be held down for long, as they looked to enter the second set with a vengeance. While Nebraska evened the set at five, the Spartans flipped the switch and never looked back. Michigan State seemed to slam the door shut on the Huskers after freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem got MSU its first ace of the match and junior outside hitter Grace Kelly nailed an authoritative kill for her sixth of the match. Kelly finished with six kills, as the Spartans took the second set in dominant fashion, 25-16.
Nebraska looked to come out of the break with some fire, and they did just that in the third set. The Huskers jumped out to an 11-3 lead as the Spartans couldn’t find their footing. MSU put up a fight towards the end of the set, but proved to be too little, too late as Nebraska answered with a 25-15 third set victory.
Nebraska continued to roll into the fourth set, as the Huskers began with a 4-0 run. While the Spartans attempted a comeback bid early on, Nebraska cruised to a 25-11 set win and a 3-1 match victory.
“It’s a totally different matchup, they play a different style of volleyball,” head coach Leah Johnson said. “We trusted our preparation and we executed our preparation for two sets. I was really proud of that.”
“They had to make a change, they had to serve aggressive and they did,” said Johnson. “That neutralized the match for them, so it gave them that power advantage that is why they’re so successful.”
The Huskers remain unbeaten, improving to 14-0 on the season, while Michigan State falls to 11-5.
The Spartans will look to bounce back at home against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 7, with gametime set at 7:00 p.m.
