EAST LANSING— With coming off a loss to No. 10 Florida, Michigan State looked to bounce back in its home opener and set the tone for the second annual Kathy DeBoer Invitational.
It took an extra set against a tough Western Kentucky squad, but MSU secured a 3-1 victory on the night. With MSU making its home debut for the season, the Spartans needed to come out of the tunnel with some fire.
WKU kept it close, 9-6, in the first set but MSU flexed its muscles with big-time middle and outside play. Junior outside hitter Taylor Preston made this a breakout performance, best exemplifying the MSU hitting power in the set, finishing with 14 kills for the match.
The Spartans also owned the Hilltoppers at the net in this set, as junior middle blocker Evie Doezema made a huge impact up front. She finished with three blocks for the match, while fellow sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig led the team with four. Fittingly, the set was capped off on a powerful block made by Doezema and Preston, making it a comfortable set victory at 25-15.
“When we were in Colorado, they [middle blockers] were dominant. They were leading us in kills, etcetera,” MSU head coach Leah Johnson said. “I think teams have scouted that so we went a little more pin-heavy tonight, but they managed to still do their job at a high clip.”
Entering the second set, a similar story to the first played out. WKU fought hard early on and tied it at 10. This sequence from the Hilltoppers saw senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox create a lot of their point production, as she finished the match with 12 kills.
Not to be outdone, junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson became a major component of an MSU 9-0 run. The Spartans’ kill leader on the season showed major strength along with graduate outside hitter Danyle Courtley. They finished the match with 14 and 9 kills respectively, as Anderson laid down the finishing blow to end the set at 25-17 for the Spartans.
“I’m so proud of that trio [Preston, Anderson, Courtley] in particular,” Johnson said. “I kind of threw some things at them late this week as to what I was expecting from that group. They raised their game.”
While MSU was looking to cruise to a match victory in the third window, WKU was intent on making MSU earn every point. Every time the Spartans made a potentially momentum-shifting play, like a monster block from Preston, the Hilltoppers would do more than answer, as the Spartans took a timeout down 15-11.
Initially, WKU held firm in its lead, until the Spartans tied it at 18 with the help of three massive Preston kills. From there, the two teams traded blows until they went even at 23. WKU then grinded out the set victory at 25-23.
“We knew their speed would hurt us, especially once they got into good passing rhythms,” Johnson said. “They were passing much better, they were tipping on us a lot, forcing us to the ground. They just find ways to score and they are very persistent, there’s no quit in that team.”
Heading into the fourth set, WKU looked to keep the momentum rolling after snatching the third set from the Spartans. MSU would suffer an important injury to start off the set. Courtley went down on the floor following a kill at the net and was later seen carried to the locker room.
“Really disappointed to see Danyle, I have no idea even what’s happening with her,” Johnson said.
The Spartans remained even to start the set, but the Hilltoppers capitalized on three straight attacking errors forced by junior defensive specialist Callahan Wiegandt to go up 10-6. Following this sequence, the Spartans made a run of their own featuring contributions from Kulig and senior outside hitter Grace Kelly to stay within two scores for much of the set.
That was the story of the contest until an Anderson kill knotted up the set at 18. From there, a massive second straight point from Anderson turned the tide in MSU’s favor. MSU rode that momentum and the crowd’s energy to a fourth-set victory and a gutsy match win at 25-23.
“There’s nothing like Breslin,” Johnson said. “It is a special place, special fans, special environment. What an awesome time to get our first win at home and kick off the season that way.”
MSU improves to .500 overall on the season, moving up to 2-2. The Spartans will continue their home stint against Marist College on Sept. 7, with game time set for 3 p.m.
