EAST LANSING- Michigan State saw its three-game win streak end at the hand of No. 13 Oregon last night.
Oregon swept the Spartans in three sets. MSU was coming off a win in Iowa City on Sunday, while the Ducks were coming off a road loss to USC on Sunday. This is the first matchup for the two since 2014, and the first under the new conference alignment.
The first set started off evenly matched, with neither team being able to get too far ahead until a block out of bounds by the Ducks gave the Spartans an 8-5 lead. Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson, junior outside hitter Taylor Preston and sophomore outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska provided the spark for this early lead. Oregon would bounce back and eventually tie the set at ten apiece.
Oregon seized the momentum and would go on to score six of the next eight points, with Anderson recording two kills to keep the Spartans close. Oregon grabbed a 19-14 lead, prompting MSU head coach Leah Johnson to call a timeout.
The Spartans came out of the timeout with renewed energy, scoring six consecutive points off the backs of Staniszewska and sophomore middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig. Kulig, who is third in the Big Ten in blocks, was key in this run by blocking returns at the rim and racking up kills.
“She does a nice job,” Johnson said of Kulig. “She works hard, she’s committed to her craft. She leads us defensively at the net.”
After a kill by Preston, the Spartans held a one-point lead, Oregon responded by outscoring the Spartans 6-1 to win the first set 25-21. Staniszewska and Anderson registered five kills, and Preston recorded four. Senior setters Julia Bishop and Rachel Muisenga recorded seven assists to lead the team.
MSU started the second set on a hot note, jumping out to an early 9-4 run. Muisenga recorded back-to-back aces prompting the Ducks to call a timeout and regroup. The next couple of points were evenly matched, with the Spartans still holding onto a 13-10 lead. The Ducks would then go on a massive run to take a 20-16 lead.
The Spartans would attempt to battle back, but the Ducks would win the second set by a score of 25-18. Staniszewska led the way with eight kills, followed by Anderson with seven. Bishop led the team with 12 assists through two sets, and Kulig led with two blocks. Senior libero Nalani Iosia led the Spartans in digs with 12. Johnson had high praise for Iosia, who leads the Big Ten in digs. Johnson called Iosia the best libero in the conference.
One of the main stats that points to the Ducks’ victories in the first sets is attack errors. The Spartans tallied thirteen compared to the Ducks five.
The third set started off evenly contested as well, with neither team being able to pull away by more than one point until a kill by Staniszewska gave the Spartans an 8-6 lead. The Spartans would lead by three before the Ducks would respond by outscoring the Spartans 7-1 and prompting a timeout by Johnson.
Fresh out of the timeout, the Ducks continue to pull away. The Ducks expanded the lead to 20-13 before a kill by Preston and a block by junior middle blocker Evie Doezema cut the lead to five. The next few points were evenly spread with the Ducks holding a 24-17 lead. Anderson would record a kill to keep the Spartans alive before the Ducks would end the match.
“I thought the serve and pass game were frustrating for both sides. I think we both served tough at each other,” Johnson said. “I thought in set three, they got better in their passing game, and that we kind of stayed the same so that didn’t balance out and that’s why the spread was as it was.”
Anderson led the Spartans in kills with 11, followed by 10 from Staniszewska. Bishop led with 15 assists, followed by Muisenga who recorded 13. Muisenga also recorded three service aces on the night. Kulig led with three block assists, and Iosia tallied 22 digs, to add to what has been an impressive season for the libero.
The Ducks improved to 20-6 on the year and the Spartans dropped to 11-17. MSU will host Maryland on Saturday at 1 p.m., looking to get back in the win column.
