Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Michigan State
@HerdVolleyball Falls to No. 23 Michigan State
9/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score (PDF)
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Marshall volleyball team fell to No. 23 Michigan State, 3-0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-22), on the first day of the Spartan Invitational at Jenison Field House.
"I feel that the environment got to us in the beginning," head coach Mitch Jacobs said. "We were pumped to play and Michigan State played flawlessly in the first set and their size just made it so hard for us to get going. I kept telling the team that we were close. I really felt like we were there fighting but they got the finish and we just couldn't find the floor. Set two, we really started to feel some rhythm and began to compete defensively. In the third set we were a team competing at a very high level. That's where we need to be and believe in ourselves to compete at that level."
"I'm not sure we will face a team as big and as fast as they were all year from here but we will face a lot of really good volleyball teams, including the two we play tomorrow," Jacobs add. "So I'm hoping everyone realizes how much fun this season is going to be if we are willing to play as hard as we did tonight and never back down even after a set one loss like tonight."
Marshall (1-4) had five players record at least four kills in the match. Sophomore Madison Hill led the Herd with eight, while freshman Addisyn Rowe and sophomore Jac'cara Walker had six. Senior Justice Craft and sophomore Madelyn Cole rounded out the group with four. Cole had a team-high 18 assists and five blocks. Walker and freshman Jessa Long led Marshall with 10 digs.
The first and second set was all Michigan State. The Spartans took an early five-point lead in the first set and never lost control from there, winning the frame, 25-10. In the second set, MSU led wire-to-wire as the closest Marshall got was within two points. Michigan State took the set, 25-18.
Michigan State began the third set similar to the others, as it took an early lead over the Thundering Herd. Marshall battled and brought the set within two points at the 8-6 mark after Cole and Tiffany Isaacs combined for a block. The Thundering Herd continued to rally and eventually tied the set at 15. Michigan State regained its lead after the tie by winning seven of nine points to take a 23-17 lead. Marshall kept fighting and scored five of six points to bring the score to 24-22. The Spartans ended the rally attempt with a kill and clinched the set, 25-22.
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Marshall closes out the Spartan Invitational on Saturday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 11 a.m. and San Diego State at 4:30 p.m.
---HerdZone.com---
