“It was incredible,” said junior middle blocker Vanessa King. “I felt like I was at a basketball game when I was out there. I’m speechless.”

The Spartans used the crowd to their advantage hitting over .400 in each of the last two sets to beat the favored Wolverines.

The team came out strong, overpowering U-M for most of the first set, as players like freshman middle blocker Vineece Verdun and sophomore outside hitter Megan Schatzle stepped up their offensive production in the place of injured teammate Jenilee Rathje.

“I think Vineece started off the match really strong,” head coach Cathy George said. “She opened up the middle right away and made a statement. It really did turn things our way right from the get go.”

The team faltered in the second set, as errors and ball control issues piled up. Down 15-7 at the media timeout, the Spartans tried to rally but ultimately ended up losing the set 25-15.

From that point the team took over, forcing the Wolverines to hit .266 and .071 in the final two sets. The Spartans closed both sets strong winning 25-21 and 25-15 respectively.

“This team, they just seem to have a way about them,” George said. “They play hard even when they’re down. They just have a resilience and they took charge at a time when we needed it.”

With the two wins this weekend, the Spartans are 10-3 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play and have extended their wining streak to 10. The team continues its conference schedule Friday against Indiana in Bloomington, Ind.