Maybe the MSU volleyball team shouldn’t play games on consecutive days anymore.
The No. 25 Spartans, who had Friday off, defeated No. 13 Ohio State Saturday 9-15, 15-6, 15-4 and 15-12. The Buckeyes lost the night before at Michigan.
“It was nice not playing back-to-back (nights),” senior setter Christie Landry said.
The crowd of 1,140 at Jenison Field House watched MSU battle from a four-point deficit in the fourth game and outscore Ohio State 12-5 to clinch the match.
MSU improves to 15-10 overall and 8-8 Big Ten.
Landry said the team wanted to win the fourth game to avoid the deciding fifth game since MSU had lost three previous matches that went five games.
“That game was very critical,” she said. “We had to win that game to win the match easier. It was exciting and I had no doubt in my mind that we’d (win) because of the chemistry and the way everyone was playing. Everyone did their job well tonight.”
Head coach Chuck Erbe said the team showed a lot of character in battling to win the fourth game.
“When there was a chance to win the fourth game, they fought back,” he said. “I just think the enthusiasm on the floor and the attitude was ‘We’re winning that thing. We have shot ourselves in the foot too many times. We’ve got a chance to get back to even and we’re going to do it.’”
Ohio State (21-5, 11-5) played without setter Katie Virtue, who was injured the night before at U-M, and the Buckeye offense wasn’t as potent as usual.
Erbe said Virtue’s absence played to his team’s advantage.
“We saw (that) Ohio State was on even terms because they had an injured player and it evened the playing field a little bit,” he said.
In the match, MSU outhit the Buckeyes .351 to .181. Senior outside hitter Sarah Gustin led the way with 20 kills and 12 digs. Junior outside hitter Erin Hartley and freshman outside hitter Jenny Rood each had 18 kills.
Ohio State won the first game 15-9 thanks to a 9-1 run that broke the game open when it was tied 3-3. The eight-point deficit was too much for MSU to recover from.
In the second game, MSU jumped to a 4-0 lead and later went on a six-point surge to make the score 11-2. A pair of kills by Gustin closed out the game and MSU tied the match 1-1.
Erbe said the insertion of sophomore outside hitter Kyla Smith in the second game jump-started the team.
“That was a big substitution,” he said. “That changed things. She started with a block and that was a real confidence builder. I think she was mentally prepared to come in. She was rock solid in passing and had great defense.”
Smith, who had five kills and 11 digs, said she felt ready to play after a good week of practice.
“I really wanted to play and sitting there watching us was frustrating, not being able to do anything about it,” she said.
Ohio State offensive ineptness continued in the third game as the team hit -.063, compared to MSU’s .429. MSU outscored the Buckeyes 13-2 to take the game 15-4.
In the fourth set, Ohio State came back to life and led 7-3. The Spartans battled with the Buckeyes; the score went back and forth until MSU eventually tied the game 12-12. The two teams traded 12 sideouts before MSU clinched the game 15-12.
“I said in the locker room before the third game that we weren’t supposed to win. I think the team plays better when we don’t have any pressure and a lot more things go our way. We’re a lot more relaxed,” Landry said.
Erbe said the victory was helpful in the team’s drive to make the NCAA Tournament.
“This keeps us in the upper part of the Big Ten,” he said. “It keeps us with our ranking and it keeps us in the NCAA picture.”
