The Spartans rallied from a late four-point deficit in game three against Purdue to close out the Boilermakers in a 3-0 sweep at Jenison Field House on Friday.
The Spartans (13-6, 6-6 Big Ten) dominated games one and two before Purdue (3-17, 1-11) grabbed its first clear control of the match in game three.
But MSU rallied from trailing 27-23, to run five straight off the Boilermakers, and downed them 32-30.
“We were a little flat in the third game, but I thought Purdue really raised their game and played hard,” Spartan head coach Chuck Erbe said. “The stats don’t show it, but they competed hard.”
Sophomore setter Nikki Colson said the Spartans have struggled in game three all season.
“All season, the third game has always been when we slump,” Colson said. “We were just relentless and fought back hard tonight.”
Defensive brilliance from Colson, senior outside hitter Erin Hartley, junior outside hitter Kyla Smith and junior defensive specialist Emily Engel (all with over 10 digs) was just as impressive as the Spartans remarkably balanced attack.
Freshman outside hitter Kim Schram logged 18 kills with a .300 hitting percentage. Fourteen of her kills came in games one and two.
The Boilermakers did do a nice job limiting Hartley’s chances in games one (30-22) and two (30-19), but the go-to player exploded in the crucial third game for seven kills. She finished with 11.
Even more remarkable was Hartley’s near perfection, as her one attack error in the third game was her first in six games.
The Spartans also got good offense from junior middle blocker Angela Morley and sophomore middle Jenny Rood. Each finished with 10 kills; Morley with a .444 hitting percentage and Rood hit .300.
The Spartans also showed their ability to manage emotional highs and lows this past week.
Last Wednesday, the Spartans dropped Michigan 3-1 in an emotionally charged match. The Spartans lost 3-2 to the Wolverines in the teams’ earlier meeting on Oct. 3.
“Michigan was huge, but tonight was even more important because teams like Purdue sometimes get overlooked,” Colson said. “We wanted to reestablish ourselves in the Big Ten in the second half of the season.
“Everything, good or bad, that’s happened this season is behind us; we’re looking ahead.”
