In the 10:30 a.m. contest, the No. 12 Spartans defeated DePaul in three games, 30-25, 30-17 and 30-20 in their second match in the Western Michigan Invitational.
Junior middle Jenny Rood, who had been hampered by a knee injury, got the green light for the match and was ecstatic about it.
“You have no idea how happy I was,” Rood said. “It’s so hard to just sit and watch.
Not only was Rood in the starting lineup again, she made sure DePaul knew she was on the floor. She tallied 13 kills in the match, while hitting .556.
Head coach Chuck Erbe said Rood wanted to play in last evenings contest. After a lot of begging and perseverance Erbe and he finally penciled her in and she delivered.
“That’s Jenny Rood,” Erbe said. “She only runs at one speed and it’s nice that she’s back to 100 percent,”
Her most impressive showing came in game one. In that game, Rood tallied five kills, helping the Spartans to the 30-25 game one victory.
Junior setter Nikki Colson also shined in University Arena, scoring 44 setting assists.
Erbe played some of the reserves for the morning match and he was very pleased with their performances.
The Spartans distributed their offensive numbers as well. Four Spartans hit double-digits in kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Kim Schram led the attack with 14. Rood was second with 13 and senior outside hitter Kyla Smith and freshman middle Brooke Langston tallied 12 and 10, respectively.
“We had a real-balanced offense,” Erbe said. “I like seeing that balance because it makes it more difficult to defend us.
“It also makes out offense more efficient.”
MSU’s offense was arguably more efficient in game two. The Spartans never trailed, jumping out to a quick 10-4 lead.
Coming out of the 10-minute intermission prior to game three, the Blue Demons had intensity in their eyes, displaying it with a quick lead.
“They were a real scrappy team,” Langston said. “They had a lot of energy and were very athletic.”
However, as the clocked ticked on, the Spartan slowly mounted a comeback to take the 10 point victory, 30-20. Freshman setter Mickey Davis saw the first action of her Spartan career. She was credited with her first setting assist, giving the Spartans a 27-19 lead in game three. Davis finished with three setting assists to her credit.
“We could have played a lot better,” Rood said. “But it’s a ‘W’ and any win is a plus.”
The Spartans will not relax until a 5:30 p.m. start to their final contest against Wright State. If Wright State can defeat Western Michigan in the game on-going, the matchup will be for the championship.
“I’m just really excited to play any team right now,” Rood said. “I’m just like ‘bring it’.
“I’m sure they are a real athletic team, but I’m real confident in my team that we’ll do everything necessary to get the win.”
