Ann Arbor - For the fourth consecutive year, MSU didn’t bring their A-game into Cliff Keen Arena.
The No. 18 Spartans didn’t even bring their B-game against Michigan on Wednesday and were out of sync for nearly the entire match, falling in three games 30-25, 30-20 and 30-24.
It was MSU’s first loss since being swept at Minnesota two weeks ago.
“I expect more out of our team,” junior setter Nikki Colson said. “We should never get swept 3-0 like that, but that’s what happens when you don’t play well, you get the crap kicked out of you.”
The Spartans (11-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) had one of their worst offensive performances of the season, hitting a dismal .185. Passing, or lack there of, contributed to the woeful numbers.
“Our passing wasn’t on today,” sophomore outside hitter Kim Schram said. “We only got in system like two times the entire match. Many times that left us with only one attacking option and (U-M) was ready for it.”
It didn’t help that U-M played a near flawless contest. The Wolverines (10-5, 4-1) hit .365 on the night - they have never hit lower than .333 in any game this season.
Many of the 52 Wolverine kills made their way through double and triple Spartan blocks. The Spartans, who played great defense at the net in their wins this weekend, managed only three blocks on the night.
“They out hit us, they out served us, they out dug us, they out-blocked us - they beat us in every statistical category,” MSU head coach Chuck Erbe said. “They were error free, but I’m just surprised we didn’t offer consistent resistance throughout the night.”
Out of the gates, it looked as if the Spartans were going to be one step closer to retaining the “State Pride” flag, which goes to the team that wins the season series. MSU took an early 4-1 lead thanks to four different Spartans getting kills.
However, after that, the Spartans lost their rhythm. The Wolverines scored nine of the next 10 points, and MSU never regained the lead in game one.
Game two began with a see-saw battle but it didn’t stay that way for long. The Spartans hit a wall when the score reached 17. The Wolverines closed out game two on a 11-3 run.
The Spartans regrouped and took a 6-3 lead in game three. But, once again the Wolverines came back and took a 19-16 lead, and the game and match was in the bag.
“I’m very frustrated,” outside hitter Kyla Smith said. “We had some shining moments tonight but not many.
“Too many times we weren’t playing Michigan State volleyball. That can’t happen if we’re going to win the Big Ten Championship.”
Chris Mackinder can be reached at mackind8@msu.edu.
