South Bend, Ind. - The first round of the NCAA tournament was all about fun for the MSU volleyball team.
And after Saturday's 30-28, 30-13, 30-21 sweep of George Mason University, the smiles were plastered on every Spartan's face.
"We're just so happy because we've been given a new beginning and a fresh start," junior setter Nikki Colson said. "Sure, the Big Ten season didn't' go how we planned, but that's over now and now its the NCAA Tournament."
The happiness glistened from the opening serve to the final Patriot attacking error. MSU hit a blistering .429 for the entire match, registering a team total of 50 kills and only 10 errors.
Senior Angela Morley led the Spartan charge with 15 kills and a .667 attacking percentage after being moved from middle to outside hitter. Sophomore outside hitter Kim Schram was right behind with 13 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. Freshman middle Megan Wallin tallied nine kills with no errors and a .750 attacking percentage.
MSU (20-11) suffered some first game jitters, but it wasn't enough to derail the Green-and-White train.
"I think we had a little bit of anxiety to start," Morley said. "But we fought and the win in game one really made the difference.
"That was the momentum change and we just rode it."
They took a quick 3-1 lead even though two points came on Patriot errors. George Mason (22-8) quickly erased the lead to put the Spartans in a 6-3 hole
It took some time but the Spartans finally regained the lead at 13-12 in the midst of a five-point run. MSU never trailed the rest of game one, but George Mason kept things close until the final kill.
The Spartans led by as many as six at 24-18 but the Patriots went on an 10-5 run to force MSU to take a timeout at 29-28. MSU took the game on the next point when Megan Wallin laced a kill off a single block.
Only one word can describe game two - perfection. The Spartans played one of the most impressive games in school history on not only the defensive end but on offensive end as well. The Spartans recorded 18 kills on 23 swings in the game with a remarkable zero errors. Those numbers equaled a .783 attacking percentage.
"That has to be some sort of Michigan State record," MSU head coach Chuck Erbe said. "Those types of games are rare.
"Its one of those things you put a circle around and capsulate."
The game started with a quick 6-1 Spartan lead and things just continued to go the Green-and-White's way. MSU forced George Mason to take a timeout at 14-6 but then went on a 7-2 run to force the Patriots to take another timeout at 21-8.
Things would only get more lopsided. MSU recorded the first point off of the timeout again and cruised to the 30-13 win.
A 10-minute intermission couldn't help the Patriots causes. Another 6-1 Spartan run to start the game seemed to take all the hope out of the George Mason players.
The Spartans led 15-7 at the halfway point and never allowed George Mason to get within six the rest of the way. The Spartans secured the game and match when a Patriot serve floated five feet over the end line.
The Spartans will play the winner of Notre Dame-College of Charleston at 4 p.m. Sunday for a trip to the Sweet 16. The site of the regionals will either be played at Southern California Pepperdine or UC-Santa Barbara.
Other Big Ten news: The top five Big Ten schools, including MSU, won their first round contests. Ohio State defeated Robert Morris, Wisconsin defeated Alabama A&M, Penn State knocked off Pennsylvania and Minnesota swept New Hampshire.
Minnesota also won its second-round contest against Georgia Tech to secure a spot in the Sweet 16. Ohio State knocked Louisville to notch a spot in the Sweet 16 as well.
Miami (Fla.) upset Wisconsin and Temple shocked Penn State sending those Big Ten schools home packing earlier than expected.
Michigan, Northwestern and Indiana all lost in the first round.
