The MSU volleyball team was swept by Wisconsin on Friday before turning around Saturday and defeating Northwestern in three of four games.
"We bent, but we didn't break," head coach Chuck Erbe said, referring to the fourth game on Saturday and the final game of the weekend.
The same statement easily could've described the weekend.
The Spartans (7-11, 2-8 Big Ten) were disappointed early, as Wisconsin stacked up a 3-0 victory. The Spartans did not show the same competitiveness that they showed in previous matches against Ohio State and Penn State, Erbe said.
While MSU lost both of those matches, their performance against the top-10 ranked teams was considered a step in the right direction from a rough season.
"Certainly, in all competitive sports, you want to win," Erbe said. "At the same time, you have to put yourself in a competitive position before you can even talk about it."
Heartened by their abilities to be competitive in the matches, Erbe said the Spartans would put the first half of the season in the past and start over at 0-0.
After last weekend, the new record stands 1-1 - an outcome that could've been different, Erbe said.
"We let Friday night's match get away from us," he said.
Key strategic mistakes caused the team's sixth straight loss, senior outside hitter Kim Schram said.
"We knew they were a good blocking team, but we didn't make up for it on defense," she said.
Not letting the loss break their spirits, the Spartans came back with renewed energy the next night, determined to beat the Wildcats, who were 2-6 in the Big Ten heading into the weekend.
The Spartans were aggressive and posted fewer errors to win the first two games of the match, Erbe said, but bowed to the Wildcats, who destroyed their momentum in game three and grabbed an early lead to take the win.
The Spartans came back in game four to hold Northwestern to a .143 hitting percentage, and, although errors have plagued MSU throughout the season, the team did not have a single serving, receiving or passing error during the game.
Last week, Erbe said there would be a large freshman presence on the floor, but the largest impact this weekend came from upperclassmen, in particular from senior outside hitter Diana Steplyk.
Steplyk made a difference in the team's comfort level, said senior outside hitter Michelle Kopka.
"Diana is such a huge personality," Kopka said. "I know having her out there helped me a lot."
Erbe also noted junior libero Marley Bellwood's contributions, with her most consistent play since Labor Day weekend. Bellwood had 17 digs on Friday night, 19 digs on Saturday and almost all in-system passes, Erbe said. Kopka contributed 10 kills Friday night and posted 18 kills with a .333 attack percentage on Saturday.
The Spartans play Michigan at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Jenison Field House. MSU will battle No. 24 Illinois at 7 p.m. Friday at home.
