Drawing more than 9,000 fans at Breslin Center during the weekend, the MSU volleyball team set the school’s single-game attendance record while picking up a pair of 3-1 victories over Ohio State and No. 21 Michigan. Aided by more than 1,500 students, many coming from the Izzone campout at Munn Field, the goal to “Bust Breslin” was achieved when the team drew 5,335 fans to Saturday’s matchup against U-M.
“It was incredible,” junior middle blocker Vanessa King said. “I felt like I was at a basketball game when I was out there. I’m speechless. You hear the crowd behind you and you want to (win) for them.”
The team seemed to feed off the crowd in the building both nights, as they beat Ohio State in thrilling fashion, playing from behind in every set to win, and dominating U-M in the final two sets to upset the favored Wolverines.
“Our team just seems to have a way about them,” head coach Cathy George said. “They play hard even when they’re down. I was really impressed with the way they fought back. They took charge at a time when we really needed it.”
On Friday, the Spartans used a series of late rallies to defeat Ohio State in front of a crowd of 3,682.
The Buckeyes took the lead in the first set, at one point leading 18-10, before MSU went on a 15-4 run to win the set 25-22.
The Spartans would split the next two sets, but had their biggest loss of the weekend early in the fourth set when sophomore outside hitter Jenilee Rathje, who leads the team with 173 kills this season, landed awkwardly and fell to the ground holding her knee. She didn’t play the rest of the weekend.
In her place, many teammates seemed to step up their games for the remainder of the weekend, first taking the final set against Ohio State, 25-23, then using Saturday’s record crowd to overwhelm U-M.
After splitting the first two sets, the Spartans dominated the final two, hitting more than .433 in each while holding U-M to .286 on the third and .071 in the fourth.
“I think it was just the crowd, the energy in the building,” King said.
“It’s Michigan, you have to come out, you have to play your best. The whole team was working tonight and our ball control was a big part of it.”
The wins bring the team’s record to 10-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, a crucial start in a conference that has six teams ranked in the top 25. The Spartans go on the road next weekend as they face Indiana and No. 1 Penn State.
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