After riding a six game winning streak into last Wednesday, the Spartans now have been swept in their last two games, with their most recent loss to No. 1 Penn State.
Penn State’s defense held MSU (23-9 overall, 11-9 Big Ten) to unusually low hitting percentages in the first two sets, with the Spartans hitting -.059 in the first set, .105 in the second and .031 in the third set.
The first set started off optimistically for the Spartans, as they saw themselves leading the Big Ten champions, 4-2. That didn’t last long, as the Nittany Lions used two service aces and 10 kills to give them a dominating 25-13 victory.
Despite having 15 kills, eight of which came from junior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski, the Spartans still saw themselves on the losing end of a 25-21 second set. Not only was the low hitting percentage uncharacteristic, but another alarming stat for the Spartans was only having one block after two sets.
The ten minute break after the second set was not enough for the Spartans to adjust to the suffocating Nittany Lion offense, as MSU never got out to a lead in the third set. MSU seemed to be in the match when they were only down 12-10, but Penn State’s 13-5 run ended the match by handing the Spartans their third sweep of the season.
The Spartans only had four total blocks, with two of them coming from senior outside hitter Amy Dentlinger. The back row for the Spartans displayed solid defense, with sophomore libero Kori Moster leading the attack with 16 digs.
Wicinski finished the match with a game-high 15 kills, with Dentlinger chipping in with seven of her own.
The match concludes the regular season for the Spartans, as they finish the season with one more victory than they did last season. The Spartans find out their NCAA Tournament fate 4 p.m. Sunday during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU.
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