The volleyball team (14-13 overall, 7-8 Big Ten) finally had a chance to do something they haven’t done in a while before Saturday night.
Smile.
“It was a lot of fun,” head coach Cathy George said after her team’s 3-0 (25-12, 25-8, 25-14) thumping of Indiana (15-13 overall, 6-10 Big Ten) .
The win was the 750th in program history and snapped a three-game losing streak.
Saturday night’s victory was the second win for MSU against Indiana this season. The Spartans also took down the Hoosiers in the Big Ten season opener Sept. 26, 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21).
MSU held Indiana to 34 points total, which broke the previous record for points allowed (35) in a game.
“I thought we had some really good practices leading up to today’s match,” George said.
If there was one set that epitomized the Spartans’ dominance against the Hoosiers, it was the second set.
After winning the first set, 25-12, MSU took the first 10 points to begin the second set.
“Anytime you do that it feels good,” George said of the quick start. “I wanted to make sure that our team understood that you answer right away. I thought we did a nice job of that.”
The eight points MSU allowed in the second set was also a team record for fewest points allowed since the 25-point scoring system was established in 2009.
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Reinig and sophomore middle blocker Allyssah Fitterer led the charge, combining for eight kills in the set.
Reinig finished the game with 14 kills and hit at a .500 clip. Fitterer had a .714 hitting percentage and 10 kills.
The third set was another MSU rout. With the exception of two ties and one lead change it was all Spartans, who needed just 71 minutes to defeat Indiana.
“We followed the game plan well and when we didn’t (the team) rebounded and got refocused immediately,” George said.
MSU will have a few days to enjoy the win before facing Northwestern (15-12 overall, 5-11 Big Ten) Wednesday night.
The Spartans swept the Wildcats in straight sets, 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-16) on the first of the month at Jenison Field House.
Northwestern fell to No. 16 Purdue , 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-17) Saturday night.
