“We made a lot of unforced errors in that first set,” Kelsay said. “On Friday night we didn’t handle the red zone well, and we didn’t handle it well again in that first set. I am really proud of them for the next three sets for handling those tight moments and executing a lot better.”

Efficiency tested MSU in the first set. Iowa's .524 hit percentage cut through the Spartan defense, on the way to a 27-25 set win. 

Even with the efficiency from Iowa in the first set, MSU still ended with the hitting advantage, hitting .279 compared to Iowa’s .211.

After dropping the first set, the Spartans jumped out to a commanding 14-7 lead in the second set. The Hawkeyes responded with five straight points and eventually clawed all the way back to a 22-21 lead.

MSU finished with four straight points to close out the set 25-22.

Kelsay said she wants to remind her players to stay present within each point itself and take away their opponents' big runs.

“Instead of letting big runs happen as we saw in the first and second sets, we said, ‘Okay, how do you flush and win the next point’,” Kelsay said. “How do I win the next point instead of judging or wondering what happened in the last one? It was important for us after that first set to stay present in that next point regardless of what happened.”

MSU quickly led 11-7 in the third set and later extended its lead to five at 22-17. The Spartans won 25-22 with a chance to end the match in four sets.

In the fourth set, it was much the same; the Spartans jumped out to an 8-5 lead and fended off Iowa from taking the fourth set. MSU pulled it out 25-23 for the team's fourth conference win.

Freshman outside hitter Madi Andrews was excellent the entire match with a career-high 16 kills. Andrews gives all the credit to her teammate, sophomore setter Malayah Long, for putting her in positions to be successful with her passes.

“My setter really helped me,” Andrews said. “She was setting me the ball and going for that high hand, and honestly, our team just trusted me.”

Senior middle blocker Zora Hardison tallied her 300th career block in the Spartan victory; she finished the day with 9 total, a team high for the Rutgers transfer. Kelsay sees the improvement from Hardison and uses it as a model for how the team should ascend.

“Zora continues to get better, and that is the message,” Kelsay said. “We have to continue to grow and improve and work on the things that are being exploited. Every match shows us something different that we can work on. She is committed to that, that is why I love coaching that kid.”

After a weekend split, MSU will hit the road to Illinois at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.