Resilient Spartans Upset No. 13 Penn State

EAST LANSING, Mich.  – Michigan State volleyball defeated No. 13-ranked Penn State on Saturday night in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-19, 11-25, 16-25, 25-18, 18-16), snapping a 13-game losing streak against the Nittany Lions that dated back to Nov. 2, 2013. The Spartans showed resilience down 2-1 and took the final two sets of the match to stun Penn State inside the Breslin Center. 
 
It’s MSU’s first home victory over Penn State since Nov. 1, 2002, also a five-setter. Michigan State earns its first home ranked win since Oct. 7, 2017, a 3-1 win over then No. 7-ranked Wisconsin. 
 
“When you win set one, you know that’s a team you can beat,” Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson said. “Sets two and three were below norm for us, so we knew we’d regress to our mean and stop giving them so many points. Eventually we surpassed our norm and that’s the level we’ve been training to get to. I was really happy with the way the team responded.” 
                         
With a win Michigan State improves to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in B1G action. MSU’s six conference victories are tied for the most by the program since 2019. Penn State drops to 15-6 overall and 9-3 in conference play. 
 

Don’t be tricked… tonight was a TREAT 🤩#GoGreen | #SetTheStandard pic.twitter.com/JJBPdq54vF

— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 29, 2023

 
Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem led the Spartans with 14 kills, including two in the final three points of the match. Holdem added 10 digs to secure her seventh double-double of the season. Junior opposite Aliyah Moore finished with nine kills, which included five over the final two sets along with a team-high four blocks. Sophomore opposite Evie Doezema finished with eight kills, hitting .263 for the match. 
 
Junior setter Rachel Muisenga secured her first career double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs, while junior setter Julia Bishop led the team with 26 assists and was one dig shy of her fifth double-double. Senior libero Nalani Iosia posted a match-high 15 digs and freshman outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska added 11. 
 
MSU out-hit the Nittany Lions .144 to .128 overall and .327 to .064 over the final two sets of the match. Michigan State’s composure late led them to the victory despite…