EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State volleyball program was named champion of the 2022 Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational on Saturday night after a sweep of Fairfield gave the Spartans a spotless 3-0 record for the weekend. MSU defeated Eastern Michigan in five sets on Saturday afternoon (25-14, 18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-8) before quickly dispatching the Stags in the nightcap (25-15, 25-21, 25-13).
Sophomore Aliyah Moore and freshman Maradith O’Gorman paced the Spartans with 16 kills apiece in Michigan State’s five-set thriller against Eastern Michigan. Fifth-year Rebecka Poljan added 11 kills, while senior Emma Monks had nine in addition to a team-high seven blocks. Junior Nalani Iosia was a steady presence for the Spartans with a team-best 13 digs, and fifth-year Zoe Nunez successfully set up the MSU attack on 49 occasions.
Playing in their second five-set match of the weekend, Michigan State once again rose to the occasion, hitting .400 in the fifth set while holding EMU to a .000 hitting percentage when it mattered most.
After going down 0-2 in their first match of the season, Michigan State saw steady progress throughout the weekend, culminating with the 3-0 win over reigning MAAC champion Fairfield.
“One of the most significant improvements between the two days of the tournament was our middle connection,” Michigan State head volleyball coach Leah Johnson said. “Becka and Zoe found a tempo that worked, and we saw that benefit for sure. I think our service pressure at the start of the Fairfield match was closer to where we want it, whereas yesterday we started set one…
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