#21 Michigan State Wins Spartan Invitational Without Dropping Set

  0 Bill Stadick | September 02nd, 2017 | Big Ten, College - Women's Indoor, Division I Mid-Major, News

MATCH STATS

  • #21 Michigan State def. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-18)
  • Michigan State moves to 5-1; Texas A&M-Corpus Christi drops to 2-4
  • Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, East Lansing, Michigan
  • Attendance: 1,586
  • Box Score

#21 Michigan State cruised to a straight-set victory over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders to win the Spartan Invitational without dropping a single set, earlier sweeping matches against San Diego State and Marshall. Spartan opposite Brooke Kranda was named tournament MVP.

Senior Autumn Bailey was unstoppable against the Islanders, recording 16 kills on 29 swings and no errors for a .552 hitting percentage. Senior Alyssa Garvelink added 10 kills and hit .692. In a slight departure from this season’s typical all-senior starting lineup, sophomore setter Maggie Midgette got the nod for Michigan State over senior All-American Rachel Minarick.

For the visiting Islanders, three seniors notched six kills apiece: middle blocker Madeleine Doud, outside Brittany Gilpin and setter Krysten Nicholson, who also had 24 assists.

Bailey and Garvelink paced the Michigan State offense in set one, notching six kills apiece on error-free hitting. In the second, the Spartans’ offense kept the pressure on, hitting at a .654 clip. The Islanders managed to keep it closer in the third, getting within three on a Nicholson kill to make it 19-16, but they got no closer and the match ended when Midgette’s 38th assist led to another Bailey kill.

Michigan State heads to Gainesville, Florida next weekend for Florida Active Ankle Challenge, which will include a much-anticipated battle with the #3 Florida Gators.

2017 Spartan Invitational All-Tournament Team

VIDEO

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVqeZeouP0g?rel=0]

PRESS RELEASES

Courtesy: Michigan State Athletics

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS

Michigan State captured the 2017 Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational title with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-18) victory over Texas A&M Corpus-Christi on Saturday night.

The Spartans had three members of the All-Tournament Team: Autumn Bailey and Alyssa Garvelink joined tournament MVP on the team. Kranda hit .439 on the weekend and averaged a team-best 3.33 kills per set, and added 1.22 blocks. Bailey did not commit a hitting error over the three matches (29-0-67, .433), averaging 3.11 digs, 0.44 blocks, and 3.22 kills per frame. Garvelink averaged 1.56 blocks and 2.33 kills on th weekend, hitting a team-high .548.

In the Saturday night match, Bailey led the way with 16 kills on 29 swings, hitting .442 and adding eight digs. Garvelink hit .692 (10-1-13) and added three blocks, sharing the match high with Kranda; the 6-6 redshirt senior had nine kills and three aces as well.

For Corpus Christi, the Islanders had three players finish with six kills each (Brittany Gilpin, Madeleine Doud, and Kristyn Nicholson). Nicholson was the Islanders’ representative on the All-Tournament Team.

Corpus Christi followed up a .258 hitting percentage in the opening set with a .348 performance in the second – but MSU countered with .441 in the first and .654 in the second, including a 17-kill, zero-error effort in the second frame. In the third, MSU held the Islanders to .083, but TAMCC still hit .211 for the match – the highest hitting percentage of any opponent this season. MSU, however, hit a season-best .432. The Spartans did have season lows in both aces (5) and blocks (6).

Sophomore setter Maggie Midgette got her first start of the season, compiling 38 assists, sven digs, two blocks, and three kills in leading MSU to its top hitting performance of the season. Libero Abby Monson had 16 digs and five assists.

The All-Tournament team consisted of the following players:

QUOTABLE
“It was probably our best performance in that I really saw our players working on improving in all the areas that we had identified from last weekend. Autumn Bailey didn’t have a single error all weekend, and was a force both offensively and defensively. I liked that we were able to see what Maggie Midgette could do in her first start of the season, too – it’s important for us to develop the depth that will help us through the grind of a Big Ten season, and we were able to work in a lot of our young players this weekend. All in all, I think there’s a lot to grow on as we get ready for the second half of our non-conference schedule.”
– Head Coach Cathy George

TOP PERFORMERS

  • Autumn Bailey had 16 kills on 29 swings (.552), season highs in both kills and hitting percentage.
  • Brooke Kranda finished with nine kills, three aces, and three blocks. She earned Tournament MVP honors.
  • Maggie Midgette had 38 assists, seven digs, three kills, and a pair of blocks in her first start of the season.

STATS AND STORYLINES

  • Autumn Bailey leads the Spartans in kills (2.94 per set) and is second in digs (3.33 per frame), and was 29-0-67 (.433) on the weekend.
  • MSU’s .432 hitting percentage was a season best. MSU had four players with at least six kills who hit .380 or better, led by Garvelink’s .692.
  • MSU swept all three opponents this weekend and is 5-0 in three-set matches.
  • The Spartans have won each of their first two non-conference tournaments of the season.

Courtesy: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletics

Spartans Show Strength in Sweep

Islanders unable to pace No. 23 Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. – 23rd-ranked Michigan State flexed its muscle Saturday night, hitting .432 to take down Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 25-20, 25-11, 25-18.

Brittany Gilpin, Madeleine Doud and Kristyn Nicholson all recorded six kills to lead the Islanders (2-4), but the balanced effort was not enough to keep pace with the en fuego Spartans. Autumn Bailey led the Spartans with 16 kills while hitting .552. Alyssa Garvelink added another 10 kills as the nationally-ranked Spartans pulled away.

Nicholson proved to be the Islanders’ most efficient option in attack as the setter floored six of her nine attempts to hit .556. Nicholson also added 24 assists in the loss.

After trading points early, the Spartans used a quick 5-2 run to build a 14-10 advantage in the opening set. The Islanders would answer with a 3-0 run to close within 17-15, but Michigan State held off the late charge for the 25-20 first set.

In the second, a 9-2 start for Michigan State allowed the Spartans to cruise to a 25-11 victory. The third once again opened with points traded back and forth, before the Spartans were able to pull away in the middle of the set.

ALL TOURNAMENT

Setter Kristyn Nicholson earned all-tournament honors for her performance at the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational. Nicholson recorded 13 kills while hitting .393 on the weekend. She also added 75 assists.

HEADED HOME

After spending the past 10 days on the road, Corpus Christi returns home for the first time in 2017 on Tuesday night. The Islanders host rival UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown at 6:30 p.m.

The first 200 fans will receive a free T-shirt and all fans will have an opportunity to take their picture with the South Texas Showdown Trophy as the Islanders celebrate their victory in 2016-17.

Tickets to Tuesday’s match are just $6 and can be purchase online or by calling 825-BALL (2255). All Texas A&M-Corpus Christi students receive free admission to athletic events with a valid SandDollar$ ID.

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