No. 22 Michigan State gave No. 13 Oregon a real fight Friday night, but the Ducks left Breslin Center with a four-set win, 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20.
The loss drops the Spartans to 13-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play. Oregon moves to 13-2 and 4-1.
Michigan State had its moments at the net and from the service line, finishing with a 12-7 edge in blocks and a 7-6 advantage in aces. But Oregon’s offense was sharper overall, hitting .250 and holding MSU to .147 while finishing with more kills, 59-41, and more digs, 61-44.
Senior outside hitter Alanna Bankston paced the Spartans with 14 kills, her 11th double-digit kill match of the season. Karolina Staniszewska added eight kills and a team-high 13 digs, while libero Lia Schneider chipped in 12 digs.
Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long ran the offense with 32 assists and served up a team-best three aces. Carmen Waye anchored the middle with a team-high six total blocks, and Zora Hardison added five.
Michigan State came out fast and grabbed the first burst of momentum, opening the match with a 5-0 run behind Long’s serve. That stretch included two Long aces, a Bankston kill and a Waye solo block. Oregon answered, erased the early deficit and eventually turned the set into a back-and-forth battle before closing it out with the final three points for a 25-22 win.
The Spartans looked poised to even things in the second. They built a 7-3 lead and later stretched it to 15-11 at the media timeout.
But Oregon kept hanging around, pulled even at 15-15 and then traded points with MSU down the stretch before taking control late. Bankston and Hardison helped MSU survive the first set point at 24-23, but Oregon finished the set on the next swing to go up 2-0.
Michigan State responded in the third and finally cashed in. After Oregon trimmed an 11-5 Spartan lead to 15-10, MSU put together another important run, using a Staniszewska-Waye block and two straight Waye aces to build a 19-12 edge. Oregon kept pushing, but MSU held on long enough to take the set 25-21, with a Duck service error ending it.
The fourth set belonged to Oregon early, as the Ducks raced to an 11-6 lead and later stretched it to 15-13 at the media timeout. Michigan State made one more push, cutting the margin to one at 17-16 on a string that included an Oregon error, a Waye solo block and a Waye-Ogden block. Oregon answered with a 5-1 run to go back up five at 22-17, then held off two MSU match points before finishing the Spartans off with the final kill.
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