Michigan State kept rolling in Piscataway, knocking off Rutgers in four sets Friday night inside Jersey Mike’s Arena, 25-12, 26-28, 25-22, 25-20.
The Spartans improved to 16-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten, while Rutgers fell to 10-11 and 1-8 in conference play. MSU controlled the match at the net and from the service line, finishing with a .336 hitting percentage, 68 kills and 60 digs.
Rutgers hit .234, finished with 50 kills and 51 digs, and held a narrow 8-6 edge in blocks. Both teams recorded five service aces.
Senior outside hitter Alanna Bankston delivered a career night, finishing with a career-high 21 kills, the second time she has gone past 20 in Michigan State’s last three matches. She hit .283 and added five digs.
Senior middle blocker Zora Hardison matched a career high with 16 kills on .600 hitting and shared the team lead with three total blocks, alongside junior middle blocker Carmen Waye and freshman outside hitter Madi Andrews. Waye added 14 kills on a .609 clip, and Andrews finished with 11.
Redshirt sophomore setter Malayah Long put together her third double-double of the season, dishing out 53 assists and matching her season high with 11 digs. She also led the Spartans with two aces. Senior libero Lia Schneider paced MSU with 17 digs.
Michigan State came out sharp and overwhelmed Rutgers in the opening set. Bankston accounted for four early kills, and the Spartans surged ahead 6-2 before stretching the margin with a 5-0 burst that included kills from Andrews, Hardison and Ogden, plus a Waye ace and a block from Hardison and Andrews.
By the time Rutgers called its first timeout, MSU was up 11-4. The Spartans never let the Scarlet Knights back into it, pushing the lead to double digits and closing the set 25-12 on a Rutgers attack error.
The second set turned into a different fight. MSU briefly moved ahead 8-7 after a Bankston kill, a block from Waye and Andrews, and a Rutgers error, then again led 11-10 behind back-to-back Andrews kills.
Rutgers answered with a 5-2 run to get to the media timeout up 15-13 and kept the pressure on from there. Michigan State trimmed the gap several times, including getting within one at 18-17 and 20-18, but Rutgers kept finding answers.
Hardison’s back-to-back kills pulled MSU within two at 22-20, and the Spartans erased a 23-20 deficit with three straight points to tie the set at 23-23. Even after reaching set point twice, MSU couldn’t finish it, and Rutgers edged out the extra points to take it 28-26.
The Spartans regrouped in the third. They opened with a 5-0 run, watched Rutgers claw back to a tie at 5-5, then built another cushion and led 14-11 before a 4-0 Michigan State stretch put the Spartans back on top 15-14 at the media timeout.
From there, Long and Hardison combined for a block to help extend the lead to 17-14. Rutgers kept hanging around and cut it to one at 18-17, but Bankston and Waye delivered kills to push MSU back in front 20-16.
Rutgers made one last push, trimming the margin to 23-22, before Andrews earned set point and Bankston finished it off for a 25-22 Spartan win.
Michigan State took control for good early in the fourth, opening a 7-2 lead and forcing a Rutgers timeout after Bankston hammered her 20th kill of the night. The Spartans built the advantage to 10-3 before Rutgers chipped away and got within three at 13-10. Hardison and Waye answered to restore a four-point cushion at 15-11, but Rutgers strung together a 5-1 run to tie the set at 16-16 and force an MSU timeout.
That was the last real opening Rutgers found. Hardison came out of the timeout and ripped off four straight kills to push Michigan State back ahead 21-17, and the Spartans moved to match point at 24-19. Rutgers saved two match points, including after a Staniszewska ace, but Hardison closed it out with her 16th kill to seal the 25-20 finish.
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