November 12, 2014

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                    1   2   3   4
MSU      (NR)       25  21  22  23 
NEBRASKA (11)       20  25  25  25 
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Lincoln, Neb. — The 11th-ranked Nebraska volleyball team came back after dropping the first set to Michigan State to win 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-23) Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center before the 215th consecutive sellout crowd.

Kelsey Fien led the Huskers (17-7, 11-4 Big Ten) to their fifth straight win with 17 kills, matching her career high. Fien hit .412 on the night and posted her first 13 kills without an error. Kadie Rolfzen added 15 kills, and Amber Rolfzen had seven kills and five blocks. NU got big contributions from its back row as Justine Wong-Orantes (18), Annika Albrecht (14) and Sydney Townsend (nine) combined for 41 of Nebraska's 62 digs on the night. Mary Pollmiller had 44 assists, and Melanie Keil had four kills and four blocks while hitting .444 off the bench.

Chloe Reinig led Michigan State (13-13, 6-9 Big Ten) with 13 kills. NU outhit MSU .196 to .147, while the Spartans had a slight 12-11 edge in blocks. The Spartans hit .400 in the first set but hit just .078 the rest of the match.

Michigan State built a 12-3 lead after an 8-0 run in the first set behind three kills and two blocks from Jazimine White. The Huskers fought back to get within 13-11, but Michigan State answered with a 3-0 spurt to go back up 16-11. NU then pulled within 17-16 with four straight points on kills by Amber Rolfzen and Cecilia Hall, and two service aces by Albrecht. Out of a timeout, Michigan State went up 19-16 and extended the lead to 22-17 before finishing out the set 25-20. The Spartans hit .400 in the frame, while NU hit .212 and committed seven attacking errors, one more than its match total against Indiana.

Set two did not begin much better for the Huskers, as Michigan State opened up a 6-1 lead with three blocks to open the set. The Huskers immediately erased that though with a 6-0 spurt to go up 7-6 for their first lead of the match. Kadie Rolfzen had two kills to get NU back in it, and Amber Rolfzen and Keil combined for a momentum-swinging block. The teams battled back and forth, but the Spartans claimed a 16-14 lead with a three-point run to force a Husker timeout. Pollmiller then set Amber Rolfzen for a kill, and MSU hit long to even the set 16-16. Back-to-back MSU attack errors put NU up 20-18. Leading 22-20, the Huskers got the final three points of the set on kills by Fien and Kadie Rolfzen and a block by Amber Rolfzen and Keil. The Huskers hit just .135, but had four blocks after none in the first set to hold the Spartans to .000 hitting in the second set. MSU had 12 errors after just three in the first set.

The Huskers went up 6-3 early in the third, but Michigan State tied it 6-6. The teams went back and forth until back-to-back solo stuffs by Kadie Rolfzen and Haggerty gave the Huskers a 13-10 advantage. A solo stuff by Pollmiller and a Spartan net violation and attacking error gave the Huskers an 18-13 cushion. Keil swatted down a Spartan overdig for a 22-16 Husker lead. Haggerty's kill to the back corner gave NU set point at 24-20, and the Huskers wrapped up the set with Albrecht's first kill of the match. NU hit .306 in the third set and had four more blocks. Michigan State hit .149 with eight attacking errors.

The Huskers trailed 6-2 in the fourth set before an MSU service error, two blocks by Amber Rolfzen (one with Haggerty) and a kill by Kadie Rolfzen tied it 6-6. NU then pushed the run to 7-0 for a 9-6 lead after back-to-back MSU hitting errors and a Kadie Rolfzen kill. Leading 10-9, the Huskers gained separation with a 6-1 run to go up 16-10. Fien had three kills in that span. The Spartans rallied to get within 22-21 after an ace by Rachel Minarick. But Fien's 17th kill made it 23-21 Huskers. Nebraska took the match after a combo block by Amber Rolfzen and Keil.

Nebraska finishes its four-match home stretch on Sunday at 2 p.m. against Maryland on NET.