Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Michigan State
Indiana Bested by MSU Spartans, 3-1
11/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 25, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 2007 Hoosier Volleyball season came to an end Saturday as Indiana dropped a 3-1 match at Michigan State in the season finale. Freshman Taylor Wittmer accelerated her transition to an outside hitter with a team-high 15 kills in the contest.
Five of Wittmer's kills came in game one as she hit at a .500 pace (5-1-8). Indiana's feisty defense gave them a chance in the first frame, totaling 14 team digs. Junior Erica Short led the way by digging five balls while Senior Lauren Ditteon and Junior Juli Pierce each recorded four digs. Michigan State led for much of the game, but IU was able to knot the score late at 23-23 following a Spartan service error. The Spartans grabbed the next three points, however, en route to a 30-27 win.
Indiana's offense was hitting on all cylinders in game two, evidenced by a .302 hitting efficiency that included just four attack errors. Wittmer hammered home five more terminations in the second stanza. Michigan State attempted to stop the momentum and regroup by taking a timeout when trailing at 12-8. The break in action did not phase the Hoosiers as they extending their lead to nine points at 19-10. The Spartans then slowly clawed their way back into game. At one point MSU won seven of eight points to narrow the Hoosier advantage to a sole point at 29-28. Freshman Ashley Benson stepped up and ended not only the Spartan run, but also the game at 30-28 with a put-away set up by fellow Freshman Mara Hilgenberg. Benson was also responsible for three blocks in the second game, tying Ditteon for the team-high.
The Hoosier momentum faded during the break prior to the beginning of game three. Indiana fell behind 15-7 in the third game at the midway point before eventually dropping a 30-14 bout as Michigan State hit .500. Game four was much the same, and Indiana fell victim to a 30-18 setback.
Indiana finishes the season at 15-17 overall and 6-14 in the Big Ten. First-year head coach Sherry Dunbar has begun to turn the program around in a hurry, garnering five more conference wins than last season's squad.
Players Mentioned
