Dec. 1, 2007

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DAYTON, Ohio - The Michigan State volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal for the fourth-time in program history and the first since 2002, knocking off No. 15 Dayton, 3-0 (30-26, 30-16, 30-21) tonight in front of a sold out crowd of 2,057, a new Frericks Center record. The Flyers (32-2) lose on only their second match all season and their first on their home floor.

The Spartans controlled the front line hitting .333 as a team and holding Dayton to a .037 mark, the second lowest by a Michigan State opponent this season. MSU blocked 16 Flyer attempts, paced by a career-best nine block assists by senior Jessica Hohl (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne), the third most in a three-game match in program history, and seven total blocks (one solo, six assisted) from freshman Jenilee Rathje (Mount Pleasant, Mich./Mount Pleasant). Senior Ashley Schatzle (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) led the attack with 14 kills, while senior Katie Johnson (Brooklyn, Mich./Columbia Central) had 13. Both had four total blocks and Johnson added eight digs. Rathje also chipped in eight kills and a .467 hitting percentage. Freshman Lauren O'Reilly (Langley, British Columbia/Pacific Academy) dished out 36 assists, while senior Miken Trogdon (Lisle, Ill./Wheaton St. Francis) led the squad with 10 digs.

The Spartans overcame another early game one deficit, digging out of a five-point hole midway through the game, to take the opening frame, 30-26. After MSU took the match's first point, the Flyers took five of the next seven for an early 5-3 edge. The Spartans took the next three points to retake the lead briefly (6-5), but Dayton ran off five-straight to move the score to 10-6. The two schools matched side outs leading up to a 11-6 Dayton lead, and MSU responded with a 7-1 run to regain the lead at 18-17. Again the advantage was short-lived as the Flyers ran off three-consecutive to open up a two-point edge. A kill by sophomore Mischelle Nelson (Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley) ended the spirt and started a 4-0 run by the Spartans. As quickly as MSU took back the lead, the Flyers were back ahead, going on another 3-0 run of their own. Matching runs lead to a 25-24 Dayton edge, forcing the Spartans to call time out. The time out ended up being effective as Michigan State closed the game on a 6-1 run, including the last five points, highlighted by two kills and a block solo by Rathje, and capped by an ace by Hohl. The Spartans held the Flyers with a .000 hitting percentage in game one with seven team blocks, led by four block assists by Hohl. Schatzle had five kills, while Johnson and Rathje added four apiece.

Michigan State dominated game two, taking it 30-16. The Flyers took the first two points, but a 5-1 run gave the Spartans the lead, which they would not relinquish. A pair of 3-0 spirts by the Spartans opened up a 12-7 lead. A short run by Dayton cut the deficit to 15-12, but MSU took 12 of the next 14 points for a demanding 27-14 advantage. MSU again held Dayton to a .000 hitting percentage, this time with six total blocks, including three block assists each by Hohl and Rathje. Schatzle led the MSU attack with five kills, as the Spartans hit .393 in the second game.

MSU put the match away with a 30-21 game three win. Dayton again took a early lead, this time 5-3, but three-consecutive points gave the Spartans the lead for good. The Flyers would tie the game on three occasions, the last at nine-all, but solid all-around play by MSU in the game put away the Flyers. A trio of runs of three-unanswered points, sparked by six kills by Johnson, pushed the Spartan lead to 21-15. The Flyers could not regain any momentum as MSU eventually closed out the match with three of the last four points, capped by a block by Hohl and Rathje. The Spartans hit .433 in the final game, led by seven kills by Johnson on 10 attempts.

The Spartans will face No. 2 and defending national champion Nebraska in the round of 16 on Friday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. (ET) in Madison, Wis.