CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois handed No. 22 Michigan State its third loss of the season Thursday night, winning a four-set Big Ten volleyball match at Huff Hall. The Illini took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23, dropped the third 25-21 and closed out the fourth 25-22.
The setback leaves the Spartans at 14-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Illinois moved to 12-6 and also sits at 4-3 in the league.
The home side was the sharper attacking team, hitting .261 while keeping Michigan State to .215. Illinois also finished ahead in kills, 57 to 52, in digs, 58 to 53, and in total blocks, nine to seven. The Spartans won the serving battle with six aces to five.
Alanna Bankston, a senior, carried the Spartan attack with 20 kills, a career best. Freshman Madi Andrews chipped in 15 kills plus three aces, Malayah Long ran the offense with 38 assists while adding 11 digs, and Lia Schneider dug 17 balls from the back row.
For Illinois, Madi Miles matched her career high with 15 kills on .303 hitting, and Paityn Chapman added 13 kills and five blocks. The win kept a pattern going for the Illini: all four of their Big Ten victories have come against ranked teams.
Every set was close. Michigan State led late in the first two before Illinois closed each one out, then the Spartans used a 7-0 burst to grab the third. Michigan State opened the fourth on a 5-0 run, but Illinois clawed back; Bankston and Andrews pulled Michigan State even at 20-20, but Illinois scored four of the final five points.
Michigan State heads to Northwestern for a Saturday match at 8 p.m. ET at Welsh-Ryan Arena, with streaming on B1G+.
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