Kristen Dickmann Invitational
Score: Michigan State 3, VCU 2 (25-14, 25-12, 23-25, 22-25, 15-10)
Location: Annapolis, Md. (Brown Field House)
Records: Michigan State 6-0, VCU 3-3
 
The short story: Senior Qairo Bentley ripped 11 kills to help spark a furious VCU comeback attempt but Michigan State held on to top the Rams in five sets Saturday at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational.
 
OPENING VOLLEY

• Bentley spiked all 11 of her kills in the final three sets as she helped the Rams rally from a 2-0 hole. The outside hitter from Denver, Colo. did not produce a kill in 10 swings through the first two frames, but hit .375 the rest of the way. She added seven digs
• Sophomore outside hitter Parker Hartzell added 10 kills, including eight in the final three sets to aid the VCU comeback. She also supplied four blocks
• Sophomore setter Corinna Jones handed out 19 assists and provided 12 digs and a pair of aces for the Black and Gold, while classmate Crew Hoffmeier was credited with 14 digs
• Evie Doezema led all players with 16 kills for Michigan State 

THE DIFFERENCE

• Michigan State hit .444 in the tiebreaker on the way to a 15-10 victory. Maradith O'Gorman sparked a 7-2 Michigan State run to give the Spartans a 10-5 lead in the final frame. VCU could get no closer than three points the rest of the way
• The Spartans raced out to a 2-0 lead as VCU produced more errors (16) than kills (14) in the first two sets
• Michigan State hit .250 overall in the match and owned a 65-49 edge in digs

NOTABLE

• Bentley and Hartzell combined for nine kills in 20 swings in the third to spark the VCU comeback. The fourth set was more of the same, as the VCU duo supplied a combined six kills and did not make an error in 18 attempts as the Rams claimed a 25-22 equalizer
• Saturday's match was the first between VCU and Michigan State in 11 years

NEXT UP
VCU will head to Gainesville, Fla. for the Florida Invitational Sept. 9-10. The Rams will open the weekend with Florida Gulf Coast at noon on Friday.