The team struggled mightily against Illinois on Friday, falling quickly in three sets (25-17, 25-18, 25-17). MSU seemed overmatched, as Illinois used long rallies in the middle of all three matches to open up insurmountable leads.

The game Saturday was much closer with MSU taking Purdue to five sets.

The Spartans started off the match strong, pulling out to a 14-7 lead in the first set and keeping that stretch for the rest of the set, winning 25-19.

But the lead was short-lived as the Boilermakers quickly jumped to a 7-2 lead in the second set. MSU tried a few times to rally back in the set pulling to within 10-7 and 19-16, only to see Purdue ride a 6-3 run to finish the set, 25-19.

The third set was hotly contested until Purdue again rallied, taking a 9-9 tie and turning it into a 25-16 win with a 16-7 run that turned the game in the Boilermakers favor.

The Spartans came back to play tough in the fourth set, getting out to a 7-3 lead only to see Purdue tie the set at 10 soon after. When MSU fell down in the set 13-11, they started a few long rallies of their own, winning four straight points to take the lead 15-13 and another three straight shortly afterward, taking an 18-17 lead to 21-17. The Spartans protected the lead for the rest of the set, winning 25-22 and forcing a fifth and final set.

In the final set, Purdue middle hitter Stephanie Lynch took over, earning four kills, as the Boilermakers won 15-12 and took the match 3-2.

“We really had to be aggressive tonight, and the team came out and did that,” head coach Cathy George said.

“I think we had a much better performance tonight than we did Friday night and an intensity that we need to carry through in future matches.”

Senior defensive specialist Heather McDaniel said the team loosened up, which helped them be more competitive Saturday.

“We fought hard, it just slipped through our fingers,” McDaniel said. “We were a little more comfortable. We talked about before the game just to let loose and have some personality on the court.

“With more personality it distracts us from bad things that happen. If we’re always giving back and just being ourselves, you feel more comfort and you’re naturally giving back to you’re teammates, which helps boost everyone else’s confidence.”

Freshman outside hitter Becca Zlabis, who led the team with a career-high 19 kills against Purdue, said she felt much more confident on the court.

“We talked about how we have to lay it on the line and there’s nothing to lose,” Zlabis said. “I thought we played tough, I thought we fought and played a lot better this match; I think we’re on to something.

“I just think we missed a lot of opportunities we should have made, but I think overall we did really well.”

The Spartans continue conference play on the road this weekend against No. 21 Wisconsin (14-8, 4-6) and Northwestern (7-14, 1-9).