On Friday night the Bluejays got an up-close look at the best player from the first day of NCAA Tournament matches in Omaha in Coastal Carolina senior outside hitter Leah Hardeman. On Saturday night, they’ll go up against the best team from that day in 12th-ranked Michigan State.
Sparty needed only about 90 minutes to bring Missouri State’s 21-match winning streak to a sudden and deflating hault as they eliminated the Bears in straight sets by scores of 25-19, 25-11, and 25-15. They hit .340 as a team for the entire match and finished with nine aces — including six from 6-foot, 6-inch senior outside hitter Brooke Kranda.