EAST LANSING, Mich. — Illinois dropped the first set Wednesday at Michigan State. It was a first for the Illini in more than a week after sweeping Northwestern and Rutgers and just the eighth in the course of their winning streak that dates back to mid-October.
Doing so didn’t really faze Illinois. In fact, by the end of that first set against the Spartans, the Illini had already started to turn the match around. Three sets later it was over. Fourth-ranked Illinois finished off its 21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-16 victory — a 12th straight — and set itself up for lucky No.