The holiday season started rough for the No. 19 Michigan volleyball team as the Wolverines lost Wednesday night to rival Michigan State, 3-0, at the Breslin Center.

In front of a record-setting crowd of 6,824 in East Lansing, Michigan struggled to establish an offensive presence on the floor. The Wolverines hit into seven Michigan State blocks in the opening frame and went down early, 23-16, in the first set.

The Wolverines pulled closer and with the help of junior middle blocker Courtney Fletcher’s kill, they cut the lead down to 24-21. But that would be the closest Michigan would get.

Maybe it was out of frustration in the first set or because the Spartans had figured out Michigan coach Mark Rosen’s scheme, but the Wolverines' offense could never produce throughout the match.

“We just couldn’t break their system and they knew ours,” Rosen said. “They broke ours and that meant we passed to (junior outside hitter Alex Hunt) a lot. One thing that hurt was we couldn’t establish (senior setter Lexi Zimmerman) as an offensive threat.”

After the first set, the Michigan couldn't spread the ball effectively and relied on Hunt too much. Offensive woes became more prevalent in the second frame. Michigan trailed the Spartans 20-19 as the lights went out in the gymnasium — literally. Hunt had a kill to notch it up at 20 after the 24-minute delay, but Michigan suffered a service error and Michigan State had two blocks to end the set with a 25-23 win.

The Wolverines never climbed out of this hole as they went on to lose the third set, 25-23, as well despite going ahead 3-0 in the beginning of the frame. Michigan State’s physical presence at the front of the net and serving played the most significant role in beating the Wolverines.

The Spartans recorded 14 blocks to Michigan’s seven, which is one of the reasons why the Wolverines fed the ball so frequently to Hunt. Hunt was the only Michigan (12-7 Big Ten, 23-8) player to record double digit kills. On the other end, Michigan State did a fine job serving and spreading the ball.

The Spartans tallied five points off service aces, and three different Michigan State (6-13, 14-16) players notched more than nine kills in the winning effort.

“I have to complement their serving,” Rosen said. “That’s really what did it. They served really well throughout the night.

“Sometimes your home court will do it. You know where the ball is under the light. How the air will affect the ball. You just know your court so it’s easier then.”