Mississippi State
LSU
Tigers Fend Off Bulldogs' Challenge At Newell-Grissom
November 17, 2006 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - State freshman Martina Gregusova tallied a match-high 15 kills Friday night but it was not enough to lift Mississippi State to its first volleyball win over a ranked opponent. No. 11 Louisiana State (24-4, 16-3 SEC) placed three players in double figures in kills and topped Mississippi State 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-27) at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Melody Clark registered 14 kills on a .478 hitting performance while Marina Skender added 11 and Kyna Washington 10 as the SEC Western Division champions piled up a 54-40 edge in kills. The win gave LSU a sweep of the two-match season series.
A kill by Jamie Joyner pulled the Bulldogs to within a point at 24-23 in the opening set before LSU reeled off the next six points for a 30-23 win in the opening set. State fell behind 6-1 to begin game two but battled back to take a 26-25 lead on an LSU hitting error. The Tigers out-pointed the Bulldogs 5-2 down the stretch to take the game 30-28 and a 2-0 match lead at the break. The Bulldogs found themselves in a similar situation in game three, falling behind 7-1 then charging back to tie the game at 27-27 when Erin Seago and Eva Kriegel combined on a block. But LSU fended off the Bulldog rally, scoring the final three points for a match-clinching 30-27 win.
Gregusova, MSU's kills leader in nine of the last 10 Bulldog matches, added 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Joyner totaled seven kills and Seago added four kills with four blocks, including three solos.
On defense, Megan Lukasek and Eva Kriegel reached double digits with 10 digs each.
LSU got a strong performance from freshman Lauren DeGirolamo, who finished with nine kills on a .500 hitting effort and a match-high five blocks.
The Bulldogs wrap up their 2006 schedule Sunday at 1:30 p.m., hosting Arkansas (16-11, 9-10 SEC) at the Newell-Grissom Building. Outside hitter Orshi Kriegel, the lone senior on State's 2006 team, will be honored in pre-match ceremonies.
