Mississippi State
Tennessee
Strong Blocking Game Lifts UT Past Volleyball Bulldogs
October 26, 2008 | Volleyball
? Official Statistics
STARKVILLE, Miss. - A strong Tennessee blocking game proved to be too high of a hurdle to clear for Mississippi State Sunday afternoon as the Lady Vols (15-8, 8-4 SEC) swept to a 3-0 volleyball win (25-16, 25-16, 25-17) over the Bulldogs (6-16, 1-10 SEC) at the Newell-Grissom Building. State held a 40-38 advantage in kills, including a match-leading 18 by junior outside hitter Ioana Demian. But Tennessee amassed a 10-3 dominance in total team blocks to complete a sweep of this year's two-match series. "We're a little out-manned right now, with our only senior and one of our top freshmen on the bench with injuries," said head coach Tina Seals. "In spite of the injuries and the way that that has impacted the continuity of our team, our kids keep playing hard and keep showing signs of improvement and maturity." For the first time this season, the Bulldogs played without freshman outside hitter Faith Steinwedell, sidelined indefinitely by a knee injury sustained in the second set of a Friday loss to No. 22 Kentucky. The rookie from LaJolla, Calif., is expected to undergo further medical evaluation Monday to determine the extent of her injury. Demian's 18 kills was the second-most in her career and the second-highest kills total by a Bulldog this fall. In Steinwedell's absence sidelined, the MSU staff turned to Kellye Jordan for a career-first stint in the State starting lineup. The rookie from Jasper, Ala., responded with a season-best eight-kill performance. The Lady Vols raced to a 3-1 lead in the opening set and never trailed in posting a 25-16 decision. Tennessee hit at a .391 clip with just two attack errors that negated a stellar eight-kill, .727 hitting display by Demian. The Bulldogs cut into a 14-point Lady Vol lead with a late flurry that saw MSU out-point UT 7-1. Though State broke out to an early 3-1 lead, Tennessee was even more dominant in the second set, hitting .480 with 12 kills in an error-free hitting performance. Demian nailed a kill to pull the Bulldogs to within two points at 14-12, but the Lady Vols answered with a 6-0 run that put the set out of reach. Tennessee bolted to a 5-1 lead to open the third set and never trailed en route to a match-clinching 25-17 decision. A service ace by Dorey Gray pulled State to within a point at 13-12. UT answered the State challenge with a 5-0 run and cruised on to the win. Mandy Mellencamp finished with six kills and shared team blocking honors (two) with Doresy Gray. Kayla Woodard paced State's defense with 10 digs. Tennessee out-hit State .384 to .170 and got 11 kills from Kylie Marshall, nine more from Nikki Fowler and eight-kill, five-block effort from Farren Powe. The Bulldogs close out their current home stand Wednesday, hosting SEC travel partner Alabama (10-10, 3-8 SEC) in a 7 p.m. match at the Newell-Grissom Building.
? Official Statistics (PDF)
