Mississippi State
10-16, 5-12SEC
Georgia
11-16, 7-10SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 14 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 1 |
| Georgia | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
Georgia Holds Off State Rally For 3-1 Win
November 11, 2011 | Volleyball
Georgia (11-16/7-10 SEC) held the Bulldog offense in check early and then held off a strong Mississippi State challenge in the final two frames to claim its season home finale and a sweep of the two-match season series. UGA also topped State 3-1 Oct. 7 in Starkville.
Caitlin Rance and Chanelle Baker to four kills each through the first two sets, sparked a gallant Bulldog comeback as State kept the match alive with a 25-23 win in the third set and threatened to claim the fourth set and send the match to a deciding fifth frame. Rance delivered eight kills and Baker seven down the stretch and finished with 13 kills and 12 kills respectively for State. It was the 56th career match reaching double figures in kills for Rance, who shared match scoring honors with UGA's Kathleen Luft. Baker's 12-kill showing, coming on a dandy .364 hitting night, marked her most productive night offensively in 16 matches.
Kathleen Gates served up an ace to open the match and Georgia never trailed in breezing to an 25-14 win in the opening set. Georgia pulled away from a 4-4 deadlock and took control of the second set with an early 6-2 run, leading by as many as nine at 16-7 en route to a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead in the match at intermission.
State answered the bell impressively in the third set. Three quick kills by Rance staked State to a 4-2 lead, and though the stanza featured 10 ties, Mississippi State never trailed. Lainey Wyman drilled a kill to break the final tie at 23-23 and a UGA attack error closed the set in State's favor, 25-23. Rance had seven kills in the frame as State piled up 18 kills while hitting at a .400 clip.
MSU opened its biggest lead of the match in the fourth set, claiming a five-point advantage at 11-6 on the first of five Baker kills in the frame. UGA pulled even at 15-15 and did not take a lead until the closing moments of the set. Brittany Northcutt came through with a point-scoring swing that broke a 21-21 tie and the homestanding Bulldogs scored three of the next four points to win the set 25-22 and clinch the match.
Georgia placed three played in double figures in kills. Luft had 13, Briana Bahr had 12 and Elizabeth Reid on a .471 hitting night, added 11. Ann Dylla and Brittany Northcutt were just off the pace with nine kills each.
MSU trailed Georgia in kills 59-50 but finished the night with a respectable .258 attack percentage, the team's third-best hitting percentage in 17 league matches. State's Hillary Parker and Georgia's Northcutt shared match honors on defense with 12 digs each, while Hannah Wilkinson and Lainey Wyman took match honors with five blocks each as MSU finished with a 10-8 edge in total team blocking. With her fifth block of the night Wyman established the school record for blocks by a freshman, 95.
Mississippi State travels on to Auburn to wrap up its 2011 schedule Sunday. The Bulldogs, eager to halt an eight-match losing skid, take on the Tigers (10-16/4-12 SEC) in a 1 p.m. (CST) match televised regionally by SportSouth.
