Mississippi State
10-14, 5-10SEC
Kentucky
22-4, 13-2SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 19 | 22 | 20 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
State Volleyball Falls At #19 Kentucky
November 04, 2011 | Volleyball
A balanced offensive attack and strong play at the net enabled the Wildcats to turn back the Bulldogs. Kentucky out-hit State .265 to .115 on the night and finished with a 45-31 advantage in kills. But it was at the net where Kentucky was most dominant, building a 13-7 lead in total team blocking.
Junior rightside hitter Faith Steinwedell paced MSU with 10 kills, sharing match honors with UK's Ann Armes. Armes sizzled for Kentucky, notching her 10 kills on 13 swings for a .769 attack percentage. Senior Caitlin Rance added eight and teamed with Steinwedell to account for 18 of MSU's 31 kills. Armes received backing from Becky Pavan, who finished with nine kills, and from both Whitney Billings and Ashley Frazier with eight each.
Pavan and Billings combined for 14 blocks. State got a six-block performance at the net by Hannah Wilkinson.
Wilkinson's first solo block capped a 4-0 MSU run that put the Bulldogs up 4-2 early in the opening set as State stayed with the Wildcats for much of the opening stanza. Wilkinson knotted the score at 14-all with a kill before UK went on a 6-0 run to take a 20-14 lead. The teams traded points the remainder of the set, leading to a 25-19 UK win. Lauren O'Connor registered six kills and a pair of blocks to pace UK while Rance registered four of MSU's opening set kills.
The Bulldogs got off to a quick start in the second set and with back-to-back kills by Chanelle Baker took a 9-5 advantage. The UKats pulled even with the Bulldogs at 10-10 during a 5-1 run before State put together a nice run that saw MSU surge ahead 17-12. Lainey Wyman registered her second kill of the night and the tandem of Rance and Wilkinson registered key knockdowns. But 10 Bulldog attack errors proved costly as the Wildcats out-pointed the Bulldogs 8-4 down the stretch to take a 25-22 win and a 2-0 match lead at the break.
Rance and Steinwedell put down two kills each in the early stages of the third set as the Bulldogs again held their own against the 19th-ranked Wildcats. But UK caught fire, erasing an 8-6 State advantage with a 10-1 burst, and riding a six-kill performance in the set by Pavan clinched the match with a 25-20 win.
Hillary Parker paced the Bulldogs on defense with nine digs. UK's Stephanie Klefot carded a match-high 14 digs.
The Bulldogs continue their weekend SEC road run in Knoxville, Tenn., Sunday, taking on 16th-ranked and league-leading Tennessee (21-3/13-1 SEC). The Bulldogs will be looking to snap a six-match losing skid and a string of 11 consecutive UT wins in the series in Knoxville.
