Mississippi State
10-15, 5-11
Tennessee
22-3, 14-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 22 | 25 | 16 | 14 | 1 |
| Tennessee | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Bulldogs Drop 3-1 Decision At No. 16 Tennessee
November 06, 2011 | Volleyball
Rance hit a team-best .304 with nine digs while Faith Steinwedell finished with eight kills and eight digs. State enjoyed a measure of success at the net, leading UT in total team blocking 11.5 to 10. Senior middle Hannah Wilkinson took match honors with six blocks while Chanelle Baker backed her seven-kill performance with five blocks.
A trio of Lady Vols reached double figures in kills. Kelsey Robinson and Leslie Cikra had 15 kills each and Tiffany Baker, younger sister of MSU junior Chanelle Baker, followed with 11.
A slow start doomed the Bulldog in the opening set, with the Lady Vols bolting to a 7-1 lead and hitting at a crisp .405 percentage en route to a 25-22 win. But State warmed up on offense, getting five-kill efforts from Steinwedell and Rance and closing the gap with the 16th-ranked Lady Vols midway in the opening stanza. Robinson and Cikra combined for 12 of UT's 18 kills.
MSU stayed close with UT in the early going of the second set and parlayed a pair of 5-0 runs into a match-evening 25-23 win. Solid play at the net sparked State's play midway in the set. Rance tied the score at 14-14 with a solo rejection and the tandem of Chanelle Baker and Lainey Wyman combined for blocks on the next two UT attacks to put State ahead 16-14. The Vols surged back into control with a 4-0 spree and a 23-20 lead. But State battled back, reeling off the next five points for a 25-23 win. Rance had six of State's 12 kills in the frame, including three straight to seal the MSU win.
The Bulldogs were unable to maintain their momentum gained in the second set as Tennessee's balanced attack took control. UT took control of the third set with an early 9-2 run en route to a 25-16 decision and out-pointed the Bulldogs 7-2 to start the fourth stanza on the way to a match-clinching 25-14 win.
The Bulldogs continue SEC competition on the road next weekend, taking on the Georgia Bulldogs Nov. 11 in Athens, Ga., before batting Western Division rival Auburn in a regionally-televised (SportSouth) match at Auburn.
