Mississippi State
6-19 (1-9SEC)
Florida
16-3 (10-0SEC)
MSU Volleyball Drops 3-0 Decision At No. 8 Florida
October 26, 2014 | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Capping off a two-match East Coast swing in Gainesville, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (6-19, 1-9 SEC) fell to the No. 8 Florida Gators (16-3, 10-0 SEC) 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Florida took control early in the first set and would not let up. MSU would come as close as four in the frame, but was unable to find its rhythm, as the Gators would go on to take the first set, 25-9.
MSU fared better in the second set, putting together several small runs to stay within striking distance. The Gators used an early 5-0 run to pull ahead of State by six. MSU would later reel off three-straight points to cut the lead to five, capped by a block from Emily Howard and Leticia Valente. However, State would come no closer, as UF would pull away to take the second set, 25-14.
The Maroon and White came out strong in the third set, highlighted by an ace from Cheyenne Spell to tie the match at 3-3. UF would respond with a 5-0 run, bringing up one more rally from MSU. The Bulldogs pulled within three, down 9-6, before the Gators took hold of the match and never let go, keeping State at bay and taking the final set, 25-16, and the match, 3-0.
Pacing the Bulldogs on the afternoon was the duo of Alex Warren and Howard, who had five and four kills, respectively. With her four kills, Howard eclipsed the century mark for the season, moving up to 102. Shelby Anderton tallied 14 assists for the match, while Valente paced MSU defensively, earning a pair of blocks.
Payton Harris racked up 12 digs on the afternoon, increasing her total to 585 on the year. She now stands 47 digs from tying for first place on the single-season digs list.
Leading the Gators was Rhamat Alhassan, who earned 10 kills on the day, while Mackenzie Dagostino led all players with 27 assists.
MSU returns to action on Friday, Oct. 31, for a Halloween showdown at home against the Auburn Tigers. First serve from Newell-Grissom is set for 5 p.m. CT, and will be nationally televised on the SEC Network.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
