Mississippi State
5-14, 0-4SEC
Florida
10-3, 4-0SEC
Bulldogs Challenge No. 9 Florida, Fall In 3-0 Decision
October 05, 2014 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Even with a tall task in front of them, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (5-14, 0-4 SEC) showed impressive fight on Sunday in a 3-0 loss to the ninth-ranked Florida Gators (10-3, 4-0 SEC).
“I'm very proud of our girls for their execution of the game plan and being able to compete with such a great team,” MSU coach Jenny Hazelwood said. “It was a tough task for us, but this team did not give up one bit and fought from start to finish.”
Despite the sweep, the Bulldogs made remarkable runs in each set, keeping the Gators on their toes throughout the entire match.
State went toe-to-toe with Florida in the day's opening set, including grabbing a 12-9 lead behind a pair of Chelsea Duhs kills to force a UF timeout midway through. MSU would get its lead to as high as four coming out of the timeout, but the Gators mounted a rally, jumping back in front and taking the set, 25-18.
Florida found its rhythm in the second frame, holding the lead for entire set after State tied it up at 2-2 early on. MSU began to rally late, fighting off four set points thanks to kills from Duhs and Leticia Valente. However, UF would fend off the Bulldogs to take a 2-0 lead in the match, 25-18.
Needing the final frame to stay in the match, the Bulldogs kept close early on, including tying up the match at 6-6. Florida would then use a number of small runs to stretch its lead out to as much as five several times. The Bulldogs would use more kills from Duhs to draw closer to the Gators, but UF would eventually push its lead to match point, up 24-19.
Facing defeat, the Bulldogs mounted an inspiring run, mostly thanks to the strong serving game of junior setter Katlyn Mataya. Down 24-19, MSU put together a 4-0 run to draw within one, but could not complete the comeback, as the Gators fought off the Maroon and White one last time, 25-23.
“Today shows how far this team has come throughout this season,” Hazelwood said. “It's not the result we wanted, but these girls keep bringing it in practice and keep improving with every day. I'm very proud of the fight they showed against a top-10 team.”
Both turning in a number of kills in crucial spots for the Bulldogs, Duhs (eight kills) and Valente (six kills) paced the Bulldogs' offensive attack. Shelby Anderton turned in 22 assists, also helping lead the MSU offense. Defensively, Payton Harris earned 15 digs on the day, while Bali Leffall-Young and Alex Warren both tallied three total blocks each. Two of Leffall-Young's blocks were solos, tying a career high.
Leading the Gators was Simone Antwi and Rhamat Alhassan with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Mackenzie Dagostino earned a match-high 38 assists on the day.
It'll be a quick turnaround for the Bulldogs, as they hit the road for a Wednesday clash in Baton Rouge, La., against the LSU Tigers. The match will be nationally televised on ESPNU, with first serve slated for 8 p.m. CT.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
