Mississippi State
6-20, 1-10SEC
Auburn
10-12, 2-7SEC
Late Rally Falls Short As MSU Volleyball Drops 3-1 Match To Auburn
November 01, 2014 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to bounce back in front of a Halloween-themed crowd at Newell-Grissom, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (6-20, 1-10 SEC) dropped a tight 3-1 decision Friday night to the Auburn Tigers (10-12, 2-7 SEC).
The Bulldogs found themselves down 2-0 in the match, but rallied back in the third set to cut the Tigers' lead to one. The two squads fought tooth-and-nail in the fourth, with the MSU rally falling just short.
“We came out strong after the half and looked solid in the third set, but fell short in the fourth,” MSU coach Jenny Hazelwood said. “I felt like we were right there, but gave Auburn too many chances. This is a young squad, but they're right there. They just have to come out, understand the game plan and execute.”
Friday opening frame set the tone for the night, as it came down to the wire despite a strong start from the Tigers. Auburn jumped out in front by as much as eight before the Bulldogs roared back into the set. MSU reeled off a 6-2 run, highlighted by a pair of Chelsea Duhs kills and an Amber Gass ace, to cut Auburn's lead to 22-19 and forcing an AU timeout. Duhs would come out of the break with a kill to bring State within two, but Auburn would capture three of the next four points to take the set, 25-21.
Auburn would carry the momentum into the second set, breaking away from the Maroon and White midway through to take control. Tied at 8-8, the Tigers used a series of small runs to create some distance from MSU, capping it off with a 7-1 streak to take the second frame, 25-16, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Hazelwood lit a fire under her squad during the break, coming out of the locker room to take the third set and pull within one in the match. Led by five kills from Alex Warren and four from Duhs, the Bulldogs found their groove by taking a 2-1 lead early and never letting up. State would push its lead to as high as eight thanks to a 7-0 run in the middle of the set, creating the distance needed to take the frame, 25-18, and get on the board in the match.
The fourth set would be a tight battle, as it saw five ties and two lead changes. Auburn held the upper hand for the duration of play, with the Bulldogs staying within striking distance. Down 20-17, State picked up three-straight points, highlighted by kills from Duhs and Bali Leffall-Young, to tie it up at 20-20. MSU would capture a 22-21 lead behind a kill from Leticia Valente, but Auburn would push its way back in front. MSU would tie it one last time at 23-23 thanks to Duhs' team-leading 14th kill, but could not complete the comeback, dropping the frame, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.
Along with Duhs' 14 kills, State's offense was also led by Warren and Emily Howard, who both turned in 11 kills. The 11 tied a season high for Howard. Also standing out on the Bulldog attack was junior setter Shelby Anderton, who tallied 39 assists, her fifth 30-plus assist performance in the last six matches.
Defensively, the Bulldogs were paced by Payton Harris, who turned in 23 digs on the night, marking her 18th match of the year with 20-plus digs. She now stands 24 behind first place on the single-season digs list after upping her season total to 608. At the net, Howard and Leffall-Young contributed to the State defense with four blocks each.
Several Bulldogs reached career milestones against the Tigers. Both Duhs and Howard eclipsed the 400 career kills mark on Friday, while Anderton surpassed 500 digs for her career with eight on the night.
Leading Auburn was Courtney Crable, who led all players with 16 kills. Alex Filley also stood out for AU, tallying 49 assists and 12 digs.
MSU has the rest of the weekend off before returning to action on Wednesday, Nov. 5, to host in-state rival Ole Miss. The second edition of the Magnolia State showdown is set for a 5 p.m. CT, first serve and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
