Mississippi State
6-21, 1-11SEC
Ole Miss
20-5, 6-5SEC
Harris Sets School Record For Digs; Bulldogs Fall In 3-1 Decision
November 06, 2014 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – On a night that saw freshman Payton Harris capture the school's single-season record for digs, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (6-21, 1-11 SEC) fell in a tight 3-1 contest to in-state rival Ole Miss (20-5, 6-5 SEC) on Wednesday night at Newell-Grissom.
Playing in front of the season's largest crowd, Harris tallied 29 digs, pushing her season total to 637 and breaking the previous record of 632 set last season by Roxanne McVey. The total also stands fourth on the SEC single-season digs list, four behind third place.
“Payton [Harris] has been a really remarkable player since the first day she got here,” MSU coach Jenny Hazelwood said. “I'm really proud of the effort that she puts in with everything she does. Everyday she is working to be the best she can be and it shows in her play.”
The Bulldogs would keep it close from start to finish, breaking the 20-point mark in all but the first set. Play was tight early on in the first set until the Rebels used a 6-1 run to go up by six against the Maroon and White. State would push back, even taking the lead at 13-12, midway through the night's opening frame. MSU would take the lead one more time before Ole Miss used a series a runs late to take the first set, 25-18.
Despite being down, the Maroon and White answered back in the second set to even the match at a set apiece. Ole Miss held the lead once in the frame at 3-2, only being able to tie for the remainder of the set. With play tied at 14-14, Bali Leffall-Young and Alex Warren delivered a pair of crucial kills to put the Bulldogs in the lead for good. UM would challenge late, pulling to within one, down 24-23. However, coming out of an MSU timeout, Warren would earn her sixth kill of the frame and put away the set, 25-23, tying the match at 1-1.
Wednesday's third set mirrored its predecessor, going down to the final moments. After trading blows for the majority of the frame, State would pull out to a 22-19 lead, forcing a UM timeout. Ole Miss would use a trio of kills to spearhead its way back into play, tying the set at 23-23. Out of a timeout, an MSU attack error and a Rebel kill would seal a 2-1 lead for the visitors, as Ole Miss took the set, 25-23.
The Rebels rode their momentum to a 9-3 start in the night's final set. MSU struggled to find its rhythm till midway through, using a 5-1 run highlighted by a Harris ace and kills from Leffall-Young, Warren and Emily Howard to tie the match at 18-all. Ole Miss would call for timeout and regroup, utilizing a 7-3 run to take the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
A number of Bulldogs stood out for State on Wednesday night, including having four players score in double-digit kills in a match for the first time this season. Warren led all Bulldogs with 15 kills, while Chelsea Duhs turned in 12 and Leffall-Young and Leticia Valente each earned 10. Shelby Anderton tied a season high with 43 assists against the Rebels, also marking her third 40-plus assist match of the year. The junior also tallied 10 digs, earning her fifth double-double of the season.
Along with Harris' 29 digs and Anderton's 10, Cheyenne Spell turned in 14 on the night. Howard led MSU with three blocks, while Leffall-Young and Valente each turned in a pair.
“The last few matches, our offense has been more productive and you need that to win, but we just gave up small runs at the end that hurt us,” Hazelwood said. “Moving forward, we're going to have to learn how to win when it's close at the end. It's a part of the learning process.”
Leading the Rebels was Nakeyta Clair, who turned in 18 kills for the visitors, while Aubrey Edie led all players with 62 assists.
MSU returns to action next Wednesday, as the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Nov. 12. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT, 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.
