Mississippi State
2-7
Memphis
4-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 25 | 19 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 3 |
| Mississippi St | 16 | 25 | 15 | 25 | 9 | 2 |
MSU Volleyball Falls In Five-Set Battle With Memphis
September 13, 2014 | Volleyball
Starkville, Miss. – Day two of the Maroon Classic came to a close with an exciting five-set contest, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-7) fell 3-2 in a back-and-forth battle with the Memphis Tigers (4-4) on Friday night.
Both sides traded sets throughout the match, eventually resulting in a winner-take-all fifth frame that ended in favor of the visiting team. Despite the loss, head coach Jenny Hazelwood noted the improvement the Bulldogs made from day one of the tournament.
“Even though the result is not what we wanted tonight, I am still very proud of our girls for the way they performed on the court,” Hazelwood said. “It's tough to lose a five-set match like that, but the strides we took from yesterday to today is a sign of this team starting to put the pieces together.”
The match began in great fashion for the Bulldogs, as Ericka Timberlake fired away a kill seconds into the match. Timberlake made her first collegiate appearance Friday night after missing the first eight matches of the 2014 campaign due to injury. Despite having momentum out the gate and great crowd support, MSU quickly fell behind the Tigers. Memphis would push its lead to as much as 10 before taking the opening frame, 25-16.
MSU would not be deterred by the early setback, dominating the second frame to even the match. The Bulldogs would jump out in front 3-0 thanks to a kill from Emily Howard, who made her return to the Bulldog order after missing the last four matches due to illness. From there, State would only allow the Tigers to tie once, going on to take the set, 25-19.
UM would jump back in front by a set again after locking down the Bulldogs in the third, 25-15. Determined to push her squad to a deciding fifth set, Timberlake reeled off a total of eight kills in the fourth to help give State a 25-23 win. The freshman from Frisco, Texas, tallied four of the eight coming out of a Bulldog timeout midway through the set, helping propel State to the set win.
Memphis would gain an early 3-0 advantage in the final frame, looking to steal momentum from the Maroon and White. Hazelwood's squad would have none of that, as it roared back to take an 8-7 lead. Despite the rally, MSU would fall short, as the Tigers would use an 8-1 run to take the set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
Timberlake put on a show in her collegiate debut, tallying 10 kills and 17 digs. Alex Warren topped the Bulldogs with 12 kills, while Chelsea Duhs turned in 10. Katlyn Mataya led MSU in assists with 10 and Howard tallied five blocks in her return to the court. Freshman libero Payton Harris, who led the nation in digs and digs per set entering the weekend, paced the Maroon and White with 29 on the night, three short of tying a career high. Cheyenne Spell crushed her high of eight digs, posting 17 against the Tigers.
Oluchi Agomuo led the Tigers with 14 kills, while Veronica Zimmerman earned 46 assists. Aleksandra Petronijevic topped all players with 35 digs on the night.
MSU returns to Newell-Grissom on Saturday with two matches to close out the Maroon Classic. The Bulldogs face Nicholls State at 3 p.m. CT, and close out the tournament with a 7 p.m., tilt against Northwestern State.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
