Mississippi State
3-7
Nicholls State
3-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholls State | 14 | 24 | 17 | 0 |
| Mississippi St | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
Bulldogs Sweep Saturday Play; Harris Sets SEC Digs Record
September 14, 2014 | Volleyball
Starkville, Miss. – For many athletes, it takes months or even years to break records. For Mississippi State's Payton Harris, it only took 11 matches. Saturday night at the final contest of the 2014 Maroon Classic, Harris led the Bulldogs to a five-set victory with 59 digs, breaking a Southeastern Conference record for digs in a match and completing a final-day sweep for MSU.
The Bulldogs (4-7) downed Nicholls State (3-6) in three sets to start off the day. MSU capped its tournament with a thrilling five-set victory against Northwestern State (3-6) in front of a raucous crowd at Newell-Grissom.
“A great day for us getting two wins and I am especially proud of Payton (Harris) for her play tonight,” Bulldog coach Jenny Hazelwood said. “There was so much fight in this team today, especially in the last match. Our girls deserve a lot of credit for their play tonight, especially in a hard-fought victory to end the weekend.”
The day's first match was a dominating performance from the Bulldogs, who earned their first sweep of the season with a 3-0 victory against NSU. It was a group effort, as a number of Bulldogs stepped up to help State grab the win.
MSU was in control of the match in the first set, using a 12-0 run to pull away from the Colonels to take the opening frame, 25-14. However, NSU would not go down without a fight in the second, pushing the Bulldogs past the 25 mark. Down six early, the Colonels fought back to take the lead heading into the latter part of the set, but a handful of kills from Chelsea Duhs and Alex Warren pushed MSU ahead late to take the set, 26-24. From there, State locked down the NSU, sealing the third set and the match on an Emily Howard ace to claim victory.
Howard paced State with eight kills in the first match, while Duhs and Ericka Timberlake turned in seven of their own. Harris tallied 26 digs for MSU, while Katlyn Mataya and Shelby Anderton reached double-digit assists, with 15 and 14 respectively.
Most notable from State's afternoon contest was the play from Harris and Mataya from the service line. Both players turned in five aces on the day, making it the first time since 2004 that two MSU players have earned at least five in a match. In a Sept. 4, 2004, matchup against Air Force, Andrea Mead tallied six aces, while Rachel Cooper turned in five. The aces also set career highs for both players.
State's second match of the day proved to be much more eventful, as the Bulldogs went to five sets for the third time this season and the second time this weekend. MSU captured a tight first set, 26-24, but had Northwestern State respond with a 25-21 win in the second frame. The Lady Demons took command in the third, winning 25-16 and seemingly taking away momentum from the Maroon and White. However, Hazelwood's squad would not be deterred.
Behind four kills a piece for Warren and Leticia Valente and 19 digs from Harris, MSU fought off a late NWSU rally to force a deciding fifth set, taking the fourth, 26-24. The final frame was a back-and-forth affair early on, as neither squad seemed to gain an advantage. State would jump ahead by as much as five, but would see that lead dwindle down to one as the Lady Demons cut MSU's lead to 14-13. On the Maroon and White's second match point, Duhs put the nail in the coffin with a kill, sealing a 15-13 set win and a 3-2 overall victory.
Harris' record-setting 59 digs were just shy of setting an NCAA record, falling three short of the 62 digs earned by McNeese State's Jessica Strama in a 2006 battle against Texas-Arlington.
“It was a great game tonight,” Harris said. “We worked hard, played as a team and had fun out there together. I just wanted to make sure my team had every chance it could get to put the ball away. My goal was that no ball hit the ground so my team had a chance to put it away.”
MSU also received solid performances from Warren (14 kills) and Duhs (10 kills). Timberlake turned in 11 on the night, topping her 10 kills from Friday, while also putting up 19 digs for the double-double. Mataya also earned a double-double with 24 assists and 14 digs. Cheyenne Spell turned in 22 digs, while Bali Leffall-Young set a new career high with seven total blocks.
“It makes you very proud as a coach to see a player rewarded for their hard work and that's exactly what happened tonight with Payton,” Hazelwood said. “Very proud of her for this accomplishment and very proud of every single one of our girls for coming together as a team to get two wins today.”
Memphis took home first place in the 2014 Maroon Classic, while South Alabama placed second for the weekend. Harris was named to the 2014 Maroon Classic All-Tournament Team for her performance on the weekend. Joining her was Memphis' Aleksandra Petronijevic and Alexis Wesley, South Alabama's Emily Hundt and Nikki Gittens, NSU's Kacie Eaton and NWSU's Mackenzie Neely. Earning tournament MVP honors was UM's Kate Gibson.
Hazelwood's squad remains at home for the next action, as MSU hosts the Bulldog Invitational on Sept. 18-20. The field includes North Dakota, Mississippi Valley State, SIU-Edwardsville and Pacific.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
