Mississippi State
2-4
Miami [OH]
2-3
MSU Volleyball Drops Final Two Matches At Indiana Invitational
September 07, 2014 | Volleyball
Bloomington, Ind. – After a thrilling five-set victory Friday night against Southeast Missouri State, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (2-5) dropped a pair of matches Saturday to close out the Indiana Invitational.
MSU fell in a tandem of tight four setters on the day, despite valiant efforts in both contests. The Bulldogs lost to the Miami (OH) Red Hawks and the host Indiana Hoosiers both by a score of 3-1.
“This tournament showed me that we are definitely heading in the right direction as a program,” head coach Jenny Hazelwood said. “We still have things to work on, but the strides we have taken as a team just in these last few days has been phenomenal. I'm very excited to see this team improve as the season goes on.”
Against the Red Hawks, the Maroon and White got off to a hot start, before the lights went out at University Gym. Once the lights returned and play resumed after a 53-minute delay, State continued to build its lead, eventually pushing it to 15-10. The Red Hawks would battle back and make it a back-and-forth affair until Alex Warren, returning after missing Friday's match due to illness, fired away a kill to seal the first set for the Bulldogs, 25-23.
MSU would jump out to another fast start in the second, going up 4-0 early behind kills from Warren and Kelsey Stommes. However, MU would climb back into the set, making it a close battle and eventually capturing the second frame, 25-21. Despite the dominant presence from Warren and Chelsea Duhs in the third set (combined nine kills), MU would take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 26-24 win. The Bulldogs fought off two MU set points before relinquishing the frame. The Red Hawks would go on to seal the deal in the fourth, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs turned in one of their better offensive performances. MSU's 50 kills ties for second most so far in 2014, while its .268 attack percentage is tops for the year.
Pacing the Bulldogs in the first match of the day was the duo of Duhs (13 kills) and Warren (15 kills). Katlyn Mataya turned in 26 assists, while Shelby Anderton earned 16. Payton Harris earned 18 digs, while Ellen Stuart put up a career-high 10 against MU.
In the day's second match, the Hoosiers came out fast, getting up 12-5 and putting the Bulldogs on their heels. However, State would not relent and came storming back in the set, pulling as close as one back of the home squad. Despite solid offensive play from Warren and Bali Leffall-Young, State's rally fell short, 25-22. The night's second frame fell in favor of the Hoosiers as well, as IU took a 2-0 lead with a 25-19 win. Despite being down two sets, the Bulldogs would not give in when the third set began.
MSU blasted out the gates with an 8-3 lead in the early stages of the third frame, fueled by back-to-back aces from freshman Kelly Costeira, who made her first appearance of the weekend. The trio of Duhs, Leffall-Young and Warren were instrumental to the Bulldogs in the third as well, as they took the set, 25-20, to pull within one in the match.
The rally would fall short for MSU, despite a passionate effort in the fourth. Indiana would go on to take the fourth set, 25-17, and the match, 3-1.
Warren, who was named to the Indiana Invitational All-Tournament Team, led State with 12 kills, while Duhs' earned 10 on the night. Mataya once again paced the Bulldogs in assists, with 22, while Harris turned in 27 digs, making it six of seven matches where the freshman has turned in 20-plus digs. Leffall-Young, who turned in 4.0 blocks against MU, tallied 6.0 against Indiana, setting a new career high.
As a team, the Bulldogs earned 53 digs. Along with the 51 digs in the first match of the day, State has now earned 50-plus digs in six-straight matches. Offensively, MSU put together a .213 hitting percentage with 46 kills and 40 assists against the Hoosiers.
The Maroon and White will now return home for the next two weekends. State opens its home schedule by hosting the Maroon Classic on Sept. 11-13, followed by the Bulldog Invitational, Sept. 18-20. The Maroon Classic will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 11, against the University of Memphis at 7 p.m. CT.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
