Mississippi State
14-13 (3-10)
Auburn
15-10 (7-6)
Bulldogs Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker To Auburn
November 14, 2015 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – In the midst of a three game home stand, the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs (14-13, 5-7 SEC) fell 3-2 to the Auburn Tigers (15-10, 7-6 SEC) Friday afternoon at Newell-Grissom, 26-24, 25-18, 23-25, 16-25, 11-15.
MSU came out of the gates soaring taking the first two sets before dropping the final three.
State's offense was led by juniors Evie Grace Singleton and Jazmyne Johnson; both racked up 13 kills apiece. Alex Warren contributed 11 kills to the Bulldog effort. The duo of Blossom Sato and Shelby Anderton combined for 45 of MSU's 53 assists.
The Bulldogs raced out to an 8-3 lead in the first set, only to have Auburn claw back to take a 15-13 lead. Trading points until Auburn lead 24-21, MSU stormed back with five-straight points to take the first set, 26-24.
MSU came out hot in set two, jumping out to a 15-7 lead thanks to Johnson and Chelsea Duhs. The Bulldogs kept the lead until a Singleton kill won the second set 25-18 for the home team.
Set three was the most even keel of the match featuring seven ties and five lead changes. The Maroon and White led by four twice before Auburn scored seven of the last twelve points to take the third set 25-23 and force a fourth.
The tight play continued to into the fourth set before Auburn went on a 10-3 run to make it 20-10. MSU couldn't recover, dropping set four, 25-16, and falling into a 2-2 tie.
In the fifth and decisive set, Auburn surged out to a 10-4 lead before MSU pulled to within four at 12-8. Auburn pulled away at the end, winning the set 15-11 and the match 3-2 in heartbreaking fashion.
Senior Emily Howard and sophomore Payton Harris lead the Bulldogs defensively. Howard was credited with three blocks, while Harris racked up 34 digs.
Stephanie Campbell had 12 kills leading four Auburn Tigers with double-digit kills. Breanna Barksdale had seven kills, while Alexa Filley tallied 44 assists.
State now has a quick turnaround as they welcome Texas A&M to The Griss on Sunday. Serve is set for 1 pm on the SEC Network +.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
