Mississippi State
8-3
Southern Miss
12-2
Bulldog Volleyball Takes Down Southern Miss In Five-Set Thriller
September 19, 2015 | Volleyball
Memphis, Tenn. – Bulldog volleyball is branded as hard-nosed, aggressive and always ready for the challenge. Friday afternoon, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-3) showcased that brand to its fullest, downing Southern Miss (12-2) in a five-set thriller at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
The win snaps a three-match skid against the Golden Eagles and is the Bulldogs' eighth on the year, which surpasses State's win total from 2014.
“That was a really hard-fought, grind-it-out win for our squad tonight against a very good Southern Miss team,” MSU coach David McFatrich said. “We played true Bulldog volleyball in the first two sets, but let them grab the momentum to get back in it. However, it says a lot about our squad how we regrouped and put our foot on the gas in the fifth set.”
Both sides started off the match trading points until an Evie Grace Singleton kill sparked an 8-1 run that would put MSU securely in the lead. Along with the junior, seniors Alex Warren and Emily Howard would tally four kills each to help secure a 25-16 first-set win that was sealed on a Jazmyne Johnson kill.
The second set began with the Bulldogs' foot on the gas pedal, going up 12-3. During the run another Bulldog reached a career milestone this season, as Warren earned her 600th-career kill. USM would string together a small run to cut State's lead to four, 15-11, but MSU wouldn't let the set come any closer. Singleton led the Maroon and White with six kills, one of which being her 100th of the season, to give MSU the 25-18 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Southern Miss would not let the Bulldogs go quietly however. MSU would push its lead as high as six in the third, but the Golden Eagles used a number of runs to claw back into the match, eventually taking the lead at 15-14. State would return to the lead late, up 18-17, but USM strung together a 5-0 run to go in front for good, taking the third set, 25-21.
The Golden Eagles continued their comeback in the fourth. Much like the prior frame, MSU would jump out in the lead until a USM push midway through the set put the Bulldogs on their heels. Down 21-18, Southern Miss used a number of kills compounded by Bulldog errors to push ahead and tie the match at 2-all with a 25-23 fourth-set win.
With the score tied and the match on the line, MSU turned to its veteran leaders to help secure victory. Warren and Singleton each tallied a trio of kills, while junior Chelsea Duhs tacked on two of her own in the set to help push the Bulldogs ahead. The nail in the coffin came off a Johnson and Warren block that put MSU in the driver's seat, sparking a 7-1 run that led to a 15-8 fifth-set win for the Maroon and White.
Singleton paced MSU with a season-high 19 kills (.359 hitting percentage) and five aces, which tied a career high. Warren put together 13 kills and four blocks, while first-year junior Johnson tacked on 11 kills and seven blocks. Blossom Sato earned a career-high 49 assists and added a team-high 13 digs for her third double-double of the season.
Stephany Purdue led the Golden Eagles with 16 kills, while Sarah Bell tacked on 40 assists. Mary Pursell led all players with 20 digs.
The Maroon and White go into Saturday looking to capture the Tiger Invitational title after its day one victory. MSU will face Austin Peay at noon CT, and cap off the tournament against host Memphis at 7 p.m.
For more information and updates on Mississippi State volleyball, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateVB.
