Mississippi State
9-3
Austin Peay
4-10
Bulldogs Earn Pair Of Sweeps, Crowned Tiger Invitational Champions
September 20, 2015 | Volleyball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the second time this season, the Bulldogs walked away a tournament champion. Saturday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-3) earned a pair of sweeps to be crowned the 2015 Tiger Invitational champions.
The tournament championship is the second for MSU this year, marking the first time since 2010 that the Bulldogs have accomplished the feat. MSU took down the Austin Peay Governors (4-10) and the host Memphis Tigers (9-4) both in three sets to end the weekend victorious.
“This was a great weekend for us, especially with SEC play starting Wednesday,” first-year MSU coach David McFatrich said. “I am proud of these girls and how they came together as a team, improved with every match and walked away tournament champions. It was a total team effort in every match and I could not be happier for them and for Mississippi State.”
MSU started the day with an impressive straight-sets win against APSU, taking down the Governors 25-17, 25-13, 25-16. Junior Chelsea Duhs put together one of her best showings of the season, tying a season high with 11 kills. However it did not start easy for State, as APSU pushed to a 14-10 lead in the first set before MSU began its run. A 10-1 streak opened the floodgates and the Bulldogs raced away to a 25-17 first-set victory.
During that run, junior Evie Grace Singleton peppered in three aces in a series of nine-straight serves that helped put the set in MSU's favor.
Play was even early in the second until a Singleton kill sparked a Bulldog rally, as State outscored APSU 20-8 to pull out a 25-13 win in the second frame. The third was highlighted by four kills from Duhs and capped off by an ace from freshman Blossom Sato that trickled off the net, sealing a 25-16 win and a 3-0 sweep for MSU.
Along with Duhs' 11 kills, Singleton turned in 10 for the match and a season-high five serves as a part of State's season-high 12 team aces. Also contributing to MSU's strong service game were sophomore Payton Harris (3) and Cheyenne Spell (2), senior Shelby Anderton (1) and Sato (1).
Junior Bali Leffall-Young led the Bulldog block with three against APSU and tacked on eight kills as well. Harris led all players with 18 digs, while Sato (21) and Anderton (13) led MSU in assists.
Game two of the day pitted the Bulldogs against the Tigers in the Tiger Invitational championship match. Memphis seemed in control early, using a number of kills and a loud crowd to fuel their gameplan. However, true Bulldog volleyball came out as State clawed back into the set and eventually pushed ahead for the lead at 19-18 thanks to a UM service error. MSU would move on to a 25-22 first-set win capped off by a Leffall-Young kill.
MSU started off the second set in impressive fashion thanks to a block from junior Jazmyne Johnson and senior Alex Warren. Both sides exchanged time in the lead before three-straight Bulldog kills courtesy of Warren and Singleton and an ace from Spell thrusted the Bulldogs into the lead. State remained in control for the remainder of the set even despite a late 4-0 run by Memphis to cut MSU's lead to 24-23. State put the nail in the coffin of the second frame thanks to a block from Johnson and Singleton, winning 25-23.
Coming out of the intermission, momentum remained on the MSU bench and never seemed to leave, as State grabbed the lead early and never let the Tigers jump in front. A collective Bulldog effort fueled the fire as State pulled away and put their stamp on the Tiger Invitational. A bruising kill from Singleton finished off the set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.
Singleton led all players with 16 kills and tacked on an ace, bringing her weekend total to 45 kills and 11 aces to earn Tiger Invitational MVP honors. Warren tallied nine kills and three blocks against UM, landing on the All-Tournament team. Duhs also earned All-Tournament team status, capping her weekend with five kills and two denials against the Tigers.
Johnson led the MSU block with six of her own, continuing her tear on the defensive side of the ball since moving to the middle blocker position before week two. Sato led the Bulldogs with 34 assists, her seventh match this season with 30-plus assists. Spell topped MSU with 18 digs, while Harris turned in 15, pushing her past the 900-career digs mark.
“Cannot say enough of how proud I am of this team and how hard they've worked so far this season to get better,” McFatrich said. “Now it's time to get ready for SEC volleyball.”
The Bulldogs return to the court on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. CT, for a showdown in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The match will be broadcasted nationally 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.
