Volleyball Set For Wednesday ESPNU Showdown At Alabama

Wednesday, October 12

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama

Jazmyne Johnson tallied a career-high 11 blocks last time the Dogs faced Alabama, winning 3-2.

Volleyball Set For Wednesday ESPNU Showdown At Alabama

October 11, 2016 | Volleyball

MSU Match Notes WatchESPN Broadcast Live Stats Ticket Info

STARKVILLE, Miss. – A little over a week removed from a five-set thriller at Newell-Grissom, the Highway 82 rivalry will see the national stage for the second time this season as the Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-8, 3-2 SEC) visit the Alabama Crimson Tide (13-5, 2-3 SEC) for an ESPNU showdown on Wednesday.

First serve from Tuscaloosa is set for 8 p.m. CT from Foster Auditorium. Missy Whittemore and Courtney Lyle will have the call for State's second national TV match of the season. Fans can also access the match on WatchESPN by going to www.WatchESPN.com or using the ESPN app.

It was just nine days ago when these two last met, as MSU and UA battled in a five-set contest at The Griss on the SEC Network. State jumped ahead 2-0 in the match before Alabama battled back to push the contest to a deciding fifth frame. After some back-and-forth play, the Maroon and White were able to push ahead late and secure a 3-2 victory, ensuring the best start to SEC play in program history at 3-1.

State will look to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to the 25^th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats last Friday. The contest, which closed out a three-match home stand, was tight in all three sets but saw the visitors come out victorious.

"This is a crucial stretch for us. We know that every match in the SEC is important, but we're hitting the road with three very tough, but winnable matches," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "We dropped a tough one last Friday, but now we're focused on getting back on track, starting with this match at Alabama."

Looking to lead that rebound will be a collection of Bulldogs, as MSU has boasted a balanced lineup throughout the 2016 season. Most notable has been the blocking play of the Dogs, led by senior Jazmyne Johnson. As a team, State has accumulated 171.5 total blocks, which leads the SEC and is 41^st in the nation. The 171.5 are the most through the first 19 matches of a season since 1997.

Johnson has tallied a team-best 90 blocks in 2016, which is second in the league and 22^nd in the NCAA. She currently owns the most blocks through the first 19 matches of a season in school history.

On the flip side, the Bulldogs will look to a trio of attackers to continue their domination on offense. Senior Evie Grace Singleton (293 kills), freshman Emily Hill (225) and junior Jelena Vujcin (183) lead an MSU offense that has tallied 987 total kills, ranking second in the SEC and 27^th in the nation. Singleton is 24^th in the nation in kills, while standing 21^st with 341.5 points and ninth with 33 aces. She stands second in the SEC in all three categories.

Helping lead that offense is sophomore setter Blossom Sato, whose 532 assists tops the team. They also have helped her crack the Top 10 for career assists at MSU, as her 1,404 stand 10^th in the Bulldog record books.

Rounding out the Bulldog lineup are the leaders of the MSU back row in Cheyenne Spell and Payton Harris. Harris tops the team with 227 digs, while Spell follows close behind with 220. The two also rank second and third on the team in aces, respectively.

"What I'm most proud about with this team is how it's been a combined effort throughout the season, from our blocking to our attacking and everything in between," McFatrich said. "This is what we work on every single day is being more of a team and making this a team effort. I've said it time and time again, when we click on all cylinders we can compete with anyone."

MSU will stay in the state of Alabama for its next contest, heading to Auburn for a Sunday, Oct. 16 showdown at Auburn Arena. The Bulldogs and Tigers are set for a 12 p.m. CT first serve on the SEC Network.

Match Day Info…

Wednesday, Oct. 12
Mississippi State (11-8, 3-2 SEC) at Alabama (13-5, 2-3 SEC) – 8 p.m. CT
ESPNU
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Foster Auditorium

Last Time Out…
The Bulldogs closed out a three-match home stand with a Friday night showdown against the 25^th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats at The Griss. Despite pushing the Cats in every frame, including holding a lead late in the third, the Dogs were unable to come out victorious, dropping the match in three sets.

Friday, Oct. 7
No. 25 Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-22)

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 293
Assists: Blossom Sato, 532
Aces: Evie Grace Singleton, 33
Digs: Payton Harris, 227
Blocks: Jazmyne Johnson, 90
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 341.5

A Bulldog Win Would…

Be their sixth victory in Tuscaloosa and first since Sept. 30, 2011 (3-0)
Mark their first back-to-back wins against UA since 2011
Stand as their first season sweep of the Tide since 2011
Put them six wins away from securing their second-straight winning season for the third time in school history and first since 2005-06

Series History…

Overall: Alabama leads, 44-17
In Tuscaloosa: Alabama leads, 22-5
Last Meeting: Mississippi State 3, Alabama 2 (Oct. 2, 2016 in Starkville)
Current Streak: Mississippi State, +1

Scouting The Alabama Crimson Tide…
Alabama looks to rebound on Wednesday as the Crimson Tide have dropped their last two contests, including a 3-2 Bulldog victory in Starkville. UA also fell in a 3-1 contest at Auburn on Sunday.

Krystal Rivers leads the way for Auburn with an SEC-best 398 kills, while also tallying a team-best 26 aces. Shannon Mikesky leads the team with 731 assists and Natalie Murison is tops with 239 digs. Leah Lawrence leads Alabama with 66 total blocks.

MSU Looks For Season Sweep Of The Tide…
With a win on Wednesday, the Bulldogs would accomplish a season sweep of their Highway 82 rivals, a feat not accomplished since 2011. It would also mark the first back-to-back wins against UA since that year.

Magic Number Down To Six…
The countdown to a second-straight winning season is on for the Bulldogs. MSU's magic number is down to six for a winning season, which would put the Dogs at 17 wins for the year. It would mark the second-straight winning season for just the third time in school history and for the first since 2005-06.

Nine more wins would put MSU at 20 wins on the year, the first time that feat has been accomplished since 1989. It would also be just the fourth time in program history the Dogs have won 20 matches.

Live Broadcast…
Wedneday's match will be broadcasted nationally on ESPNU. Fans can also access the broadcast through WatchESPN.com or by clicking the link below.

Mississippi State at Alabama WatchESPN Broadcast

Live Stats…
Alabama will provide live stats for Wednesday night's contest. Fans can access them through the link below.

Mississippi State at Alabama Live Stats

Admission…
Single game tickets ($5) for matches at Foster Auditorium are available at the ticket booth located inside the North lobby of Foster, all being general admission seating. The Alabama Athletics Ticket Office accepts cash, check, and all major credit cards as payment methods. Tickets are also available online at the link below.

Mississippi State at Alabama Ticket Information

Social Media…
For more information on Mississippi State volleyball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateVB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."