MSU Volleyball Blanks Tennessee To Sweep Season Series

Sunday, October 23

Starkville

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

12-11 (4-5SEC)

Tennessee

13-8 (3-5SEC)

Tennessee

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs swept Tennessee on Sunday to take the season series against the Volunteers.

MSU Volleyball Blanks Tennessee To Sweep Season Series

October 23, 2016 | Volleyball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Being back at Newell-Grissom could not have been much sweeter for the Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-11, 4-5 SEC), as they returned from a rough three-match road trip to down the Tennessee Volunteers (13-8, 3-5 SEC), 3-0, on Sunday.

State bounced back from a four-match losing streak in dominating fashion, blanking the Vols for the second time this year to claim the season series for the fourth time in history and first since 2013. The win also marked the first time in State's 42-year history that it has swept UT in back-to-back matches.

"We knew this was a key match for us, especially with our rough patch here of late, and these girls answered the call," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "I'm especially proud of how much of a team effort this was. To look down at the stats and see that no one really stood out shows a complete effort from your team."

A balanced effort across the board was indeed what carried the Bulldogs to victory on Friday, with senior Evie Grace Singleton topping the charts with 12 kills and 14.5 points. The SEC's aces leader also delivered two bombs from the service line to go along with her 12 kills.

Sunday began with a tight first set, as both teams looked poised to take a 1-0 lead in the match. In a frame that featured 11 ties and four lead changes, the difference would be a late 4-0 run from the Dogs, highlighted by a kill and block from freshman Emily Hill.

From there, State would go on to a 25-21 first set victory, taking control of a back-and-forth match heading into the second. Tennessee started quick out the gates in the second, but a number of mini runs from the home squad put a 2-0 lead in the hands of the Maroon and White. After the Vols drew within three, McFatrich called for time, regrouped his troops and the Dogs captured six of the last eight points to secure the second set, 25-18.

Tennessee once again started quick, this time pushing ahead by as much as three several times in the set's early stages. A 5-1 run put State in the lead, 13-11, but not for long. The Vols would tie the set several times as the frame hit the homestretch, but could never regain the lead. In a match plagued by errors, UT suffered when it was most crucial, as an attack popped the net to give MSU match point at 25-23. The very next point saw a crushing block from Chelsea Duhs and Jazmyne Johnson to seal the match with a 25-23 third-set win.

After Singleton's 12 kills came Jelena Vujcin with 12 and Hill and Johnson, who both tallied 6. State's 6-2 offense was highlighted by a 18-assist day from Blossom Sato, while Riley Duzenack turned in 16.

Hill and Johnson also both tallied 3 blocks to lead State's blocking charge, while Cheyenne Spell paced MSU with 9 digs.

As a team the Dogs saw a much different outcome on the stat sheet from their first meeting with Tennessee. State won in kills (40-31), assists (37-28) and aces (5-2), while tying in digs (29-29). Tennessee won the blocking battle by one, 7.0-6.0.

Most notable is State's .306 attacking percentage, marking its 11^th victory this season when outhitting its opponent. MSU is also a perfect 4-0 this year when hitting above .300.

"We did a much better job of executing in certain areas than we did last time in Knoxville. However, there are still things we need to work on, especially with the number of service errors we had," McFatrich said. "Regardless, we're happy to be back in the win column and we're going to build off this as we get back on the road this week."

Mississippi State will get back on the road this week, heading to Arkansas (3-18, 1-8 SEC) and Missouri (18-3, 9-0 SEC). The Bulldogs and Razorbacks face off on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. CT on the SEC Network before battling the Tigers on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1:30 p.m. on SEC Network +.

Weekend Schedule…
Friday, Oct. 21
No. 10 Florida def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-17)

Sunday, Oct. 23
Mississippi State def. Tennessee, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23)

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 12
Assists: Blossom Sato, 18
Aces: Evie Grace Singleton, 2
Digs: Cheyenne Spell, 9
Blocks: Emily Hill & Jazmyne Johnson, 3
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 14.5

Dogs Snap Losing Streak And Sweep The Season Against UT…
Sunday afternoon's win not only halted a four-match skid for the Bulldogs, but it also marked a season sweep of the Volunteers for the fourth time in program history and first time since 2013.

The win also marks notable success against the Vols in Starkville. MSU has now won three of its last four at home against UT.

Back-To-Back Sweeps Against UT A Program First…
Both victories this season against the Volunteers came in straight sets, which makes a little program history for the Dogs. Never before in school history has State swept the Vols in back-to-back matches. In fact, this is just the fourth sweep of Tennessee in school history.

Magic Number Down To Five…
The countdown to a second-straight winning season carries on for the Bulldogs after Sunday's win. MSU's magic number is now at five 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.

Eight 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.

Dogs Making Moves In The Record Books…
Mississippi State now has four SEC wins this season, just two short of tying their total from last year. The 2016 team currently ties for ninth on MSU's SEC wins chart.

Attacking Battle Again Proves Crucial…
The Dogs turned in a .306 hitting percentage on Sunday, besting Tennessee's .160 clip. State is now undefeated this season (11-0) when outhitting its opponent, with its only victory when hitting the lower percentage coming on Sept. 23 in Knoxville.

State is also now a perfect 4-0 this season when hitting above .300.

First Set Continues To Be The Key…
The Sunday victory puts State at 10-3 this season when winning the first frame of a match. Winning the first two sets has all but assured a Bulldog win this season, as MSU is now 8-1 when doing so.

Sato Working Her Way Up The Record Books…
With 18 assists on the day, Sato now has 1,519 career assists and stands 10^th on the MSU career assists list. She is just 11 assists away from tying for ninth place.

Harris Still Climbing Up MSU Career Digs List…
After earning 4 digs on Sunday, junior Payton Harris now stands at 1,423 digs for her career and continues to make strides up the MSU record book. She currently holds fourth place on the school's career digs list and is 10 short of tying for third place. Melissa Kariker (1993-96) holds the school record with 1,707.

Hill Continues Impressive Freshman Campaign…
With 6 digs on 21 total attacks on Sunday, freshman Emily Hill drew closer to moving up another spot in the MSU freshman record books. She now has 267 kills, standing just four short of tying for sixth place. She also now has 705 attacks, one away from tying for seventh.

Up Next…
MSU hits the road yet again, heading to Arkansas (3-18, 1-8 SEC) on Wednesday and Missouri (18-3, 9-0 SEC) on Sunday. The Dogs and Razorbacks face off on the SEC Network Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT, before battling the Tigers at 1:30 p.m., on the SEC Network +.

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."