MSU Looks To Continue Hot Streak, Hosts No. 25 Kentucky

Friday, October 7

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

Kentucky

David McFatrich and his Bulldogs welcome No. 25 Kentucky to The Griss on Friday at 7 p.m.

MSU Looks To Continue Hot Streak, Hosts No. 25 Kentucky

October 06, 2016 | Volleyball

MSU Match Notes MSU Match Notes SECN+ Broadcast Live Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – In what has been a historic season so far, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-7, 3-1 SEC) look to keep their momentum rolling as they welcome the No. 25 Kentucky Wildcats (11-4, 4-0 SEC) to Starkville on Friday.

The Dogs and Cats will square off at 7 p.m. CT, with the broadcast coming on SEC Network +. Bart Gregory and Blake DuDonis will have the call and fans can access the match through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

Friday's contest will be a rematch of a thriller in Lexington from two weeks ago. State nearly pushed UK to five sets on their home court, winning its first set against Kentucky since 2011 and the first in Lexington since 2007.

"We felt like we had Kentucky a couple of weeks ago at their place and that was a tough loss for us to take," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "Now we get them at home and we could not be more excited. We take every match in this conference as important as the next, but this one means a little more for us."

Evie Grace Singleton, Emily Hill and Jelena Vujcin will look to duplicate their first performance against Kentucky, where they all tallied double-digit kills to lead the Dogs. Singleton is the team's leader with 281 kills, while Hill follows close behind with 215 and Vujcin with 173. Hill was dominant last weekend for the Maroon and White, highlighting her weekend with a career-high 24 kills against Auburn on Friday.

While she's been dominant on the attack, Singleton has also been a standout from the service line. The Bulldog senior leads MSU with 33 assists, which tops the SEC and stands fifth in the nation. Singleton also holds second place in the SEC in points (329.5), attacks (773) and kills.

On the flip side of the ball, senior Jazmyne Johnson has been outstanding for the Dogs defensively. After tallying a career-high 11 blocks against Alabama, Johnson now has 87 on the season, which leads the SEC and is 13^th-best in the nation. Her 87 are also the most by any Bulldog throughout the first 18 matches of a season in program history.

Adding to MSU's 2016 dominance has been the play of sophomore setter Blossom Sato, as she leads the team with 503 assists (7.19 a/s). Sato's setting prowess is the reason MSU stands second in the SEC and 14^th nationally in total assists with 880. She is also just seven away from cracking the Top 10 for career assists at MSU.

Payton Harris and Cheyenne Spell have been MSU's passing leaders so far this season, with 226 and 207 digs, respectively.

"We feel like we're hitting our stride right now and starting to click across the board," McFatrich said. "There's no doubt these girls are ready to step up for the challenge of a very tough Kentucky team."

After Friday night's match, the Dogs will hit the road for three-straight contests, starting next Wednesday at Alabama (13-4, 2-2 SEC). The Bulldogs will battle the Crimson Tide on Oct. 12 with a 8 p.m. CT showdown on ESPNU.

Weekend Schedule…
Friday, Oct. 7
Mississippi State vs. Kentucky – 7:00 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 281
Assists: Blossom Sato, 503
Aces: Evie Grace Singleton, 33
Digs: Payton Harris, 226
Blocks: Jazmyne Johnson, 87
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 329.5

A Bulldog Win Would…

Snap a seven-match losing streak to Kentucky (Last win in 2011)
Improve the best start to SEC play in school history with a 4-1 record
Mark just the third win in program history against Kentucky
Be State's ninth home win of the season, one short of tying a program record

Scouting The Kentucky Wildcats ...
Kentucky comes into the weekend as one of two teams tied for first place in the SEC (Missouri). The Cats have won their last eight matches, with six of those coming in the form of sweeps.

Leah Edmond leads the Cats with 200 kills and 223.5 points. Olivia Dailey is the team's leader with 518 assists and 14 aces. Ashley Dusek leads the Wildcats with 226 digs and Kaz Brown tops Kentucky's
blocking efforts with 64 total.

Bulldogs Eye Another Major Victory In 2016…
The theme for 2016 for the Bulldogs has been major wins and making history. They look to continue that on Friday, as they host the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network +. A win would be just the fourth in program history against UK and snap a seven-match losing streak to the Wildcats.

MSU Captures Best Start To SEC Play In School History…
With their win on Sunday against Alabama, the Bulldogs made a little bit of history. The win secured a 3-1 record in SEC play, the best start to the conference season in program history.

Winning The Attacking Battle Is Crucial…
To say coming out on top in the hitting percentage battle is key for the Bulldogs may be an understatement. MSU is undefeated this year when out-hitting its opponent and is 1-7 when losing the attacking battle. MSU took down Tennessee in its SEC opener for its first win when losing the attacking battle, hitting .204 to the Volunteers' .278.

The First Set Is The Key…
One early trend discovered with the 2016 Bulldogs lies within the first set. State is 9-2 when capturing the first set, but when 2-5 when unable to do so. Winning the first two sets almost assures the Bulldogs of victory, as they are 7-1 this year when doing so.

State Bringing Blocking Back In Style…
MSU has excelled in a number of statistical categories this season, but none have been better than the Bulldogs' blocking game. State has tallied seven double-digit block performances this season so far and have earned 164.5 total through the first 18 matches of play entering the weekend. It is the most blocks through the first 16 contests of a season since recording 1997.

Singleton Serving Up Excellence…
While she's mostly known for her domination on the attack, senior Evie Grace Singleton has also been a monster from the service line. With 33 total aces on the year so far, Singleton is tops in the SEC and stands fifth in the NCAA.

Johnson Top On The Block…
Senior Jazmyne Johnson has been a stud so far this year defensively, leading MSU's blocking presence with 87 total. Her 87 total blocks through the first 18 matches of the season are the most in that time frame in school history. She also leads the SEC and is 13^th in the NCAA in total blocks.

Hill Putting Together Solid Freshman Campaign…
Through 18 matches, Emily Hill has put together one of the more impressive freshman campaigns this season. With 215 kills, Hill leads all SEC freshmen. That total is the most by an MSU freshman through that stretch since Kimmy Gardiner opened the first 18 contests of 2013 with 256 kills.

Live Broadcast…
Friday's match will be broadcasted on the SEC Network +. Fans can access the broadcast through WatchESPN.com or by clicking the link below.

Mississippi State vs. No. 25 Kentucky SECN+ Broadcast

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

Mississippi State vs. No. 25 Kentucky Live Stats

Admission…
Fans get into all home Mississippi State volleyball matches at Newell-Grissom for free during the 2016 season.

Promotions…
- FREE admission for all
- Contests & FREE MSU prizes throughout the match
- Double Hail State Rewards points

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."