Dogs Welcome Arkansas To The Griss On Sunday

Sunday, November 20

Starkville

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

Arkansas

The Bulldogs welcome Arkansas to The Griss on Sunday looking for their second-straight victory.

Dogs Welcome Arkansas To The Griss On Sunday

November 19, 2016 | Volleyball

MSU Match Notes SEC Network +Live Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to set the program record for home victories and avenge a loss earlier in the season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-17, 5-11 SEC) host the Arkansas Razorbacks (7-20, 5-10 SEC) Sunday afternoon at Newell-Grissom.

First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT, with Jay Perry and Blake DuDonis on the call for the SEC Network + broadcast. Fans can access the match online at WatchESPN.com or on their phone/tablet through the ESPN app.

"Wednesday night's win was a huge boost for our program and now we're in a position much like last year, to finish the year on a hot streak," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "However, it's going to be a tough task because we've already seen how tough a squad this Arkansas team is. It's going to take a balanced effort on Sunday, but I have the upmost faith in these girls that they can make it happen."

MSU will be looking to avenge the first meeting of the season between these squads, when Arkansas captured a 3-1 victory in Fayetteville. A win on Sunday would also snap a nine-match losing streak against the Hogs, giving State its first win against UA since Sept. 24, 2010 (3-2 in Starkville).

A victory would also mark the best home season in program history, as the Dogs' season total of home wins would move to 11, eclipsing their 2006 and 2015 totals of 10.

Evie Grace Singleton will lead the Bulldogs into battle on Sunday, as the senior paces her squad with 462 kills, 48 aces and 528.5 points. She stands tops in the SEC and 10^th nationally in aces, while placing second in the conference and Top 20 in the NCAA in the other two categories.

Singleton has made her way up the Bulldog record books as well, placing second in single-season kills, while owning the school record with 1,297 attacks this year.

Also powering the MSU offense will be freshman Emily Hill, whose 340 kills are second on the team and amongst freshmen in the SEC. She currently stands third in the MSU freshman record books for kills and is 59 away from second place.

Jazmyne Johnson has been the key to State's defensive success in 2016, as her 122 total blocks lead the team and stand fourth in the conference. Her total blocks are the most by a Bulldog since Ashley Newsome recorded 137 in the 2010 season. Johnson currently stands seventh on MSU's single-season list and is one away from tying Temeka Thomas' 1997 season for sixth.

State closes out the 2016 season at home on Saturday, Nov. 26 in a battle of the Bulldogs for Senior Day. MSU and Georgia are set for a 12 p.m. CT showdown, with the match being featured on SEC Network +. Pre-match festivities will feature MSU's annual Senior Day ceremony, honoring Singleton, Johnson, Cheyenne Spell, Chelsea Duhs and Bali Leffall-Young.

Match Day Info…

Wednesday, Nov. 16
Mississippi State (13-17, 5-11 SEC) vs. Arkansas (7-20, 5-10 SEC) – 3 p.m. CT
SEC Network + (Jay Perry & Blake DuDonis)
Starkville, Miss.
Newell-Grissom Building

Last Time Out…
After going down 2-0, the Bulldogs rallied back on Wednesday night for a thrilling victory against in-state rival Ole Miss. It was the first victory when down 2-0 since defeating Eastern Michigan on Sept. 12, 2009.

Wednesday, Nov. 16
Mississippi State def. Ole Miss, 3-2 (9-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-17, 15-8)

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 462
Assists: Blossom Sato, 859
Aces: Evie Grace Singleton, 48
Digs: Payton Harris, 337
Blocks: Jazmyne Johnson, 122
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 528.5

A Bulldog Win Would…

Snap a nine-match losing streak to Arkansas, as the last win came on Sept. 24, 2010, a 3-2 victory in Starkville
Be just the sixth overall victory in program history against the Razorbacks and the fifth in Starkville
Set the program record for most home victories in a season with 11
Tie fourth place for most SEC wins in a season (6)

Series History…

Overall: Arkansas leads, 39-5
In Starkville: Arkansas leads, 17-4
Last Meeting: Arkansas def. Mississippi State, 3-1 (Oct. 26, 2016 in Fayetteville)
Current Streak: Arkansas, +9

Scouting The Arkansas Razorbacks...
Arkansas (7-20, 5-10 SEC) comes into Sunday having won four of its last six contests, including two-in-a-row against Tennessee (3-0) and at Georgia (3-1).

Danielle Harbin comes in as Arkansas' leader with 416 kills. Rachel Rippee tops the team in assists (852) and aces (26), while Okiana Valle leads UA with 409 digs. Breana Jones and Ana Sofia Jusino lead the Hogs with 98 and 93 total blocks, respectively.

Bulldogs Aim To End Drought Against Arkansas …
A win on Sunday would snap a nine-match losing streak against Arkansas, as the last win for the Dogs came in Starkville on Sept. 24, 2010. It would mark just the sixth overall victory against the Razorbacks in school history and the fifth in Starkville.

Moving Up The SEC Wins Chart…
A victory on Sunday would also move MSU to six SEC wins on the season, which would tie for the fourth-most conference wins in school history and tie the Bulldogs' 2015 total.

Record Crowds Coming To The Griss In 2016…
Since his arrival last year, MSU coach David McFatrich has promised to make Newell-Grissom one of the top collegiate volleyball venues in all the nation. A key to that is bringing record crowds to The Griss and in 2016, fans have shown up in a big way. Eight of the Top 20 crowds in Griss history have come in the McFatrich era, with four this year, including 1,409 against Kansas in the season opener, the third most in school history.

Winning The Attacking Battle Is Crucial ...
The hitting percentage battle is a major key for the Bulldogs. MSU is undefeated this year when out-hitting its opponent and is 2-17 when losing that battle. MSU took down Tennessee in its SEC opener and Ole Miss on Wednesday for its two wins when hitting worse than its opponent.

The First Set Is The Key ...
One early trend discovered with the 2016 Bulldogs lies within the first set. State is 10-5 when capturing the first set, but 3-12 when unable to do so. Winning the first two sets almost assures the Bulldogs of victory, as they are 8-2 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 10 double-digit block performances this season so far and have earned 236.5 total, which is fifth in the SEC.

Bulldogs Doubling The Fun In 2016…
With a trio of double-doubles on the night against Ole Miss, the Bulldogs upped their season total of double-doubles to 16, crushing the 2015 total of 11. Blossom Sato and Emily Hill lead the way with five double-doubles each, while Evie Grace Singleton has turned in four and both Jazmyne Johnson and Cheyenne Spell have one each.

Singleton Closing In On School Record…
Senior Evie Grace Singleton's 15 kills on Wednesday pushed into sole possession of second place on the MSU single-season kills list. She has 462 on the year and is just 51 kills away from tying Christine Owen's school record of 513 kills in 1997.

Johnson's Blocking Prowess Lands Her On MSU Top 10 List…
Leading the way for MSU's impressive blocking game is senior Jazmyne Johnson, who has totaled 122 total blocks. Johnson is the first Bulldog since Lainey Wyman in 2011 to reach the 100 mark in a season, while her 122 total denials are the most since Ashley Newsome recorded 137 in 2010.

Johnson's blocking prowess has also landed her in the MSU single-season Top 10 list, as she stands along in seventh place and is one off of tying Temeka Thomas' 1997 season for sixth.

Other Bulldogs In The Record Books…
Payton Harris remains at third on the MSU career digs list with 1,506. She made the move into third place, passing Kayla Woodard (2007-10) after tallying 17 digs the last time around against Arkansas. She stands 58 away from tying Megan Lukasek (2004-07) for second place and 201 away from tying Melissa Kariker (1993-96) for first.

Riley Duzenack is the other rookie making moves up the MSU freshman charts. She currently has 424 assists, standing firm at sixth on the MSU freshman assists list. The Melissa, Texas native is just 95 assists away from Tiffany Schneider (1988), who holds fifth place with 519 assists in her first season with the Maroon and White.

She also has 26 aces on the year, as she broke the tie for 10^th place with Kimmy Gardiner (2013) and Sara Segar (1988) after tallying a pair of aces on Wednesday.

Live Broadcast…
Sunday's match will be broadcast on SEC Network +, with Jay Perry and Blake DuDonis on the call. Fans can access the broadcast through WatchESPN.com, the ESPN app or by clicking the link below.

Mississippi State vs. Arkansas SEC Network + Broadcast

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

Mississippi State vs. Arkansas Live Stats

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

Promotions…

2^nd Annual Bacon Day – There will be free bacon served in the lobby of Newell-Grissom
Number of opportunities to win prizes, including MSU Volleyball Team Trivia and Supersize Serve Challenge

Up Next…
State closes out the 2016 season at home on Saturday, Nov. 26 in a battle of the Bulldogs. MSU and Georgia are set for a 12 p.m. CT showdown, with the match being featured on 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."