MSU Falls Victim To South Carolina Rally, Drops 3-2 Decision

Friday, November 4

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

15-8 (3-8SEC)

South Carolina

13-13 (5-7SEC)

South Carolina

Mississippi State

Evie Grace Singleton led the Bulldogs on Friday with 20 kills.

MSU Falls Victim To South Carolina Rally, Drops 3-2 Decision

November 04, 2016 | Volleyball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Returning home after a week on the road, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-14, 4-8) dropped a heart-breaking five set match to South Carolina Gamecocks (16-7, 4-7) Friday night.

The first set played close before a Jazmyne Johnson kill and a South Carolina error put MSU over the top to win the opening set, 26-24. In the second set, the Bulldogs led by as many as six before the Gamecocks made it close at the end. State went into the locker room up 2-0 after a 25-20 second set victory.

South Carolina stormed out of the break scoring 12 of the first 18 points before MSU came all the back to take a 20-16 lead. However, the Gamecocks would rally to take the third set, 25-22.

The fourth set was all Gamecocks as South Carolina forced a fifth and final set with a 25-18 victory. More close play returned for the deceive set as both sides went back and forth. State was able to grab a late 13-12 lead, but USC found its stride again and closed out the home-standing Bulldogs, 15-13.

Leading MSU offensively, senior Evie Grace Singleton tallied her seventh 20-plus kill match of the season with 20 kills. Jelena Vujcin and Emily Hill added 17 and 14 kills respectively. On the defensive side, freshman Emily Hill set a career-high with 18 digs and Jazmyne Johnson added six blocks for a team high.

State returns to action on Sunday, closing out the weekend at home against the sixth-ranked Florida Gators (21-2, 11-1 SEC). First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT, with the match being broadcast on SEC Network +.

Week Schedule…
Friday, Nov. 4
South Carolina def. Mississippi State, 3-2 (24-26, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-13)

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 20
Assists: Blossom Sato, 49
Digs: Emily Hill, 18
Blocks: Jazmyne Johnson, 6
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 21.5

Johnson Breaks Into The MSU Season Blocking Top 10 …
Jazmyne Johnson returned to form on the defensive side of things as she tallied 6 blocks on Friday night. The total moved her into 10^th place on the MSU single-season blocks list with 105 on the year.

The total also marked her 11^th match with at least 5 blocks, besting her seven matches of 5-plus last season.

Hill Making Moves Up The MSU Freshman Record Book…
With 14 kills on 50 attempts, Emily Hill is now in sole possession of fifth place in the MSU freshman record books in both kills (296) and attack attempts (803).

Career Defensive Night For Hill…
Emily Hill also had a solid showing on the defensive side of things. Hill tallied a career-high 18 digs against the Gamecocks, besting her previous career best of 14 set at Alabama on Oct. 12.

Up Next…
The Bulldogs and the No. 6 Florida Gators (21-2, 11-1 SEC) showdown on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m., to close out the weekend. Fans can catch the action on SEC Network + by going to WatchESPN.com or accessing the ESPN app.

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."