Dogs Drop Hard-Fought Match To No. 6 Florida

Sunday, November 6

Starkville

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

12-15 (4-9SEC)

Florida

22-2 (12-1SEC)

Florida

Mississippi State

Emily Hill earned 8 kills and 7 digs Sunday afternoon against the No. 6 Florida Gators.

Dogs Drop Hard-Fought Match To No. 6 Florida

November 06, 2016 | Volleyball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Closing out a two-match home stand, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-15, 4-9 SEC) fell in a tough battle against the sixth-ranked Florida Gators (22-2, 12-1 SEC) on Sunday afternoon at Newell-Grissom.

State went toe-to-toe with the Gators in the opening set of play. The Dogs opened up play with a 3-1 lead and pulled out in front a number of times during the period. Play went back and forth at the midway point up until the Gators took a late 23-21 lead. An Evie Grace Singleton kill and a Blossom Sato ace tied the set at 23-all, but a pair of Bulldog errors sealed the opening set for the visitors, 25-23.

Set two played tight in the early stages as well until a 6-1 run put the Gators in the lead for good. The Dogs put together a late rally, piecing together a 4-1 run to force a UF timeout. However, Florida earned three-straight points out of the break to seal the second set, 25-18. MSU was quick out of the gates in the third, but could not fend off the Gators, as they used a number of runs to close out the match with a 25-14 third-set victory.

"I'm very proud of this team for the fight they showed today," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "We've hit a rough patch here of late, but they're showing relentless effort in every match. We just have to keep battling and we'll get through this rough stretch."

Singleton once again starred for the Bulldogs, as she tallied a team-high 13 kills on the day. The Bulldog senior now has 10-plus kills in 13 of her last 15 matches. The setting duo of Riley Duzenack and Blossom Sato paced the MSU offense, as they tallied 20 and 16, respectively.

Duzenack also starred from the service line, as her pair of aces upped her season total to 24. She is now tied for 10^th with Kimmy Gardiner (2013) and Sara Segar (1988) for aces in a season from a Bulldog rookie.

Jazmyne Johnson broke her tie on the MSU single-season blocks list on Sunday, moving her season total to 116 and taking over sole possession of eighth place. Also on the defensive side, State was paced by Payton Harris (8) and Emily Hill (7) in digs.

MSU will now hit the road for the final time this season, as they head to College Station and Baton Rouge. The Bulldogs and Aggies square off at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 11, before facing the Tigers on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast on SEC Network +, which fans can access through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

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

Sunday, Nov. 6
No. 6 Florida def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-14)

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 13
Assists: Riley Duzenack, 20
Aces: Riley Duzenack, 2
Digs: Payton Harris, 8
Blocks: Chelsea Duhs & Jazmyne Johnson, 1
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 13.0

Johnson Climbing Up The Record Books …
Jazmyne Johnson took over sole possession of eighth place on the MSU single-season Top 10 list for blocks, as she broke a tie with Nicolle Carter (1992) and Ashley Newsome (2008). Her 116 blocks now stand three short of tying Newsome's 2009 season where she recorded 119 denials.

Singleton Puts Together Another Solid Offensive Effort…
MSU's top senior showed out yet again, as Evie Grace Singleton tallied 13 kills on Sunday. She has now earned 10-plus kills in 13 of the last 15 matches this year.

Duzenack Breaks Into Another Top 10 List…
Already climbing up the charts for assists by a freshman, Riley Duzenack broke into another Top 10 list in the rookie record books on Sunday. Her 2 aces move her to 24 on the year, which tie Kimmy Gardiner (2013) and Sara Segar (1988) for 10^th place.

She is currently with 394 assists this year, moving just 125 away from tying Tiffany Schneider (1988) for fifth place.

Up Next…
MSU hits the road for the final time this season, as they head to College Station and Baton Rouge. The Bulldogs and Aggies square off at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 11, before facing the Tigers on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast on SEC Network +, which fans can access through WatchESPN.com or 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."