Saturday, August 27
Starkville
12:00 PM
Mississippi State
1-1
3
vs
2
Lamar
0-2
1
2
3
4
5
F
Lamar
17
28
13
25
7
2
Mississippi State
25
26
25
22
15
3
The Bulldogs took down the Lamar Cardinals and Eastern Washington Eagles on Saturday to complete play at the 2016 Bulldog Invitational.
Duzenack, Hill And Seniors Spearhead Saturday Sweep For The Bulldogs
August 27, 2016 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Saturday started with Mississippi State's freshmen putting on a show and ended with the Bulldog seniors dropping the mic as MSU swept through the final day of the Bulldog Invitational.
MSU battled from start to finish with the Lamar Cardinals to take a 3-2 decision before sweeping the Eastern Washington Eagles, 25-15, 25-19, 25-22.
"I'm really proud of how we responded to adversity today, as we found ourselves in a couple of tight situations and were able to work our way out and get two solid wins," MSU head coach David McFatrich said. "Our young players really shined in the first match, including Emily Hill, who was taking some really great swings. The second match showed our veteran leadership and I can't say enough about Chelsea's (Duhs) and Evie's (Grace Singleton) performances down the stretch. That was key for us."
Saturday's first match gave State a bit of a challenge, as the Cardinals were able to push the home squad to five sets. A trio of Bulldogs recorded double-digit kills, led by the freshman Hill, who turned in 18. Singleton (13) and Bali Leffall-Young (11) rounded out State's top attackers.
Hill earned 8 of her kills in the opening set to lead MSU to a 25-17 victory. The Bulldogs seemed poised to jump out to a two-set lead before a 11-4 run by the Cardinals closed out a 28-26 second-set win. State turned on the jets out of intermission and breezed through the third set to a 25-13 win, but could not keep the Cardinals completely at bay. Lamar grinded out a 25-22 victory to force a deciding fifth set, but could not quiet the Bulldogs for long. MSU earned eight of the last 10 points in the fifth to close out the match and secure a 3-2 victory, 25-17, 26-28, 25-13, 22-25, 15-7.
"Emily has worked extremely hard since the first day she got here in the summer and you can tell out on the court," McFatrich said. "When she's firing on all cylinders, she's one of the best attackers we have. Combined with Riley's (Duzenack) performance, I am very proud of how our freshmen are playing so far."
Duzenack put up 39 assists, 3 aces and 3 kills against the Cardinals, dominating every area of the court on the night. Saturday's first match was not just for the freshmen however, as senior Jazmyne Johnson put on a defensive show, tallying a career-high 9 blocks.
Johnson and her fellow seniors would carry State's momentum into the nightcap, as they were able to take down Eastern Washington in three. The Eagles were neck-and-neck with MSU to start the match, but several runs, capped by a 9-2 streak, put the first set in State's hands, 25-15. The second set would play much closer, but State once again managed to pull away late for a 25-19 triumph. Singleton was the key for MSU in the first two sets, as she totaled 11 kills to pace the Bulldogs into the third frame. From there, it became the Chelsea Duhs show.
The Eagles jumped out on the Dogs in impressive fashion to start the third set, going up 5-0 and then 12-5. State was able to cut the lead down to three several times, but EWU continued to answer and had their sights set on a fourth set. Enter Duhs, who fired seven of MSU's final 12 points and finished the third set with 8 kills to drive MSU's comeback 25-22 third-set win, completing the victory.
"Even when we get in tight situations like that third set, I never panic because of the leadership we have on that court," McFatrich said. "Chelsea was unstoppable in the last half of the third set and was absolutely crucial to us getting the win tonight."
State returns tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT against the McNeese State Cowgirls to close out the opening weekend of play. Fans can access the match on SEC Network + by going to WatchESPN.com.
2016 Bulldog Invitational Results:
Friday, Aug. 26
Eastern Washington def. Lamar, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-14)
No. 5 Kansas def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-17)
Saturday, Aug. 27
Kansas def. Eastern Washington, 3-0
Mississippi State def. Lamar, 3-2 (
Kansas def. Lamar, 3-0
Mississippi State def. Eastern Washington, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-22)
Freshmen Put On A Show To Start The Day:
In only their second match on the collegiate level, Emily Hill and Riley Duzenack have already made their presence known. Hill turned in 18 kills, a .389 attacking percentage and 6 blocks, while Duzenack earned 39 assists, 3 aces and 3 kills to lead MSU's 3-2 victory against the Lamar Cardinals in the first match of the day.
Seniors Close It Down To Complete The Sweep:
Evie Grace Singleton and Chelsea Duhs stole the show on Saturday night, as they tallied 14 and 13 kills against Eastern Washington, respectively. Duhs was unstoppable in the night's final set, as she accounted for seven of State's last 12 points to complete the Bulldogs' deficit and complete the 3-0 victory.
Harris Moving On Up:
Junior Payton Harris tallied 36 digs on the day, pushing her career total to 1,224. She jumped from ninth to sixth on the MSU career digs list, standing 39 away from tying Jennifer Shupe (1996-99) for fifth.
Johnson With A Career Showing At The Net:
Jazmyne Johnson put on a blocking clinic in Saturday's first match, as her 9 total blocks set a new career high for the senior. Her previous high was 8 blocks, which she tied last at Ole Miss on Sept. 27, 2015.
Win No. 100 At #TheGriss:
Year No. 20 of volleyball at Newell-Grissom brought the buildings first milestone victory. State's 3-2 victory against Lamar marked the 100th victory at The Griss.
Kansas Wins 2016 Bulldogs Invitational
The Kansas Jayhawks took home the 2016 Bulldog Invitational Championship, while the Bulldogs finished in second place. Madison Rigdon was named MVP, while Cassie Wait earned Most Valuable Libero honors. Kelsie Payne, Ainise Havili and Tayler Soucie earned All-Tournament Team honors for Kansas.
The Bulldogs were represented by Payton Harris, Chelsea Duhs and Evie Grace Singleton on the All-Tournament Team. Sophie Miller and Jessica Gilbert represented Eastern Washington, while Lamar's Chelsea Grant rounded out the 2016 Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Live Video:
The final match of Mississippi State's weekend will be broadcasted on SEC Network +, which can be accessed in the links below or by visiting WatchESPN.com.
MSU vs. McNeese State
Live Stats:
Mississippi State will provide live stats for all matches this weekend. Live stats can be found here or by visiting HailState.com.
Promotions:
Below is a list of the remaining promotions for this weekend.
Sunday, Aug. 28
MSU vs. McNeese State (2 p.m.)
- Contests during break for MSU prizes
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."
MSU battled from start to finish with the Lamar Cardinals to take a 3-2 decision before sweeping the Eastern Washington Eagles, 25-15, 25-19, 25-22.
"I'm really proud of how we responded to adversity today, as we found ourselves in a couple of tight situations and were able to work our way out and get two solid wins," MSU head coach David McFatrich said. "Our young players really shined in the first match, including Emily Hill, who was taking some really great swings. The second match showed our veteran leadership and I can't say enough about Chelsea's (Duhs) and Evie's (Grace Singleton) performances down the stretch. That was key for us."
Saturday's first match gave State a bit of a challenge, as the Cardinals were able to push the home squad to five sets. A trio of Bulldogs recorded double-digit kills, led by the freshman Hill, who turned in 18. Singleton (13) and Bali Leffall-Young (11) rounded out State's top attackers.
Hill earned 8 of her kills in the opening set to lead MSU to a 25-17 victory. The Bulldogs seemed poised to jump out to a two-set lead before a 11-4 run by the Cardinals closed out a 28-26 second-set win. State turned on the jets out of intermission and breezed through the third set to a 25-13 win, but could not keep the Cardinals completely at bay. Lamar grinded out a 25-22 victory to force a deciding fifth set, but could not quiet the Bulldogs for long. MSU earned eight of the last 10 points in the fifth to close out the match and secure a 3-2 victory, 25-17, 26-28, 25-13, 22-25, 15-7.
"Emily has worked extremely hard since the first day she got here in the summer and you can tell out on the court," McFatrich said. "When she's firing on all cylinders, she's one of the best attackers we have. Combined with Riley's (Duzenack) performance, I am very proud of how our freshmen are playing so far."
Duzenack put up 39 assists, 3 aces and 3 kills against the Cardinals, dominating every area of the court on the night. Saturday's first match was not just for the freshmen however, as senior Jazmyne Johnson put on a defensive show, tallying a career-high 9 blocks.
Johnson and her fellow seniors would carry State's momentum into the nightcap, as they were able to take down Eastern Washington in three. The Eagles were neck-and-neck with MSU to start the match, but several runs, capped by a 9-2 streak, put the first set in State's hands, 25-15. The second set would play much closer, but State once again managed to pull away late for a 25-19 triumph. Singleton was the key for MSU in the first two sets, as she totaled 11 kills to pace the Bulldogs into the third frame. From there, it became the Chelsea Duhs show.
The Eagles jumped out on the Dogs in impressive fashion to start the third set, going up 5-0 and then 12-5. State was able to cut the lead down to three several times, but EWU continued to answer and had their sights set on a fourth set. Enter Duhs, who fired seven of MSU's final 12 points and finished the third set with 8 kills to drive MSU's comeback 25-22 third-set win, completing the victory.
"Even when we get in tight situations like that third set, I never panic because of the leadership we have on that court," McFatrich said. "Chelsea was unstoppable in the last half of the third set and was absolutely crucial to us getting the win tonight."
State returns tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT against the McNeese State Cowgirls to close out the opening weekend of play. Fans can access the match on SEC Network + by going to WatchESPN.com.
2016 Bulldog Invitational Results:
Friday, Aug. 26
Eastern Washington def. Lamar, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-14)
No. 5 Kansas def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-17)
Saturday, Aug. 27
Kansas def. Eastern Washington, 3-0
Mississippi State def. Lamar, 3-2 (
Kansas def. Lamar, 3-0
Mississippi State def. Eastern Washington, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-22)
Freshmen Put On A Show To Start The Day:
In only their second match on the collegiate level, Emily Hill and Riley Duzenack have already made their presence known. Hill turned in 18 kills, a .389 attacking percentage and 6 blocks, while Duzenack earned 39 assists, 3 aces and 3 kills to lead MSU's 3-2 victory against the Lamar Cardinals in the first match of the day.
Seniors Close It Down To Complete The Sweep:
Evie Grace Singleton and Chelsea Duhs stole the show on Saturday night, as they tallied 14 and 13 kills against Eastern Washington, respectively. Duhs was unstoppable in the night's final set, as she accounted for seven of State's last 12 points to complete the Bulldogs' deficit and complete the 3-0 victory.
Harris Moving On Up:
Junior Payton Harris tallied 36 digs on the day, pushing her career total to 1,224. She jumped from ninth to sixth on the MSU career digs list, standing 39 away from tying Jennifer Shupe (1996-99) for fifth.
Johnson With A Career Showing At The Net:
Jazmyne Johnson put on a blocking clinic in Saturday's first match, as her 9 total blocks set a new career high for the senior. Her previous high was 8 blocks, which she tied last at Ole Miss on Sept. 27, 2015.
Win No. 100 At #TheGriss:
Year No. 20 of volleyball at Newell-Grissom brought the buildings first milestone victory. State's 3-2 victory against Lamar marked the 100th victory at The Griss.
Kansas Wins 2016 Bulldogs Invitational
The Kansas Jayhawks took home the 2016 Bulldog Invitational Championship, while the Bulldogs finished in second place. Madison Rigdon was named MVP, while Cassie Wait earned Most Valuable Libero honors. Kelsie Payne, Ainise Havili and Tayler Soucie earned All-Tournament Team honors for Kansas.
The Bulldogs were represented by Payton Harris, Chelsea Duhs and Evie Grace Singleton on the All-Tournament Team. Sophie Miller and Jessica Gilbert represented Eastern Washington, while Lamar's Chelsea Grant rounded out the 2016 Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Live Video:
The final match of Mississippi State's weekend will be broadcasted on SEC Network +, which can be accessed in the links below or by visiting WatchESPN.com.
MSU vs. McNeese State
Live Stats:
Mississippi State will provide live stats for all matches this weekend. Live stats can be found here or by visiting HailState.com.
Promotions:
Below is a list of the remaining promotions for this weekend.
Sunday, Aug. 28
MSU vs. McNeese State (2 p.m.)
- Contests during break for MSU prizes
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."
Team Stats
LU
MS
Kills
49
60
Errors
28
21
Attempts
147
139
Hitting %
.143
.281
Points
61.5
82.0
Assists
46
52
Aces
7
10
Blocks
5.5
12.0
Game Leaders
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
9
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS/MB
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
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