Singleton’s 20 Kills Lead MSU To Five-Set Victory On Sunday

Sunday, August 28

Starkville

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

3-1

McNeese State

1-3

McNeese State

Mississippi State

Evie Grace Singleton tallied 20 kills on Sunday to lead MSU to a 3-2 victory against McNeese State.

Singleton’s 20 Kills Lead MSU To Five-Set Victory On Sunday

August 28, 2016 | Volleyball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Playing it's fourth game of opening weekend, Mississippi State needed five sets to dispatch the visiting McNeese State Cowboys, 3-2 (25-17, 25-22, 18-25, 19-25, 19-17), on Sunday to close out the opening weekend of 2016.

The Bulldogs finished with a 3-1 record on the weekend, tying 2015 for the best start to a season since 2010. State has now won six of the its last seven matches dating back to 2015.

"We were not hitting on all cylinders today and struggled throughout the match, but we showed great resiliency by coming through in crunch time," MSU head coach David McFatrich said. "I'm proud of the girls for continuing to fight throughout the match. Now we have to set our focus on next weekend and getting ready for the Little Rock Invitational."

Leading the way offensively, senior Evie Grace Singleton tied her MSU career total with 20 kills and added 3 aces to her Sunday performance. Not to be outdone, freshman Emily Hill added 14 kills to give MSU a stellar one-two punch. Upperclassmen Bali Leffall-Young and Jelena Vujcin both had 5 blocks for a strong afternoon at the net.

It was all Bulldogs early on, as MSU went on a 19-9 run to open the festivities at Newell-Grissom. McNeese State got to within six before a Chelsea Duhs' kill catapulted State to a 25-17 first set victory.

Set two featured more of a back-and-forth game. Two of Singleton's 3 aces landed in a span of four points. Hill led the charge down the stretch, connecting on 3 kills over MSU's 7-3 run to close out the second set in 25-22 fashion.

McNeese State came out of the locker room on a 14-6 run that ended with one of Singleton's match-high 20 kills. MSU cut the McNeese lead to four on several occasions before the visitors won set three by a score of 25-18.

The fourth set played more like the second before McNeese State railed off five-straight points to take command of the set before eventually wining 25-19.

MSU seemed in control late in the fifth, grabbing match point by a score of 14-9. However, McNeese State would storm back to tie the set. The wild fifth set included six ties and four lead changes. Each team had multiple match points before an attack error by McNeese's Jenny D'Alessandro ended the madness and won it for the Maroon and White.

State now turns its attention to the Little Rock Invitational, which begins with a pair of matches on Friday, Sept. 2. MSU battles UT Martin at 10 a.m. CT, followed by a 6 p.m., showdown against host Little Rock. The weekend will conclude against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 10 a.m.

Keeping The 2015 Momentum Rolling:
The Bulldogs finished 2015 on a high note and are still rolling as we head for the second weekend of 2016. State has now won six of its last seven matches dating back to last season.

Harris Closing In On The Top Five:
Junior Payton Harris tallied 20 digs on the day, pushing her career total to 1,244. She currently stands in sixth place on the MSU career digs list, just 19 away from tying Jennifer Shupe (1996-99) for fifth.

Freshmen Impress In Their First Weekend:
It didn't take long for Emily Hill and Riley Duzenack to make an impression in their first weekend of collegiate volleyball. Hill tallied 40 kills (2.50 per set) and 12 blocks over the weekend, while Duzenack finished as State's leading setter with 88 assists.

Leffall-Young Off To A Hot Start:
Last season, Bali Leffall-Young tallied 47 kills and 38 total blocks. This year? Well, only four matches in and she's already closing in on that total, as she has 22 kills and 13 blocks after the opening weekend, establishing herself as a dominant force in the middle.

Singleton Racks Up The Kills:
Senior Evie Grace Singleton took control of Sunday's match with a match-high 20 kills, which also ties her MSU career high. Singleton was also a force form the service line, as she tallied a match-high 3 aces.

Up Next:
After a 3-1 weekend at home, the Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time this season, as they head to Little Rock, Ark., for the Little Rock Invitational. Play begins Friday, Sept. 2, with MSU facing UT Martin (10 a.m. CT) and Little Rock (6 p.m.). State will close out the weekend against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday at 10 a.m.

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."