Volleyball Falls In Five-Set Heartbreaker To Oklahoma

Saturday, September 3

Little Rock, Ark.

10:00 AM

Mississippi State

5-2

Oklahoma

6-0

Oklahoma

Mississippi State

Jelena Vujcin once again turned in a solid performance, this time setting a season high with 14 kills and adding 4 blocks.

Volleyball Falls In Five-Set Heartbreaker To Oklahoma

September 03, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Box Score (PDF)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – When he was introduced as Mississippi State volleyball's 11^th head coach on January 12, 2015, David McFatrich promised that the Bulldogs would go toe-to-toe with the nation's best programs. On Saturday, MSU did just that against Oklahoma.

Despite showing a never-quit attitude from start to finish, the Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to the Oklahoma Sooners to close out their time at the Little Rock Invitational.

"That was a tough loss because we played so well throughout the match, but weren't able to close it out," MSU head coach David McFatrich said. "This team could have rolled over after that first set, but they got back up and kept fighting. Whether it was our passing, our hitting or our blocking, these girls were giving it their all."

"Give credit to Oklahoma. They were dominant towards the end. That's a great volleyball program, but at the end of the day, we're still disappointed we didn't get the win."

Evie Grace Singleton capped her homecoming weekend with another standout performance at the Jack Stephens Center. The Little Rock, Ark., native tallied 23 kills, 2 blocks and an ace to lead the Bulldogs. This all came just hours removed from a career-high 27 kills against Little Rock last night.

For the weekend, Singleton earned 55 kills and 7 aces, both which led the team.

The Bulldogs and Sooners fought tooth and nail throughout the entire match, as both teams reached the 20-point mark in the first four sets. In total, the back-and-forth contest provided 30 tie scores and 12 lead changes.

Saturday's first set started off with neither team able to find its footing until the Sooners used a series of small runs to pull out in front. State would close the lead to two late, down 22-20, but a kill and two Bulldog errors sealed the set, 25-21, and a 1-0 OU lead.

MSU was down but not out, as they came back strong to tie the match up at 1-all. Singleton put together her best set of the match in the second with 10 kills and a .412 clip. A kill from Jazmyne Johnson and an OU error would force the Sooners' first timeout of the set with State leading 18-15. Sprinkle in back-to-back Singleton kills and the Sooners would once again call for time, signaling that the Bulldogs were in control of the set. A service error would seal a 25-21 win and tie the match.

Oklahoma seemed to have regained control in the third until a late Bulldog run sparked by a Singleton kill put State out in front. Two OU errors would set State up with set point, but the Sooners would not go quietly. Oklahoma was able to cut the lead down to 24-23 before Singleton crushed a kill to give MSU the set, 25-23, and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Sooners broke the norm in the fourth and jumped out of the gates with a 6-1 lead. State would once again fight back, this time behind the hot arm of senior Chelsea Duhs. However, an 8-0 run by Oklahoma would be the story of the set, as the Sooners kept State at bay from there, forcing a fifth set with a 25-20 win.

State would stay on Oklahoma's heels throughout most of the fifth before a 6-2 run gave OU all the space it needed. The Sooners would earn six of the last seven points in the match to capture the fifth, 15-8, and seal the 3-2 win.

"We believed from the get-go we could win this match. There was never any doubt," McFatrich said. "That's the attitude you have to bring into every match. These girls believe in themselves and this team and it will pay off down the road. I tell the team all the time that this could be the best team I have ever coached. We just have to keep working on putting all the pieces together."

Jelena Vujcin turned in another impressive performance, capturing a season-high 14 kills on .419 hitting. Blossom Sato and Riley Duzenack turned in 29 and 25 assists, respectively. Payton Harris accounted for 20 of State's 55 digs, while Jazmyne Johnson tallied 8 blocks to lead all players.

As a team, the Bulldogs tallied their best blocking performance of the season to date with 15 total, besting the 7 blocks by the Sooners.

The Bulldogs will stay on the road next weekend, as they head to Manhattan, Kan., for the Wildcat Classic. MSU will face Kansas State (12 p.m. CT) and Loyola-Chicago (5 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 9, before wrapping up the weekend against Miami (FL) on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m.

Series Notes:
Saturday's match was only the second between the two teams. Oklahoma now owns a 2-0 lead in the series with both wins coming on neutral ground. The other match came in 1991, a 3-1 OU victory in Arlington, Texas.

Singleton Wraps Up Solid Weekend Back Home:
After setting a career high with 27 kills against Little Rock on Friday night, the Bulldog senior and Little Rock native followed it up with 23 kills against the Sooners. For the weekend, Singleton racked up 54 kills on .328 hitting with 7 aces. She leads the Bulldogs in kills this year with 109, while also pacing State with 12 aces and 124.5 points.

Just Keeps Getting Better For Vujcin:
Another match, another solid showing for junior transfer Jelena Vujcin. The Serbia native bested her season high in kills for the second time in as many days, turning in 14 kills and a .419 clip. She also shined in the blocking game with 4 total for the day.

Block Party For The Dogs:
State shined at the net today with 15 total blocks compared to the seven of Oklahoma. Leading the way were Jazmyne Johnson (8 blocks), Bali Leffall-Young (5 blocks), Emily Hill (4 blocks) and Jelena Vujcin (4 blocks). Johnson was one short of tying her career high set earlier this season against Lamar.

Johnson and Vujcin led State's blocking presence for the weekend with 11 each, while Leffall-Young was close behind with 10.

Harris Closing In On The Top Five:
Junior Payton Harris tallied 20 digs on the day, pushing her career total to 1,302. She currently holds fifth place on the MSU career digs list, passing Jennifer Shupe (1996-99) yesterday against Little Rock. She is now 69 digs away from tying Shauna Owens (1988-91) for fourth place. Melissa Kariker (1993-96) holds the school record with 1,707.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to the Wildcat Classic next weekend in Manhattan, Kan. MSU will open play against host Kansas State on Friday, Sept. 9 at noon CT before taking on Loyola-Chicago at 5 p.m. The weekend will end with Miami (FL) on Saturday at 10:30 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."