MSU Drops Sunday Match to Missouri

Sunday, October 14

Starkville

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

5-15 (1-6SEC)

Missouri

16-4 (6-2SEC)

Missouri

Mississippi State

MSU falls to Missouri in three on Sunday (Oct. 14).

Photo by: Blake Williams/MSU Athletics

MSU Drops Sunday Match to Missouri

October 14, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE (PDF)

by Mary Catherine Molay, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE- During its annual Dig Pink match, Mississippi State (5-15, 1-6 SEC) fell to Missouri (16-4, 6-2 SEC) in three on Sunday (Oct. 14).

The Tigers swept the Bulldogs, 25-14, 25,14, 25-16 in Newell-Grissom.

"It was a tough match [with] a really good Missouri team," head coach Julie Darty said. "The things we were trying to focus on, I think Missouri surprised us with. They were a super tough serving team, they stayed in system a lot, and they were a really good ball-control team. Those are the things that we have to focus on on our side of the net - winning the serve in pass game every single day. We have bright spots, and we have dark spots. I think we just need to keep focusing on being a consistent volleyball team, and figuring out what that means for us."

"We have a quick turnover," Darty explained. "We have to get ready for Alabama on Wednesday. [Our girls] have a well-deserved day off on Monday, but then we have to get back in the zone on Tuesday and get dialed in and ready to figure out what it's going to take for us to find that second SEC win of the year. I'm excited to see us grind it out Tuesday, and to see us respond on Wednesday. I think the best is yet to come for this team. I think we have a lot of things that we can be better at and capitalize on."

Mississippi State got on the board first after a block solo by Amarrah Cooks. The Tigers countered by going on runs of three, five and five once more to push ahead 14-6. The Bulldogs struggled to stop Missouri's powerful serve, as four service aces were tallied. MSU fought back to go on a three-point streak with two kills by Paige Shaw and one error by Missouri to make it 17-10, Tigers. The rally was not enough as Missouri went on to win the set. Shaw had three kills for a .400 hitting percentage. Kendall Murr tallied two service aces.

Missouri started off the set with back-to-back kills to lead 2-0. Despite the aggressiveness shown on the court by the Bulldogs, set two was similar to the first. The Tigers' swing was too mighty for the Bulldogs to stop, as 18 Missouri kills were registered for a .357 hitting percentage. The set ended with the same score as the first, 25-14. Mississippi State led in digs with 19, and the two teams were even with 2.0 blocks. Brooklyn Lochner and Shaw had three kills apiece. Murr tallied eight digs while Alleah Stamatis had four assists.

Mississippi State showed a lot of grit and resilience throughout set three. While at 15-6 Tigers, The Bulldogs went on a five-point streak with two kills by Lochner, one from Cooks and two Missouri errors to make the score 15-11. The rally was not enough was Missouri went on to take the set and the match.

On Wednesday, Oct. 17, Mississippi State travels to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama. The match will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. from Foster Auditorium.

Dawg Bites from Sunday

Lochner had seven kills for a .583 hitting percentage. She also had three block assists
Murr had 16 digs and two service aces
Shaw had nine kills and three digs
Stamatis had 15 assists

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."