Bulldogs Drop 3-0 Decision at Alabama On Wednesday

Wednesday, October 17

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

5-16 (1-7SEC)

Alabama

16-6 (3-5SEC)

Mississippi State

Alabama

MSU falls to Alabama in three on Wednesday (Oct. 17).

Bulldogs Drop 3-0 Decision at Alabama On Wednesday

October 17, 2018 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

by Mary Catherine Molay, Graduate Assistant/Communications

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- During its second Wednesday (Oct. 17) matchup of the season, Mississippi State fell to Alabama in three on ESPNU.

Mississippi State (5-16, 1-7 SEC) fell to Alabama (16-6, 3-5 SEC) 25-17, 28-26, 25-15.

"Another tough road battle for the Dawgs," head coach Julie Darty said. "I think our middles are showing to be pretty consistent and efficient for us when we pass the ball. When we stay in system and can get them swings, it's a really great product that we are putting out there. But when everybody is not completely dialed in to do their job and follow that game plan with laser-like focus, it can get pretty dicey out there. We have a couple of days of practice to get ready for [Ole Miss], but this is a top league top to bottom. There's not a single team that you can take lightly and get off of the gas pedal for one second. Alabama turned it on in that third set, and we really need to find a way to respond and understand that these are long, gritty matches that we have to be in. We have to find a way to finish and compete."

Mississippi State found itself on the board first to start the match. Set one featured a lot of back and forth as there were three lead changes, and the score was tied five time. During the middle of the first set and going forward, the Bulldogs struggled to stop Alabama's attack and block game. The Crimson Tide went on two different runs of five points or more to pull ahead, 21-13. Mississippi State fought back toward the end, but could not stop the Crimson Tide's attack game. Alabama took the set on a kill. Paige Shaw had three kills and seven digs. Amarrah Cooks and Deja Robinson had two kills apiece.

Mississippi State went on a three point streak to start set two and pulled ahead, 3-1. Set two featured more aggressiveness as the whole set was tight with no other team being more than two points ahead. While trailing by one, Mississippi State pushed ahead to 15-13 after back-to-back kills by Robinson and an attack error by Alabama to force the media timeout. After three straight kills by Haskins to give MSU the chance to win the set, 24-23, Alabama battled back to force the set into extra points and win, 28-26. Robinson had seven kills and a .538 hitting percentage. Shaw and Haskins had four kills each. Gabby Zgunda tallied eight digs. Both squads notched 19 kills and 30 digs. Mississippi State finished the set with a .228 hitting percentage in comparison to Alabama's .200.

Mississippi State went on a 3-0 run off of Alabama errors to start the third set. After a 7-0 stint by the Crimson Tide, The Bulldogs trailed 13-8. From there, Mississippi State struggled to stop Alabama's attack game. Errors proved to be the achilles heel for MSU as Alabama went on to win the set and the match. Cooks, Morgan Kath and Robinson all had two kills. Kendall Murr and Shaw had four digs apiece.

To wrap up week nine of play, Mississippi State travels to face in-state rival Ole Miss on Sunday, Oct. 21. The match is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network+.

Dawg Bites from Wednesday

Robinson had 11 kills and a .524 hitting percentage
Murr led the team with 15 digs
Cooks and Shaw each had seven kills

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