Bulldogs Fight to Five Sets in Fayetteville

Sunday, November 24

Fayetteville, Ark.

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

13-16, 2-15

Arkansas

11-17, 5-11

Mississippi State

Arkansas

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Bulldogs Fight to Five Sets in Fayetteville

November 24, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score

By Austin Coats, Graduate Assistant/Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Down 2-0, Mississippi State volleyball dug deep to force Arkansas to five sets Sunday (Nov. 24) evening at Barnhill Arena.

Then, with a 14-10 deficit in the final set, the Bulldogs (13-16, 2-15 SEC) battled with three-straight points to force an Arkansas timeout. In the end, the Razorbacks (11-17, 5-11 SEC) outlasted MSU in a thrilling match.

"I will say it again. I am so proud of the fight in this team," MSU volleyball coach Julie Darty said. "We had our backs against the wall, down 2-0, and we turned it on and pushed it to five sets. To see that grit and resilience at this point of the season is inspiring."

MSU was dominant in the blocking category, with a 14-6 advantage over Arkansas. Three Bulldogs had at least five blocks, led by Amarrah Cooks' six.

"We had a pretty good showing defensively, but it took us a while to settle in and get better block touches that we could turn into transition opportunities," Darty said. "Offensively, we just have to be a little bit sharper with our decision making. I liked how tough we served, and I think we handled the ball O.K. too. We are close, we just aren't quite there yet."

Freshman Callie Minshew took over in set three to lead the Dawgs to their first set victory of the evening. With eight kills and seven digs in the third frame alone, she led MSU to a 25-20 victory and clinched her second double-double of the weekend. For the match, Minshew collected 12 kills and 13 digs.

Minshew also tallied 51 attack attempts in the match, moving her total to 1,001 on the season, the fourth-most of any MSU freshman all-time. The freshman also added two service aces, as her 28 in 2019 ranks tied for ninth all-time among MSU rookies.

"It's really a positive sign to see what some of our young kids are made of and how composed they are," Darty said.

Setter Alleah Stamatis also had a double-double performance with 49 assists and 10 digs. The senior is now just six assists shy of reaching 1,000 for the season and becoming just the seventh Bulldog all-time to do so. It was her 12th double-double of the season.

"I thought Alleah had a great night offensively and was moving the ball around, and when she found the middles it was a pretty simple game," Darty said.

Junior Kanani Price collected a career-high 29 digs in the effort, along with a pair of service aces.

Sophomore Gabby Waden led the team with 16 kills on an efficient .316 hitting percentage.

"We have one more chance to change our story and make a statement with our 2019 season," Darty said. "I'm excited to be in Starkville for thanksgiving, and I am so thankful for this team."

First Set (Arkansas 28, Mississippi State 26)

When Arkansas started to make some room late, Mississippi State battled its way to a 23-23 tie with three straight points. Robinson then gave MSU set point twice with her fifth and six kills, but the Razorbacks pulled off a 3-0 run to steal the opening frame in extra points, 28-26. The final point came off of an overturned challenge, requested by the Razorbacks.

Robinson's six kills led all players, while Cooks had four. Price reached double digits with 10 digs in the first set alone.

Second Set (Arkansas 25, Mississippi State 18)

The Razorbacks took control early, going up 6-1 to begin the second frame before an MSU timeout. The Bulldogs never fully recovered as Arkansas took a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set (Mississippi State 25, Arkansas 20)

Three early kills from Minshew gave MSU an early lead at 5-3. The Bulldogs held Arkansas in check before a 5-0 run gave them a 20-14 advantage, boosted by three more Minshew kills. Minshew's eight led State to a 25-20 victory and clinched the freshman's double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs by the end of the set.

Fourth Set (Mississippi State 25, Arkansas 20)

Mississippi State converted nine of eleven points to take an early seven-point lead at 14-7. After a Minshew block closed a long rally, Arkansas went on a 5-0 run to close the gap to three, 18-15. The Bulldogs held on, though, closing out the set to tie the match at 2-2 and force the decisive fifth frame.

Fifth Set (Arkansas 15, Mississippi State 13)

Even when the Razorbacks set up match point with a 14-10 advantage, the Bulldogs kept punching. Waden came up with a kill to start a 3-0 run, followed by back-to-back blocks from the MSU front line. After an Arkansas timeout, the Razorbacks sneaked in a kill to edge State.

Up Next
Mississippi State will close its season at home on Saturday, November 30, when it hosts Tennessee for a 1 p.m. matchup at the Newell-Grissom Building.

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