Bulldogs Outlasted in Five-Set Battle, Look Forward to Sunday Series Finale

Saturday, October 17

Starkville

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

0-1,0-1SEC

Arkansas

1-0,1-0SEC

Arkansas

Mississippi St.

Freshman Lilly Gunter had a team-best 17 digs in her collegiate debut Saturday against Arkansas.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Bulldogs Outlasted in Five-Set Battle, Look Forward to Sunday Series Finale

October 17, 2020 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Austin Coats, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State volleyball's 2020 season began in dramatic fashion as it fought the Arkansas Razorbacks to five sets Saturday (Oct. 17) at the Newell-Grissom Building in the first of two matches this weekend.

Three Bulldogs collected double-doubles as MSU (0-1, 0-1 SEC) won the first and fourth sets, but the Razorbacks (1-0, 1-0 SEC) edged State in the decisive final frame. It was the second straight five-set battle between the two clubs.

"I'm really proud of how we came out in our first match of the year," MSU volleyball coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "I think it's clear that we are a gritty team. We're here to battle, and we're here to fight. Overall, I'm so proud of the effort they put out today. It's been a long time coming, and this was a really big day for our kids.

"Early on in the first set you could tell there were some jitters, but it seemed like we settled down. It was back and forth the entire time, and we knew that it was going to be a serve and pass battle with Arkansas. They're a tough serving team and tough attacking team, and we really just had to dial in with our defensive effort and make some adjustments with our game plan."

Junior Gabby Waden had a standout performance, collecting a team-best 16 kills on a .361 hitting percentage. It was Waden's 19th double-digit kill performance over the last two seasons.

Six student-athletes made their Bulldog debuts, including two collegiate debuts. Freshmen Lilly Gunter - who started at libero and led the team with 17 digs - and Francesca McBride saw their first college action, while all four of State's transfer student-athletes started the match.

Three of those transfers tallied double-doubles, as Margaret Dean (23 assists, 16 digs), Logan Brown (11 kills, 10 digs) and Lauren Myrick (12 assists, 15 digs) filled the scoresheet. The fourth transfer, Jessica Kemp, led the Bulldogs with seven blocks. State won the blocking battle, 12-10, as four Bulldogs collected at least four total blocks.

Arkansas' Jillian Gillen, an SEC All-Freshman Team player last season, totaled 21 kills for the Razorbacks, helped on by 49 assists from Arkansas setter Ryan Gracie.

First Set (Mississippi State 25, Arkansas 18)

Mississippi State separated itself with a 3-0 run off of kills from Myrick and Waden and an attack error by Arkansas' Gillen. The Razorbacks kept it close until Francesca McBride's first-career kill made it 20-17 in favor of MSU. State scored six of the frame's last seven points, as Waden closed it with her fifth kill of the day.

Second Set (Arkansas 25, Mississippi State 15)

While MSU led early in the second set, it couldn't recover from 8-0 Arkansas run that included three straight service aces from Arkansas' Ryan Gracie. The Razorbacks cruised on to tie the match at one apiece.

Third Set (Arkansas 25, Mississippi State 23)

The Bulldogs looked like they might go ahead in the match when Kemp blocked an Arkansas attempt to give State a 23-22 lead. Back-to-back Bulldog errors gave Arkansas the lead again, however, and Gillen sealed the third frame with another kill.

Fourth Set (Mississippi State 25, Arkansas 23)

Mississippi State led by as much as seven in the fourth set on their way to tying the match at 2-2. Kills from Brown and Myrick started a four-point run that gave the Bulldogs a 16-9 buffer. Arkansas pushed back, eventually tying the set at 22-22. Two Arkansas errors set up set point for State, but Logan Brown gave the Razorbacks a point on an attack error. Brown redeemed herself, however, by putting the set away with her next attempt.

Fifth Set (Arkansas 15, Mississippi State 11)

Arkansas took control of the final set early with three straight kills to open the frame and never looked back. Waden got the Bulldogs back within two, 13-11, with her 16th and final kill of the day, but Arkansas scored the next two points and sealed the match victory.

Up Next
Mississippi State gets another crack at Arkansas Sunday at The Griss in the concluding contest of the two-match series. First serve is set for noon CT, and the match will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

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