Saturday, October 2
Starkville
4:00 PM
Mississippi State
12-4,3-1SEC
3
vs
2
LSU
5-8,1-3SEC
1
2
3
4
5
F
LSU
25
22
25
21
12
2
Mississippi St.
18
25
19
25
15
3
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Volleyball Outlasts LSU In 3-2 Gritty Battle
October 02, 2021 | Volleyball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball team used a total team effort and fought thru more adversity to stand tall en route to a hard-fought a 3-2 victory over LSU [18-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 15-12] on Saturday evening at the Newell-Grissom Building.
The Bulldogs (12-4, 3-1 SEC) erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to outlast LSU (5-8, 1-3 SEC). State has won three of its first four SEC matches for the second time in program history and defeated the Tigers in consecutive matches for the first time since 2003-04 season. All three of Mississippi State's SEC victories this season have come against teams picked inside the SEC's 2021 SEC Coaches Preseason Poll.
Once again, the Maroon and White showcased their resolve. The Bulldogs overcame 7-4, 8-5 and 9-6 deficits during the winner-take-all fifth set.
"Pride and finishing are a few of our core values, we were just talking about that and how much we wanted to defend our home court," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "There was a desire – how much we wanted this win, and how much we were prepared to be ready for this. I didn't think that we came out playing as clean or efficient as I wanted us to play. I thought we did make a lot of good adjustments. I'm just so impressed with our kids for supporting one another through the in's and out's. They're in there hugging after the match. The team celebrates and supports each other, that's why this team is special in my opinion."
Gabby Waden led the way with team-high 15 kills. She delivered three consecutive kills to turn a 10-8 hole into an 11-10 advantage during the all-important fifth stanza.
Lauren Myrick added nine kills and 15 digs. She converted 35-of-37 in the serve-receive game. Shania Cromartie added a solid all-around effort with eight kills, seven digs and four blocks.
Impressive sparks flew off the bench courtesy of Rebecca Walk and Jessica Kemp. Walk dug deep to find nine kills and four blocks, whereas Kemp provided five kills on seven errorless swings.
Lilly Gunter wore the libero jersey proudly and came away with 25 digs, her second-highest career output. She was perfect going for 20-for-20 in the serve-pass game and passed out four assists.
Mississippi State's setters, Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean, were locked in to dial up a combined 47 assists and 18 digs. Coulter tucked away her sixth double-double of the season with 22 assists and 10 digs, whereas Dean garnered a spunky 25 dimes and eight digs.
Deja Robinson collected six kills and five blocks. The five blocks enabled her to move into the program's top 5 in total rejections.
Down 10-8 in the fifth set, Waden turned up with three straight kills. She went down the down the line and tooled the block to finish off a long rally to make it 11-10. The Bulldogs got to match point at 14-12 as Robinson dug deep for a solo stuff. A LSU attack error clinched the 15-12 triumph for State.
Mississippi State dropped 25-18 and 25-19 decisions in sets one and three to face 1-0 and 2-1 holes. The Bulldogs found the critical plays in the fourth as Cromartie and Walk dialed up a pair of blocks deep in the fourth stanza.
"We're two weekends into SEC play, and I don't think that anybody could have scripted it like this" Dennis said. "It's going to be fun, and it's going to be a battle all season. I think the general theme right now, top-to-bottom, is it's not about what number is next to your name. It's about who's coming to play, and who's ready to battle."
Mississippi State faces the defending national champions and No. 6 Kentucky on Wednesday evening. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. CT televised nationally by ESPNU and the ESPN app at www.ESPN.com/watch
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateVB' on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball team used a total team effort and fought thru more adversity to stand tall en route to a hard-fought a 3-2 victory over LSU [18-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 15-12] on Saturday evening at the Newell-Grissom Building.
The Bulldogs (12-4, 3-1 SEC) erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to outlast LSU (5-8, 1-3 SEC). State has won three of its first four SEC matches for the second time in program history and defeated the Tigers in consecutive matches for the first time since 2003-04 season. All three of Mississippi State's SEC victories this season have come against teams picked inside the SEC's 2021 SEC Coaches Preseason Poll.
Once again, the Maroon and White showcased their resolve. The Bulldogs overcame 7-4, 8-5 and 9-6 deficits during the winner-take-all fifth set.
"Pride and finishing are a few of our core values, we were just talking about that and how much we wanted to defend our home court," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "There was a desire – how much we wanted this win, and how much we were prepared to be ready for this. I didn't think that we came out playing as clean or efficient as I wanted us to play. I thought we did make a lot of good adjustments. I'm just so impressed with our kids for supporting one another through the in's and out's. They're in there hugging after the match. The team celebrates and supports each other, that's why this team is special in my opinion."
Gabby Waden led the way with team-high 15 kills. She delivered three consecutive kills to turn a 10-8 hole into an 11-10 advantage during the all-important fifth stanza.
Lauren Myrick added nine kills and 15 digs. She converted 35-of-37 in the serve-receive game. Shania Cromartie added a solid all-around effort with eight kills, seven digs and four blocks.
Impressive sparks flew off the bench courtesy of Rebecca Walk and Jessica Kemp. Walk dug deep to find nine kills and four blocks, whereas Kemp provided five kills on seven errorless swings.
Lilly Gunter wore the libero jersey proudly and came away with 25 digs, her second-highest career output. She was perfect going for 20-for-20 in the serve-pass game and passed out four assists.
Mississippi State's setters, Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean, were locked in to dial up a combined 47 assists and 18 digs. Coulter tucked away her sixth double-double of the season with 22 assists and 10 digs, whereas Dean garnered a spunky 25 dimes and eight digs.
Deja Robinson collected six kills and five blocks. The five blocks enabled her to move into the program's top 5 in total rejections.
Down 10-8 in the fifth set, Waden turned up with three straight kills. She went down the down the line and tooled the block to finish off a long rally to make it 11-10. The Bulldogs got to match point at 14-12 as Robinson dug deep for a solo stuff. A LSU attack error clinched the 15-12 triumph for State.
Mississippi State dropped 25-18 and 25-19 decisions in sets one and three to face 1-0 and 2-1 holes. The Bulldogs found the critical plays in the fourth as Cromartie and Walk dialed up a pair of blocks deep in the fourth stanza.
"We're two weekends into SEC play, and I don't think that anybody could have scripted it like this" Dennis said. "It's going to be fun, and it's going to be a battle all season. I think the general theme right now, top-to-bottom, is it's not about what number is next to your name. It's about who's coming to play, and who's ready to battle."
Mississippi State faces the defending national champions and No. 6 Kentucky on Wednesday evening. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. CT televised nationally by ESPNU and the ESPN app at www.ESPN.com/watch
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateVB' on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram.
Team Stats
LSU
MSU
Kills
67
57
Errors
24
27
Attempts
178
180
Hitting %
.242
.167
Points
91
74
Assists
62
52
Aces
6
8
Blocks
18
9
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
3
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballMB
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