Lilly Gunter Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mississippi State sophomore Lilly Gunter has been selected as the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following the Bulldogs' sweep over No. 24 Tennessee this past weekend in Starkville.

This marks the third weekly honor of Gunter's career and the second time this season she has been named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week. Gunter posted a team-high 37 digs and averaged 4.11 digs per set defensively to help Mississippi State extend the SEC's longest winning streak to 10 matches with a pair of wins over No. 24 Tennessee.

"I am super proud of Lilly for earning this honor and proud of our team for continuing to earn these total team wins," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "It's awesome to see Lilly do her job in the backcourt and anchor our defensive effort. She puts in the work and the time, and you can see that in her product. We are always striving to get better as a team and she is taking steps in the right direction as we are trying to peak at the right time."

Gunter was an efficient passer for the Dawgs this weekend, converting on 48-of-50 of her reception attempts, which allowed the Bulldogs to knock off a ranked team at home for the first time in over a decade. She has now posted 10-plus digs in 22 of the 26 matches she has played this season, including totaling 20 or more digs on eight different occasions. In Sunday's five-set win over the Vols, she converted all 31 of her reception attempts and tied her season-high with three aces. She currently ranks sixth in the SEC with 3.96 digs per set this season.

Following this weekend's sweep over Tennessee, Mississippi State continues to receive votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll with a 22-5 overall record and 13-2 mark in SEC play.

State will travel to face off against Arkansas this weekend in the final road series of the regular season. The series begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, in Fayetteville. The Dawgs and Razorbacks will close out the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 21, with a 3 p.m. first serve.

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.

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Lilly Gunter Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week

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