Dawgs Win 13th Straight In Front of Packed House

Friday, November 26

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

25-5,16-2SEC

Auburn

13-15,5-13SEC

Auburn

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Dawgs Win 13th Straight In Front of Packed House

November 26, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Final Stats Photo Gallery

By: Olivia Hooten, Student Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball team closed out the regular-season and celebrated Senior Day in style on Friday as the Dawgs won their 13th straight match with a 3-0 victory over Auburn in front of a capacity crowd inside the Newell-Grissom Building.

A maximum capacity crowd of 2,293 Mississippi State fans packed the Griss on Friday and set the tone for the Bulldogs from the start as MSU clinched its 25th overall win and 16th victory in SEC matches.

The 13 straight wins is a school record for the Dawgs, while No. 24 Mississippi State finished the regular season with a 25-5 overall record on the year and 16-2 mark in SEC play. Auburn dropped to 13-15 overall and 5-13 in the SEC. The win over Auburn solidified a perfect 9-0 home record in SEC matches, while it marked the 11th consecutive home win for the Dawgs. MSU finished the season 14-1 overall at home, which is a new program record for most single-season wins at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Prior to the match, State took time to honor its 2021 senior class, which included recognitions for Margaret Dean, Jessica Dean, Callie Minshew, Deja Robinson, Gabby Waden and Alden Willis.

As a team, Mississippi State hit .258 with 52 kills compared to a .226 attacking percentage and 35 kills by Auburn. Gabby Waden and Lauren Myrick led the offense for the Dawgs and both had double-digit kills. Myrick posted her 16th double-double of the season, while Waden had 10 kills to go along with two blocks on the night. Deja Robinson notched five kills and hit .400 while adding a team-high three blocks.

State took a 1-0 lead in the match with a score of 25-23 in the first set. The Dawgs and Tigers battled back and forth in the opening set, which featured 12 ties before MSU closed it out, 25-23, with back-to-back kills by Sania Petties and Jessica Kemp. MSU hit .176 as a team, while the Dawgs were led by Waden who had four kills and Petties who had three kills. The Dawgs had a total of fourteen kills as a team in the first set.

In the second, MSU added to their lead and made it 2-0 with another 25-23 set score after nine ties and four lead changes between the Bulldogs and Tigers. MSU hit .275 as a team compared to the Tigers, who hit .139 in the second set. The Dawgs took the lead at 20-17 on a 4-0 scoring run and eventually held off a late Auburn push for a 2-0 advantage in the match. Waden and Robison both had two blocks apiece in set two.

The third set belonged to the Dawgs with a final score of 28-26 after State rallied from down 20-23 to tie it and eventually clinch the match on a Shania Cromartie kill. MSU played most of the set trailing the Tigers, but the Dawgs were able to close out the match with a .300 hitting mark and a total of 23 kills.

Myrick led MSU with 18 kills and 11 digs for a double-double, while three Bulldogs had double-digit digs in Cromartie (12), Myrick (11) and Lilly Gunter (10). Margaret Dean had a team-high 24 assists followed by Gabby Coulter with 18.

NEXT UP

The Dawgs will learn their fate for postseason play on Sunday, Nov. 28 with the NCAA Division I Volleyball selection show set to air on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateVB' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.