Milestones Plentiful As Volleyball Sweeps Alabama

Wednesday, November 3

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

18-5,9-2SEC

Alabama

10-14,2-10SEC

Alabama

Mississippi St.

Milestones Plentiful As Volleyball Sweeps Alabama

November 03, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Gabby Waden Interview Photo Gallery

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball team continued to add to its bountiful list of milestones and achievements during a dominant sweep of Alabama [25-15, 25-21, 25-19] on Wednesday evening as a season's best 841 fans poured into the Newell-Grissom Building.

First, the Bulldogs (18-5, 9-2 SEC) extended their SEC program record winning streak to six matches. Next, State set another program mark and captured its ninth SEC win on the season to move back into sole possession of second place in the SEC standings. The Bulldogs also put a seven-match losing streak to Alabama (10-14, 2-10 SEC) in the rear view mirror.

Last but certainly not least, there was a golden milestone accomplished by Gabby Waden.

The Columbia, South Carolina, native blasted a match-leading 11 kills on a .391 attack percentage to become the 11th player to surpass 1,000 career kills in program history.

It was only fitting that it was Waden who brought the Bulldogs to the winner's circle with the match's final kill. She has powered home 10-plus kills in 10 of her 11 SEC appearances.

"Gabby joins an elite group of people that have some great numbers," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "She's got a special arm, we knew this was going to happen. For her to hit this milestone, I think it really allows her to feel so accomplished and so proud of the year that we're having as a team. They wanted to do something special and something different. Tonight making history with our ninth [SEC] win and for her to hit this milestone, it's just incredible. I'm so proud of this group."

"Teammates and setters I have had throughout the years have really helped me set a tone for myself and get the attacks that I wanted," Waden said. "I think of teammates such as Alleah Stamatis, Morgan Kath, Margaret Dean, and Gabby Coulter. Even the liberos, Kanani Price and Lilly Gunter, I really appreciate everyone I have played with during my time here at Mississippi State to help me achieve that goal."

Shania Cromartie and Lauren Myrick made their impact in all facets and nearly collected double-doubles on the outside. The duo combined for a flawless 37-for-37 mark in the serve-receive game.

Cromartie popped 10 kills and added nine digs, while Myrick garnered a solid all-around effort with nine kills, 16 digs and a trio of blocks.
Lilly Gunter tabulated 15 digs, three assists and an ace from the libero position. She pushed her streak to 14 consecutive matches with 10 or more digs.

State's middles did their part to contribute as Deja Robinson rattled home nine kills on 15 swings en route a sparkling .467 hitting clip. Rebecca Walk tacked on five kills and three blocks.

"We constantly work on getting our middles more opportunities and helping us run a more balanced offense," Dennis said. "It was really great to see that they were working hard in transition first ball. We've been focused on that all week. I was very pleased with their performances tonight for sure."

The Maroon and White connected for 49 kills and a .283 hitting percentage in addition to working its way to a 67.9 sideout percentage.

Margaret Dean and Gabby Coulter teamed up for 35 assists and eight digs. Dean was the lead car with 20 assists, while Coulter notched six of the eight digs.

"We talked about how we had to win the serve-and-pass game if we were going to beat Alabama," Dennis said. "As a team, I felt like we definitely handled the serve-and-pass game really well. Our serve is our best line of defense, and we got after it from the service line. I was impressed with our setters again, they were hitting their targets and executing really well. But overall, it was about effort and execution. I thought they did a fantastic job tonight."

Mississippi State came storming out of the gates with 15 kills on a .406 hitting percentage and registered an 80 percent sideout efficiency during the opening stanza.

All square at 3-3, the Bulldogs found their groove courtesy of a Coulter service run. State ripped off seven straight points kickstarted by a Walk-Waden double stuff. Jessica Kemp tacked on a pair of kills, and Walk capped the flurry with a transition kill through the middle to make it 10-3.

The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas and stretched their advantage to 15-5 after back-to-back Alabama hitting errors. A Robinson sideout kill tucked the first set away, 25-15.

Set two began with the two teams splitting the first eight points. Ahead 7-6, State made its move with five straight points headed by a Dean service run. Robinson was a force at the net with four kills to bring the scoreboard to 12-7.

The Bulldogs pushed points to 18-10 after a Myrick back row kill. Alabama put together a rally of its own and got to within three points on three occasions, the latest at 24-21. However, Waden split the Crimson Tide block attempt with a crosscourt kill for the 25-21 decision.

Alabama jumped out to an early 5-1 edge to start set three, but the Bulldogs quickly answered with five of the next six points. It was Cromartie who took advantage of a Crimson Tide overpass to knot the score at 6-6.
Waden tooled the block for her 1,000 career kill to give State a 12-10 edge. The Bulldogs extended the spread to 18-13 as Cromartie made Alabama pay for another overpass.

Up 18-17, Cromartie ended a long rally with a crosscourt kill. Two Crimson Tide hitting miscues followed, and Walk dialed up a kill to enable State to regain a 22-17 lead. A Robinson solo block brough the Bulldogs to match point, and a powerful crosscourt kill from Waden clinched the match, 25-19, for the Maroon and White.

"We're playing with a new sense of belief I feel like every win," Waden said. "We still take every game one at a time, and we don't get too far ahead. That's something that we've talked about all season. We want to reach the end goal. With every win, there are new opportunities to change the program and make it the way we want to make it."

Mississippi State returns to the road for a pair of matchups at Missouri this weekend. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday. Both matches will be carried online only via www.ESPN.com/watch and the Watch ESPN app.

"We have one day to prepare in our gym and clean up some stuff," Dennis said. "Then, we'll hit the road for Columbia. Mizzou is a tough team. They play hard, they're hungry, they're very scrappy and they're going to be ready to give us their best effort." We'll need to be dialed in and ready for our next opponent."

The Bulldogs next home matches are versus No. 22 Tennessee at the Newell-Grissom Building on November 13-14. First serve for both matches is locked in for 1 p.m. CT. Admission is free for all home volleyball matches with gates opening one hour prior to 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.