Back-to-Back Gonzaga Sweeps

Saturday, August 28

Starkville

10:00 AM

Mississippi State

2-0,0-0SEC

Gonzaga

1-2,0-0WCC

Gonzaga

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

August 28, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Watch: MSU vs. Southeastern Louisiana (Saturday - 4PM)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball team continued to put its offensive efficiency on full display with an exquisite .398 hitting percentage as the Bulldogs captured another sweep over Gonzaga [25-16, 25-16, 25-22] to open Saturday's StarkVegas Classic action at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Mississippi State (2-0) annihilated 50 kills, converted on 66.1 percent of its sideout attempts, sprawled out for 42 digs and collected five blocks to fuel the sweep.

"The talk before the match was let's be the same team two days in a row," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We wanted to focus on taking the first set. I called the timeout when we were down 6-9 in the first set. We responded with 14 kills and came back just storming mad. You could see the response, it was pretty incredible to see as a coach. We hit .398 today, which is better than yesterday. I was pretty happy about yesterday so it feels like we're moving and trending in the right direction."

Once again, State's setting tandem of Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean orchestrated a balanced attack and showcased their hitting options as six players cranked at least six kills. Coulter and Dean dropped 36 combined assists and added seven combined digs.

Lauren Myrick nearly tallied a double-double with a team-leading 12 kills and nine digs, while Gabby Waden saved her best for last with five of her nine kills during the third set.

Deja Robinson and Sania Petties demonstrated their bellicose in the middle. The duo teamed up for 13 kills on a collective .462 hitting percentage and secured five combined blocks.

"We definitely got them [Robinson and Petties] more involved, and both were very efficient" Dennis said. "Once we got them going, we wanted to keep them going. They proved that they were up, they were available and they were ready to attack. Both played really good, clean volleyball. I was really proud of the swings, proud of the approaches and proud of the way both played as a whole. Yesterday, I think we really wanted to get them more involved with the offense, and we found a way to do that today. Both proved to be an important part of finding our balanced offense."

Shania Cromartie came away with seven kills and a match-high 11 digs, whereas Jessica Kemp tacked on a solid all-around effort with six kills, three blocks and three digs.

Lilly Gunter stabilized the back row with 10 digs, five assists and a pair of aces. Callie Minshew added a kill and converted on 5-of-6 reception attempts late in the third stanza off the bench.

"Callie came in and did a good job of putting great passes on our setter's head," Dennis said. "Then, she took a big, aggressive swing. That's what our team is all about – it's opportunities and depth. Callie got her chance. She just went out there swinging and played fearless volleyball when the team needed it."

After splitting the first 22 points of the opening set, Mississippi State found a 14-5 run to claim the first set, 25-16. The run was ignited by Robinson and Waden, who belted consecutive kills. Then, Myrick got into the act and hammered back-to-back-back kills of her own to give the Bulldogs a 15-11 advantage. Ahead 18-14, the Bulldogs used another five-point flurry capped by a Myrick ace to salt the stanza away.

Set two followed a similar script as State extended an early 10-9 edge with 15 of the next 22 points to grab a two-set lead. Petties registered four kills, and Kemp was involved in three of the team's four blocks to highlight the second set.

Gonzaga crept out to a 17-15 lead in set three after consecutive aces, but the Maroon and White steadied itself behind Waden. The 2020-21 All-SEC selection provided three kills down the stretch, the last gave the Bulldogs a critical sideout and a 23-22 advantage. Following a Gonzaga attack error, Robinson put the finishing touches on the sweep with a transition kill.

"We wanted to get tested early, and we wanted to get pushed around a little in our home gym," Dennis said. "Gonzaga is certainly a really good team, who I think is going to have a great run in their conference this fall. I felt we were pushing them from the service line. We were trying to serve super tough and get after it from the service line. I thought that our ace-to-error ratio today was a lot better. We had five aces to four errors. So, we're playing a lot cleaner volleyball. Overall, I'm excited about working to get one more [win] at home against Southeastern Louisiana this afternoon. They are a very good, athletic team. They play a do not quit style of volleyball. So, in my opinion, we're going to have to certainly bring our best effort to be successful."

Mississippi State finishes up opening weekend and the StarkVegas Classic on Saturday versus Southeastern Louisiana. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed online via SEC Network+ and the Watch ESPN app.

Admission is free to all home volleyball matches with gates opening one hour prior to first serve.

In accordance with Mississippi State University policies, face coverings are required to be worn at all times during all indoor athletic events unless fans are actively eating or drinking. Mississippi State Athletics has designed a socially distanced seating plan to welcome fans to the Newell-Grissom Building in the healthiest manner possible for the 2021 season.

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.