A Five-Set Tussle At No. 17 Florida To Open SEC

Thursday, September 23

Gainesville, Fla.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

9-4, 0-1SEC

No. 17 Florida

7-4, 1-0SEC

Mississippi State

Florida

A Five-Set Tussle At No. 17 Florida To Open SEC

September 23, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

GAINESVILLE, Florida – Mississippi State's volleyball team dug deep to erase a two-set deficit and wiped away three match points in the fifth set to take No. 17 Florida [17-25, 11-25, 25-16, 25-18, 13-15] to the brink during the SEC opener for both teams on Thursday evening at Exactech Arena inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

The Bulldogs (9-4, 0-1 SEC) nearly captured their first win over the SEC's perineal power in eight-time NCAA Final Four participant and two-time NCAA National Runner-Up Florida (7-4, 1-0 SEC). It marked the first time that Mississippi State took the Gators to five sets.

"What an incredible effort by our team tonight," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "I'm so proud of our response after that second set, and how we never backed down. This team is tough, resilient and has big energy. I love that we received some incredible performances off the bench. It's all about opportunity. They did a tremendous job of taking advantage of the touches and opportunities they got on the court tonight."

Lauren Myrick did the heavy lifting with 15 of her match-leading 19 kills over the final three sets and worked her way to a career-high 18 digs to corral her team-high sixth double-double of the season. She also secured a pair of aces and was busy on the back line converting on 34-of-35 reception attempts.

Gabby Waden hammered home 15 kills, two digs and two blocks. The 2020-21 All-SEC selection has belted 10-plus kills in six of her last nine appearances.

Mississippi State's setting tandem of Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean teamed up for 47 assists and 11 digs. Coulter distributed 25 assists, six digs and two aces, whereas Dean notched 22 assists, five digs and an ace.

Lilly Gunter spearheaded the back row with 15 digs and two aces donning the libero jersey. The 2020-21 All-SEC Freshman pick has amassed 10-plus digs in 10 of her 12 appearances this season.

Mississippi State's middles, Sania Petties and Deja Robinson, registered a combined nine kills and six blocks. Callie Minshew tacked on five kills, five digs and a block, while Francesca McBride provided a spark with three kills on seven errorless swings and a trio of rejections off the bench. Minshew also was a flawless 20-for-20 on her reception attempts.

As a team, Mississippi State went toe-for-toe with Florida in kills, 58-55. The Bulldogs fired in 38 kills on a .300 hitting percentage coupled with a 67.3 percent sideout ratio in sets three, four and five. Both teams also ripped seven aces for the match.

"We served super well, and I think that was a huge piece of our game plan," Dennis said. "We did a nice job with our overall execution. We will definitely take the night to recover and prepare for round two. Lauren and Gabby carried us offensively. If we can get one more arm going tomorrow, I think that will help us have more success. We got after it tonight. For us to go five sets for the first time in program history with such a talented Florida team tells you how much progress we've have made, and what this team is capable of."

After Florida totaled 29 kills and a .436 attack clip to tuck away the first two stanzas, the Bulldogs began their mission on the comeback trail with a Waden kill and a Waden-Robinson block to begin the third set. State stretched it to 6-2 after a Robinson-McBride stuff and a McBride kill off hands.

The Gators drew back to within 15-13, but the Bulldogs steadied the ship behind another McBride kill and a Myrick attack through the UF block to make it 18-14. At 22-16, Mississippi State got the finish line by stringing together a Minshew back row kill, a Coulter ace and a Waden kill down the line.

The Maroon and White kept the momentum on its side in the fourth set. All square at 5-5, Mississippi State made its move with a 9-2 spurt to go up by seven points. The flurry was ignited by a Waden kill followed by back-to-back Gunter aces to bring the score to 8-5. After a UF sideout, Minshew ripped consecutive kills, Petties and McBride added a double stuff and a Coulter ace enabled State to double up the Gators at 12-6. The run was capped by a Petties slide kill to make it 14-7.

Florida would get as close as three points on five occasions, but the Bulldogs answered the bell each time with a sideout spike. State showcased its balance via two Petties kills, a Robinson kill, a Waden kill and a Myrick kill. The latest came at 21-18 on a crosscourt kill courtesy of Myrick. Mississippi State also benefited from a successful challenge which resulted in a Florida hitting miscue. Myrick brought the Bulldogs to set point with a one-on-one kill down the line, and another Gators attacking error gave the State set four by a 25-18 margin.

Florida raced out to a 9-3 advantage to begin the winner-take-all fifth frame. However, the Bulldogs wouldn't go away and began to chip away starting with a Petties-Minshew block. Down 13-8, Waden went crosscourt and Myrick beat a defender with a back row spike to bring State within three.

The Gators used a sideout on a long rally to get to match point. Once again, the Bulldogs wouldn't go quietly as Waden and Myrick pumped home kills to make it 14-12. After a Florida hitting error, the Gators were able to escape on a Sofia Victoria kill through the MSU block attempt for the 15-13 decision.

The Bulldogs and Gators return to the hardwood on Friday at 6 p.m. CT for a nationally televised matchup by SEC Network.

Mississippi State's SEC home opener is a weekend series with LSU on October 1-2. Friday's first serve is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT followed by a 4 p.m. CT tilt for Saturday. Admission is free for all home volleyball matches at the Newell-Grissom Building 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.