Volleyball Improves to 5-1, Sweeps ULM

Saturday, September 4

Houston, Texas

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

ULM

VB - Lily Gunter - at Houston - 09/3/2021

Photo by: Maria Lysaker

Volleyball Improves to 5-1, Sweeps ULM

September 04, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

HOUSTON, Texas – Mississippi State's volleyball team collected its fourth sweep of the season and secured another winning weekend as the Bulldogs eased past Louisiana-Monroe [25-16, 25-17, 25-19] during Saturday's action at the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup on the University of Houston campus.

The Bulldogs (5-1) returned to their winning formula, headed by 44 kills and a .284 hitting percentage. The Maroon and White also produced a 69.8 sideout percentage, ignited by a 12-for-16 clip in set one.

State's setters, Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean, passed out a combined 30 assists and 16 digs. Coulter made it consecutive double-doubles with 18 assists, 12 digs and two aces to wrap up the weekend. The Bulldogs cranked 15 kills on 28 swings with one error for a .500 attack ratio in set two.

"We had a talk between the first and second sets, and we were able figure a few things out," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "Again, there was a great response [like last night against Houston]. I thought we turned it up the notch. We were passing the ball pretty well and siding out a high percentage. Our hitters were struggling a little bit to it get pass the block. Once we figured out how to move it around the block, things were a little bit better. We were able to hit some edge. The first set did set the tone and established that we're here, that we're back to being ourselves and that we're in it to win it."

Lauren Myrick, Gabby Waden and Sania Petties shouldered the offensive load and provided 29 of MSU's 44 kills for the match.

Myrick hammered a match-leading 11 kills to go along with six digs and a block. She has pumped home 10-plus kills in five of State's six matches and tabulated another perfect passer rating going 18-for-18 on her reception attempts.

Waden notched 10 kills on a .444 hitting percentage and added two blocks. She has ripped double-digit kills in three of her last four outings.

Petties flew through the middle for eight kills on an efficient 10 swigs with just one error for a blistering .700 hitting percentage. She also notched two aces and an all-tournament team selection for the weekend playing in her hometown.

"Sania is unbelievable and makes a lot of plays look extremely easy for her," Dennis said. "She has probably one of the highest volleyball IQ's on our team and does it all for us. As a staff, we joke about the fact that she's this unicorn and how special she is. Sania is just getting started. She's getting better with every set and every match she plays at this level. An awesome experience for her being able to make the all-tournament team and play in front of all her family and friends and get that recognition that she deserves. She is unbelievable for us, and she takes us to a different level."

Defensively, Lilly Gunter was all over the court and tracked down 15 digs coupled with five assists and an ace. State's defense kept the Warhawks in-check with 26 kills and a .156 attacking mark.

Shania Cromartie came away with four kills and also picked up an all-tournament team nod for her performance on the weekend.

Burgundy Walters made her season debut and contributed three kills during the third set. Callie Minshew chipped in two kills, five digs and blocks, whereas Rebecca Walk tacked on two kills and a block of her own. Yuliana Amador registered her first career dig for the Bulldogs.

Burgundy Walters made her season debut and contributed three kills during the third set. Callie Minshew chipped in two kills, five digs and blocks, whereas Rebecca Walk tacked on two kills and a block of her own. Yuliana Amador registered her first career dig for the Bulldogs.

"Opportunity is a great thing," Dennis said. "It was fun to get people time out there. We wanted to make sure people were comfortable and confident. The rest of the team is comfortable and confident when someone comes off the bench. I think it was really about the team today and making sure that everybody understands that everybody adds value. It's going to take every single person in this program to win matches. I felt that our team kept it together. It was fun to watch them learn and grow together."

The Bulldogs found their groove in set one behind a 13-2 flurry, which turned an early 7-3 deficit into a 16-10 advantage. Myrick popped four kills from the pin and paired with Deja Robinson for a block to fuel the run. State's defense held ULM to six kills and a .062 hitting percentage en route to the 25-16 win.

The Bulldogs made their move midway during the second set. All knotted up at 11-11, Mississippi State turned to Petties. She slapped a trio of kills and ace as the Bulldogs scored nine of the next 12 points to surge ahead 20-14. The Bulldogs ended up salting away the two-set advantage by a 25-17 margin.

After three ties and two quick lead changes, State raced ahead 10-5 to begin the third stanza. Waden and Minshew smacked two kills apiece, coupled with a Gunter ace. ULM would get as close as 18-17, but Walters went crosscourt through the middle followed by a Myrick kill which was overturned on replay to stretch the spread back to 20-17. A Robinson-Waden block and a Robinson kill brought the Maroon and White to the finishing line, 25-19.

Mississippi State continues its two-weekend road swing with matches against Indiana (Thursday – 10 a.m. CT), host No. 16 Georgia Tech (Thursday – 6 p.m. CT) and Oklahoma (Friday – 4 p.m. CT) in Atlanta.

"Coming out of Houston 2-1 and going home feels good," Dennis said. "We have two days of practice before we head to Georgia Tech on Wednesday. That's going to be another tough weekend of competition. That's what we signed up for, that's what we want and that's what it was last night against Houston. I think we learned a lot about ourselves last night. We talked this morning about continuing to write our story, being able to prepare and be present for each opponent. I thought they were present today for ULM. I think we are going to get some good work next week. Then, we will be present for Indiana, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma."

The Bulldogs return home to the friendly confines of the Newell-Grissom Building to put the finishing touches on their non-conference slate with Syracuse (6 p.m. CT – 09/17), South Alabama (6 p.m. CT – 09/18) and Jackson State (3:30 p.m. CT on 09/19) at the Hail State Invitational.

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.

Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup All-Tournament Team
Cali Assaley (Louisiana-Monroe)
Shania Cromartie (Mississippi State)
Kortlyn Henderson (Houston)
Abbie Jackson (Houston)
Macee Krpec (McNeese State)
Sania Petties (Mississippi State)
Isabel Theut (Houston)