V-Ball Bulldogs Go 5-0 In Florida Spring Competition
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's volleyball Bulldogs blended work and play during a highly successful spring break trip to Florida.
MSU reeled off wins in all five matches played during the span, knocking off the University of North Florida in a five-game thriller (30-27, 25-30, 25-30, 30-21, 15-7) in Jacksonville before venturing on to the Rollins College Tournament in Orlando. The Bulldogs blanked all four opponents in the Rollins College Tournament, besting Flagler College (30-12, 30-17), host Rollins College (30-15, 30-22), NOVA Southeastern (30-19, 30-20) and Florida Southern (30-19, 30-22).
"We are very excited about the progress our players are making during our spring training," said head coach Tina Seals. "Our team dynamic is re-shaping due to the departure of central elements of last year's team. Orshi Kriegel, our only senior, has definitely been more vocal and aggressive this spring, and our junior class, the core of our team in the coming season, is improving as a group and as individuals."
"This was a great learning experience for our players," continued Seals. "We have players learning new roles on the team and learning a new tempo that we're incorporating in our spring practices. It showed in the competition as we played with a great deal of confidence. Crista Jucan was unstoppable on the outside and Jamie Joyner gave us some exceptional play as well. Eva Kriegel did an excellent job of running our offense and we got solid play from our middles Erin Seago, Nicole Palazzo and Lauren Kowal. Megan Lukasek is our only returning libero, and she has shown steady progress on defense and in serve receive."
While in Florida the Bulldogs did get an opportunity to take a break from their five-match schedule, spending two days at Walt Disney World. "It was a great way to relax and bond as a team," said Seals.
Mississippi State continues its spring volleyball schedule with competition in the Middle Tennessee State tournament April 1 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the University of Mississippi Tournament Apr. 22.