Lose opener to Razorbacks
It has been a year of adjustments for everyone due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mississippi State’s volleyball team has been thrown right in the middle of that mix in 2020.
The Bulldogs opened the season on Saturday and were greeted immediately by a fiveset encounter courtesy of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Down 2-1 after three sets, MSU forced a fifth set, but ended up losing 15-11 and dropped a 3-2 match to Arkansas at the Newell-grissom Building.
It wasn’t the result the Bulldogs wanted, but head coach Julie Darty-dennis was happy with the fight out of her team.
“Opening the season with a five-set, all-out battle sets the tone for us this year,” Darty-dennis said. “Anything is possible. We are just going to have to fight and compete each match.
“They were all in and battled really hard. I think that’s a sign of growth and there were a lot of bright spots.”
MSU came out hot with a 25-18 first-set win, but the Razorbacks came back took the second set 25-15 and edged the Bulldogs 25-23 in the third set.
“After the second set, they started figuring us out,” MSU’S Gabby Waden said. “Just as they made adjustments with us, we had to make it with them.
“Our team has a really strong mindset and that’s what clicked in our head. We’ve just got to push.”
That’s exactly what happened for the Bulldogs in the fourth set as they jumped out to a 16-9 lead and went on to capture a 25-23 decision. Jessica Kemp and Francesca Mcbride had a key block in the run for the Bulldogs.
MSU had the momentum going into the fifth set, but Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead and took the wind out of the Bulldogs’ sails. Even though State kept it close, the Razorbacks never gave up the advantage and claimed the set 15-11.
Waden had 16 kills to lead the Bulldogs and Lauren Myrick added 13. Lilly Gunter had 17 digs and Margaret Dean contributed 16 digs.
“The girls competed super hard,” Darty-dennis said. “I felt like they never ever gave up. They were on a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but we got them back in the mindset of anything is possible.”
MSU and Arkansas will have a rematch in Starkville today at noon.