MSU earns first set win, then sweeps Georgia
There is no denying the impact a hard-earned first set win can have in volleyball.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs took a tough 2826 victory in the first set and carried that momentum into the rest of the match to sweep the visiting Georgia Bulldogs 3-0 at the Newell-grissom Building on Thursday.
MSU head coach Julie Darty Dennis said the importance of winning the first set was huge.
“I think that kind of set the tone,” Darty Dennis said. “It was a pivotal first set where the team that won that first set was going to take a lot of momentum into set two, so for us to really grind it out and just come out with that first set win allowed us to take a big deep sigh of relief and say, ‘Ok. We can take some of that momentum into set two,’ and that’s really what it felt like.”
State jumped out to a 13-4 lead in the second set and went on to capture a 25-17 win.
An ace by Callie Minshew gave the home standing Bulldogs a 3-1 advantage in the third set and even though Georgia was able to come back and tie the set at 20-20, MSU won five of the six points to clinch the match with a 2521 victory.
“What an impressive outing for the Dawgs,” Darty Dennis said. “It was an all-out battle in that first set, and I’m super proud of the girls for being so composed and confident and executing our game plan. I’m just so proud of the middles for coming alive. I think offensively and defensively, they were stepping up and getting the job done.”
Callie Minshew led State with 10 kills, while Gabby Waden was a close second with nine. It was the same with digs as Lauren Myrick had 10 to pace State, but Lilly Gunter was right behind with nine digs.
Deja Robinson had seven blocks and there were 10 total team blocks for
The Mississippi State Bulldogs huddle during Thursday’s match against Georgia. (Photo by MSU Athletics, for
Mississippi State.
“Blocking was great,” Darty Dennis said. “Deja had quite a nice day. She was working super hard. Gabby and (Francesca Mcbride)
set up really good block lineups against Georgia’s outsides who are so dominant. We had to be very dialed in and be prepared for them to take aggressive
swings. We were getting really positive block touches and were able to convert those into transition.”
MSU improved
its record
to 5-14 and play Georgia again today in the final match of the season. The first serve is set for 1 p.m. at the Newell Grissom Building.