Along with the thrilling football game against Alabama, the Mississippi State University volleyball team contributed to the action-packed weekend as the Dogs hosted the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats and the Georgia Bulldogs at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Over 1,000 rowdy fans, the fifth-largest crowd in school history, packed the Newell-Grissom Building on a foggy Friday night to see if the Bulldogs could pull an upset against the nationally-ranked Wildcats. Even though the Bulldogs lost in three sets, head coach Jenny Hazelwood  said she liked the way her team performed against a highly-talented team.
“I was proud of the way we fought when things didn’t necessarily always go our way (Friday),” Hazelwood said. “Kentucky is a very athletic team with talented players, and we were able to cause them several problems all night long.”
Despite the loss, freshman standout Kimmy Gardner led the team with eight kills, while sophomore libero Roxanne McVey posted a season-best 26 digs for a three-set match. McVey was honored as the SEC’s co-defensive player of the week and said in a news release the recognition could not be made without the help of her teammates.
“I’m honored to receive this recognition and to be able to share it with my teammates that helped me earn it,” she said. “Recently the whole team has been putting in extra work trying to finish the season strong.”
The Bulldogs looked to bounce back from the loss to Kentucky on Sunday afternoon when they hosted the Georgia Bulldogs, who were on a hot streak winning four out of their last five matches.
MSU took advantage of early Georgia errors while committing none of their own to secure the first set 25-18. In the second set, however, Georgia outside hitter Tirah Le’au came out with a fire on her side. Le’au posted eight kills to help Georgia tie the sets at one a piece. 
The momentum set by Georgia in the second set carried over into the next two frames, as it handled MSU in two more sets 25-20 and 25-18 to secure the win.
Even though the Bulldogs came away from the weekend winless, Hazelwood said she saw some positive things from her team as the girls battled Georgia.
“We know what it looks like when we execute,” Hazelwood said. “We had a specific game plan, and we took care of that in the first set.”
Gardner led the Bulldogs with 14 kills on the match Sunday, while the sophomore pair of Alex Warren and Taylor Scott added 10 kills each of their own. Scott also recorded 10 digs, giving her a double-double.
With the core of the team being very young, Hazelwood said they have the talent in the making, but need the consistent support.
“When we got in trouble, we struggled to find a way,” Hazelwood said. “We have a group of players that we can go to in a clutch situation, and we know they are dependable, but we need a few more players to step up so that not all the pressure falls onto Kimmy (Gardner) and Taylor Scott.”
The Bulldogs have lost their last eight SEC matches this year, and according to Hazelwood, it’s all up to the players to see how the rest of the season will unfold.
“What we are talking about now is, for each player, what they want out of the rest of this season,” she said. “We know that we have some matches coming up that we can win, but we have to get better every day, and we have to put the work in.”
With the semester coming to an end, Hazelwood said she knows her players have grown weary from school and from traveling, but feels that the future rests with them.
“It all depends on what you put in to get the extra out of it,” she said.
The Bulldogs will hit the road this weekend to face challenging matchups against the No. 7 Missouri Tigers and the No. 22 Arkansas Razorbacks before returning home on Nov. 27 for senior night against Alabama.