Intimidation was not a factor Sunday afternoon for the Mississippi State volleyball team, as the Dawgs topped the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks 3-1.Though Arkansas defeated SEC-leading Florida earlier in the season, a result no one saw coming, MSU held true to form and proved that consistency overcomes.
The victory was fourth-year MSU head coach Tina Seals’ 500th of her career.
The Bulldogs (10-13, 5-9 SEC) defeated the Lady Razorbacks (10-14, 4-10 SEC) in scores of 30-21, 23-30, 37-35 and 30-27 before a crowd of 660 at Barnhill Arena.
“This was an exciting match from start to finish,” Seals said. “We got some outstanding play from our seniors, particularly in the third game when the match was on the line. Mississippi State had not won up here before, and that’s something our players, especially our seniors, talked about this week in practice.”
The victory was the third straight for MSU in the series over Arkansas, the first in Fayetteville. With the win, the Dawgs swept the Lady ‘Backs this season for the first time in the teams’ rivalry.Not only was the victory the third straight in the series, it was also the third overall. Arkansas has dominated the series over time with a 26-3 advantage over the Dawgs.
Senior opposite hitter Jamie Joyner paced MSU’s offense with 17 kills, while four other Bulldogs also finished with double-digit kills: Cristina Jucan and Ioana Demian with 12 each, Lauren Kowal with 11 and Erin Seago with 10.
Senior setter Eva Kriegel mounted a double-double on the contest, setting up 50 assists and 11 digs.
State dominated the opening set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead then later leading 18-7. Arkansas mounted several surges in the opening game, but State held true and got the 30-21 win.
Coming off a 16-16 tie in game two, Arkansas charged late in the set to overcome the Bulldogs to tie the match at 1-1 with a 30-23 victory.
The third game was the most intense of the match, as it featured 18 tie scores and 8 lead changes.
MSU’s back was against the wall seven times in the third set, as the Bulldogs handled seven Arkansas serves at game point.
MSU bounced back from being down 35-34 late in the set, and a game-winning kill by senior middle blocker Seago sealed the win-by-two-rule victory.
Seago struck again in the deciding game three, as her kill at the 23-23 tie gave the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish until the end of the match.
The win was MSU’s first on the road in an SEC contest in more than a year.