Mississippi State senior setter Eva Kriegel led a dominant charge against the Lady Razorbacks of Arkansas Friday, giving MSU its first conference win of the season.The Bulldogs (6-7, 1-3) defeated Arkansas (6-7, 0-3) for only the second time in the rivalry’s history, which was also the second consecutive win.
MSU shut out UA by a score of 3-0, fresh off a 3-0 loss to Alabama on Wednesday. Although State won the contest in sets of 30-25, 33-31 and 32-30, it was a closely contested match throughout.
Kriegel had one of her best outings on the season yet. The Hungary native mounted her third triple-double of the season, which is the most in the SEC. It was her eleventh on her career.Kriegel finished the match with 10 kills, 40 assists and 11 digs on the contest. She hit error-free at .588.
“I’m proud of the way we came together as a team and fought from start to finish,” fourth-year MSU head coach Tina Seals said. “We had excellent balance tonight with so many different players stepping up and contributing. Eva got our offense going, but maybe the biggest key for us tonight was getting [middle blocker] Erin Seago back in the lineup. She had seven of her 10 kills when things were on the line in game three. It was great to have her back on the court.”
Junior outside hitter Cristina Jucan also contributed to the Bulldog victory with a match-leading 16 kills and a career-best 19 digs, earning her sixth double-double of the season. Senior opposite hitter Jamie Joyner pitched in with 14 kills.
MSU dominated in the first set of the match, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The Dawgs never trailed en route to a 30-25 win.
Twenty-three ties characterized game two of the match, as each team had two game-point serves in the set. Jamie Joyner delivered eight kills in the second set, leading the Bulldogs to a thrilling 33-31 victory.
Arkansas played its best volleyball in the deciding third game, hitting at a .410 percentage. The Lady Hogs held a 27-25 advantage late in the game, threatening to send the match into a fourth game. However, Lauren Kowal mounted her four kills in the final game, including the 32-30 game-winner.
“This was a good win for our fans,” Seals said. “They have been very supportive of us as we have battled through some injuries. It was also a good win for our team’s confidence. Hopefully we can build on it as we move deeper into our conference schedule.”
The win was Seals’ 20th against the SEC, tying the school mark with Brenda Bowlin, who set the record in 2003.