In just about any sport, competing in the Southeastern Conference is tough. That’s why most SEC teams, when competing on the non-conference level, use that time to tweak their rosters and game plans before conference play approaches.That’s exactly what the MSU volleyball Bulldogs plan to do this weekend.
The Bulldogs (2-1) will take a trip to Waco, Texas to match serves and kills with three very tough non-conference opponents Friday through Sunday.
“I think it’s very important this weekend because we’re playing against good competition, that our goals are performance-oriented rather than result-oriented,” said MSU assistant coach Chris Cothran. “We can play really well and still not come out on top this weekend, but that’s okay. We’ve made some adjustments during practice this week, and seeing how they will pan out is the most important thing this weekend.”
Cothran said the coaching staff was able to point out flaws in MSU’s game plan against Clemson on Sunday and have targeted those areas of the game to work on.
“There was definitely a conditioning issue against Clemson due to our players not being able to fully practice due to injury,” Cothran said. “Our defense was as good as it could be, but I think we fell in our servicing area. Our offense depends on how we serve, and when we messed up our whole playing style was affected. When they started to block us, our defense started to mess up, too.
“We’re getting our injured players back into the swing of things, but we’re not completely there yet.”
Today Mississippi State opens play against Oregon (3-0) at 4 p.m. The Ducks are the only team heading into the Baylor Invitational with an undefeated record.
The Dawgs continue tournament play Saturday at 1 p.m. with a match against the hosting Baylor Bears (2-1).
The Bears, like the Bulldogs, won their first two matches of the season before dropping their third.
MSU will close out its run in the tournament with a 5 p.m. Saturday match against Stephen F. Austin (1-2).
The Ladyjacks went 1-2 in the Creighton Tournament last weekend, but their record should not be taken lately. SFA finished the 2006 campaign with a stellar 31-4 record.
Mississippi State looked strong in its first two matches of the MSU/Microtel Classic, upending Murray State and UALR by scores of 3-0 and 3-1, respectively.
The Dawgs then suffered their first loss, a rather embarrassing one, in the hands of the Clemson Tigers 3-1.
MSU scored 12 and 14 points in each of the final two games in the Clemson match, which proved to be pitiful outings.
“We would just like our fans to forgive us for Sunday,” said Cothran. “We were disappointed in our performance, and we have vowed to fix some things. We want to have a crowd as big as we had Sunday or bigger every time we play at home.