Mississippi State (10-12, 1-7 SEC) raced to the 28-point mark against the Tennessee Volunteers (15-6, 4-4 SEC) in three of four games Sunday. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, 30 points are required before wins are rewarded, and on a damp Sunday afternoon, a big win slipped away.
State took control of Game 1, out-hitting UT .375 to .342 for a 30-25 victory. It appeared as the ‘Dawgs were going to ride the wave of momentum and coast through Game 2. MSU grasped a 28-22 lead before UT rolled off eight straight.
“We started playing not to lose and didn’t step up and finish,” said MSU head coach Brenda Bowlin.
The Lady Vols prevailed 30-27 in a tightly contested back-and-forth Game 3. The ‘Dawgs showed tenacity to start Game 4 with an 8-0 lead, and stretched the margin to 18-8. However, UT began chipping away and overcame what seemed an insurmountable gap. All-SEC second team member Janelle Hester posted a match-high 24 kills that fueled the Volunteers.
“We lost focus and let it totally slip away,” said Bowlin. “We seem to have 3-4 points a game that we can’t recover from. It’s Groundhog Day again.”
Several Bulldogs delivered shining performances in the loss. Junior libero Tanika Taylor returned to the lineup, despite a bruised knee from the match at Mississippi, and registered a career high 27-digs to maintain a defense that only recorded three team blocks.
“We were up every game, we just didn’t finish,” said Taylor, whose ailing knee served as a reminder of how hard she played. “It (the loss) is disappointing, because we needed this win to qualify for the tournament.”
Bowlin credited junior setter Jennifer Hadden with doing a “nice job of moving the ball around.” Hadden’s 57-assist performance helped four Bulldog attackers tally double digits in kills.
“I had been struggling and needed to mix things up. I wanted to involve the middle hitters more,” said Hadden, whose deliveries pushed her to fourth on the MSU career assist leader board.
“It’s exciting, but I don’t really focus on the numbers. I just try to play the game, and my passers did a good job,” added Hadden.
Jennifer Rousey boasted a career high in kills with 18, and made just two errors for a stellar .471 hitting percentage. Senior Misty Hubenthal added 14 kills of her own, and freshman Rachel Cooper matched that total, while digging 13. Junior Hilary Chambers rounded out the Bulldog attack with 11 kills.
“Tennessee didn’t play that well, but you have to give them credit for finding a way to win,” said Bowlin. “The past two losses are really disappointing because we felt that we could have beaten both teams.”
“There is no reason we should have lost that one,” echoed Rousey.