After its 3-0 upset victory over South Carolina last weekend, Mississippi State volleyball received some well-earned respect on a national level. Reputable volleyball Web site www.RichKern.com ranked the Bulldogs 77th in the nation, up from 267th when the season began.
This jump can also be attributed to the program’s non-conference success so far this season, notching wins over the likes of Air Force and Louisiana Tech.
MSU is one of many SEC programs to see marked success in its non-conference schedule this season. According to Arkansas head volleyball coach Chris Poole, the SEC is currently third in the nation in non-conference RPI with a .733 winning percentage, behind only the Big Ten and the Big Twelve.
“I believe that we have five or six teams with a legitimate chance of making the NCAA Tournament and this non-conference winning percentage will definitely help those teams’ chances,” Poole said.
As MSU fights to become of those five or six teams, the coaching staff is preaching a team-first attitude and a group of players who are buying into it.
Junior outside hitter Orshi Kriegel, an international student who recently transferred from Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, says that the chemistry is the secret to the team’s success.
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Volleyball moves up ranking chart
R. J. Morgan
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September 30, 2004
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