The Mississippi State University volleyball team dropped a five-set battle against the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, Wednesday. 
South Carolina set the pace of Wednesday night’s match by taking the first two sets at 25-21 and 25-18.  By the third set, the Bulldogs shifted the momentum and stormed back to take the next two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-16. However, the battle back was not enough, as the Gamecocks took the fifth set by a score of 15-12 to hand the Volleydawgs their fifth conference loss of 2022.
Graduate senior Gabby Waden led the Bulldogs with 17 kills and an additional two digs and one block. Junior Rebecca Walk and redshirt senior Deja Robinson offered five kills each, while junior Shania Cromartie registered eight kills, seven digs, one assist and an ace. Freshman Sophie Agee recorded six kills, setting a season-high, while adding one dig and block.
The Bulldogs dropped a tough battle against the Gamecocks and will need to find some big wins down the stretch if they want a chance to reach the postseason. However, the Bulldogs do rank high in some statistical conference categories. MSU ranks fourth in the SEC in total kills (906) and third in the conference in assists (850).
In Wednesday’s loss against the Gamecocks, junior Lilly Gunter reached 1,000 career-digs against South Carolina. Gunter currently ranks eighth in the SEC in digs with 67 total this season.
The Bulldogs currently sit in ninth place in the Southeastern Conference with an 11-8 (4-5) record and are on a three-game losing streak after dropping the series to the University of Florida and South Carolina. 
MSU volleyball will look to bounce back against their next opponent, in-state rival the University of Mississippi. The Volleydawgs currently have a three-game winning streak over the Ole Miss Rebels after winning last year’s match in Oxford by a set-score of 3-2. MSU will face off against Ole Miss in the volleyball Egg Bowl Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. in Starkville, and the match will air on ESPNU.