With the weekend the Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs had last weekend, one would think the team would be hanging its head in disappointment. MSU (6-10, 1-4 SEC) lost to South Carolina and Florida at the Newell-Grissom Building Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both teams handled the Bulldogs in straight sets.
The Gamecocks of South Carolina (13-2, 5-1 SEC), who sported a No. 35 national ranking heading into Friday’s contest, bested the Bulldogs in scores of 25-19, 25-13, and 25-23.
South Carolina handled the Bulldogs fairly easily, leading key stat categories like kills (42-34), digs (49-38) and total team blocks (7.0 to 2.0).
The first two sets featured convincing Gamecock performances, with MSU not providing much challenge.
The Bulldogs looked much better in the third set of the contest, gaining an 11-10 lead with back-to-back service aces by junior setter Dorey Gray. USC then clinched the set and the match with a clutch kill after MSU had kept the set close throughout its entirety.
“We played well at times and played with good effort tonight, but we didn’t have any answers for those two talented players,” fifth-year MSU head coach Tina Seals told MSU media relations. “I was proud of the way we competed to the end and made a nice run in the third set.”
Junior outside hitter Ioana Demian, of Baia Mare, Romania, continued to lead the offense in the absence of lone senior Cristina Jucan. Demian finished the match with 10 kills.
MSU also got seven kills each from freshmen Mandy Mellencamp and Faith Steinwedell, the only two freshmen who have started in every contest so far this season.
Gray also had a solid night, posting her fourth double-double of the season with 22 assists and a match-high 15 digs.
Things didn’t get easier for the Bulldogs Sunday. With limited time to prepare, the Bulldogs went from hosting the No. 35 team in the country to the No. 10 team. The Florida Gators (12-1, 6-0 SEC) downed the Bulldogs by scores of 25-15, 25-22, and 25-11.
Once again, MSU didn’t look solid on the court except in one set. This time, it was the second set.
After losing the first set by 10, the Bulldogs fought hard to tie the score with the Gators 19-19 with a kill by Demian, who posted four kills in the set. MSU even pulled out to a 20-19 lead, but the Gators would capitalize on a couple of Bulldog hitting errors to take the 25-22 win at the break.
Florida used that momentum and easily discarded State in the third set to take the match and the victory back home to Gainesville.
Though the Bulldogs lost to the Gators in straight sets, Seals said she wasn’t too disappointed in her team’s performance.
“I continue to see improvement each time we play, even against a very talented and well-coached team like Florida,” Seals told MSU media relations. “It’s encouraging to see our kids continue to compete hard and get better. And they are adapting to playing without one of our better players [Jucan].”
Demian once again led the Maroon and White offense with nine kills.
Steinwedell and sophomore middle blocker Ashley Newsome contributed six kills apiece.
Slowly but surely, MSU’s offensive woes are diminishing, at least in Seals’ eyes.
“South Carolina and Florida are both very strong this year,” Seals said. “I feel like we improved dramatically over the weekend. That’s been our goal from day one.”
Seals also added she was pleased the team’s hitting percentage increased. MSU also out-blocked the Gators at the net Sunday 9.0 to 2.0.
With a team full of freshmen and no active seniors on the roster, MSU’s main goal this season has been to improve from where it started. The Bulldogs knew they wouldn’t win every match, but as long as they learn from each contest, they treat every trial as a success.
“Even though we didn’t win, we got better with each set,” Gray said. “We can tell we’re starting to gel out on the court. We’re working with a new lineup, which is working out for us.”
“We’ve got what we need out there, we just have to take that extra step to come out on top,” Gray said.
Tonight’s and Sunday’s matches take MSU on the road against two more conference foes, though the two teams the Bulldogs will see will have closer records to them than South Carolina and Florida.
The Bulldogs will take on the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (4-11, 1-4 SEC) Sunday in Fayetteville. They’ll look at the game plan for the Lady Hogs tomorrow.
Tonight, the Bulldogs are focused solely on in-state rival Mississippi (7-7, 3-2 SEC), which has only defeated MSU once in the five-year Seals era.
Seals said keeping a solid record against in-state opponents, especially Ole Miss, has always been a subconscious goal of MSU, even in other sports besides volleyball.
“I really haven’t seen a time when we didn’t step up against Ole Miss,” Seals said. “We lost to them last year in what was a bad situation for us, but our players always step their game up for Ole Miss.”
Seals added that Ole Miss has had the rudest and most obnoxious fans in the SEC in her experience. However, she said that it usually doesn’t bother them; if anything, it provides some extra motivation.
Freshman hitter Mandy Mellencamp, from Prescott, Ariz., wasn’t educated on the Bulldog-Rebel rivalry before she arrived in Starkville. However, she admits now that she has a sense of what it means to Bulldog fans.
“I didn’t know much about it before, but I know it’s intense,” Mellencamp said. “The fans are going to be pretty crazy. We’re just pumped and want to beat them.”