The Mississippi State University women’s basketball team started the season off positively over the weekend, gaining two victories in the first two rounds of the Preseason WNIT Tournament. The team was able to outscore its two opponents, Mercer and Arkansas State, by a combined total of 41 points, which was enough to clinch its spot in the semifinals. It will play the winner of the West Virginia and Seton Hall match up Thursday, and the location is still to be determined.  
There were certainly a number of break out performers for the Bulldogs this weekend, who, because of injuries to key seniors on the squad, have been forced to start some younger players. One of these young players, Victoria Vivians, showed Bulldog fans she is ready to start contributing heavily on a game-to-game basis. Highly touted coming out of high school, Vivians finished the weekend with a total of 36 points, six rebounds and three assists. Along with this, she logged a hefty 44 minutes for the Bulldogs. Her game-high 23 points on Friday broke the record for most points scored by a Bulldog in their debut, which was previously held by Jennifer Fambrough with 21 points.
Vivians was candid about her performance over the weekend, but cited the fact  she is very confident in her ability to go out and perform at the highest level possible. 
“I mean anything is possible I guess. I’ll put it like this: anything I put my mind to I can do,” she said. “I came out a little shaky at first, but I just had to get into the game.”
The performance against Mercer saw the Bulldogs battle through the first half before exploding out of the gates in the second half with a 19-5 run to eventually run away with the contest. Ketara Chapel finished the game with a career-high 14 points and helped provide some experience for the younger squad. As a team, the Bulldogs ended up shooting roughly 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from the three-point line to help them barrel their way to a final score of 92-60.
Head Coach Vic Schaefer lauded his team’s ability to go hard to the rim and efficiency from the free throw line. 
“We were able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim,” Schaefer said. “We led the nation in free throw percentage a year ago, and that is what we want to do this season. We want to attack. We really came out and executed. Scoring 56 points in a half of women’s college basketball is hard to do.”
The win earned them the right to play two days later against Arkansas State, who had just beaten Jackson State. With a late Sunday start time and playing on short rest, the Bulldogs were still able to overcome the Red Wolves with the scoreboard reading 93-83 at the end of the game.  
Morgan William has been just as good as Vivians.  The quick freshman guard had two highly effective games over the weekend, scoring 48 points, gaining 10 assists and adding five rebounds to the two Bulldog wins. She proved to be the difference for the Bulldogs on Sunday, as she was able to come off the bench and ignite the team after a very slow start. Scoring 29 points, assisting on six shots and grabbing two rebounds Sunday, William has begun to show Schaefer just how valuable she can be to the team’s success this season. Her ability to get to the rim and, most importantly, finish, plays right into what Schaefer wants his teams to be able to do.     
“We are playing with some confidence right now,” William said. “We have a lot to work on, but we are excited about how we have played the first two games.”
Schaefer described Sunday’s game as sloppy, but at the same time, he was happy to see his team fight its way to a hard fought victory. 
“It was a heck of a basketball game,” he said. “I am really proud of our kids. It was not pretty. We made some decisions that were not smart, but we found a way to win. The kids played their hearts out. We made plays on both ends of the floor.”
Another player who stood out for the Bulldogs against Arkansas State was sophomore guard Dominique Dillingham. Her 12 points, two assists and four rebounds were nice, but her work defensively is what set her apart. She hustled after loose balls all night and played lock down defense on Arkansas State’s best player, Aundrea Gamble.  Her performance caught the eye of her head coach, who wasn’t shy in giving her some much garnered praise. 
“Dominique is everything we want in a player,” Schaefer said. “She was 4-of-8 from the field, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the foul line, all while guarding the other team’s best player.”
The Bulldogs have started the season off strongly and will look to keep the momentum going through the rest of the Preseason WNIT Tournament, as there does exist some potentially tough match ups in their future.