Mississippi State University volleyball dominated at the Lippy Invitational and returned to Starkville undefeated.
MSU opened the invitational against Lipscomb University Saturday, and the Bulldogs started off hot by winning all three matches against the Bison. The VolleyDawgs claimed a score of 25-16 in the first set and never slowed in the second set with a score of 25-21. However, the Bulldogs were down 19-17 before head coach Julie Darty Dennis called a timeout.
“I think we came out in set one with the best intensity and energy that I’ve seen in a while. There were a couple of moments where we felt down, and for us, we haven’t faced a lot of moments like that. For us to come back from being down 19-17, when I called that time out I thought it was really good to see how they came out and responded to that challenge. They handled it with such composure and confidence,” Dennis said.
MSU carried that composure and confidence into the next two matches on Sunday against Oklahoma University and Ball State University. The Bulldogs battled against Oklahoma for a 3-2 comeback and sealed their second win in the tournament, along with their second win against Oklahoma in program history.
Coach Dennis spoke about the team battling adversity and accomplishing the comeback win against Oklahoma.
“I’m so proud of the team for handling pressure and responding as they did. We are really starting to figure out some stuff, and that’s exciting for me to see. Our depth continues to be our strength, and we are playing with a lot of composure, belief and trust right now,” Dennis said.
Coming off the high of two huge wins to begin the Lippy Invitational, the Bulldogs continued their domination against Ball State later that afternoon. With a score of 30-28 in the first set, MSU’s determination never wavered in the second set with a score of 25-16. The Bulldogs won the final match with a 25-18 in the last set.
MSU returns home to host the Maroon and White Invitational where they will face off against Kennesaw State, Houston and South Alabama. The first game of the invitational against Kennesaw State is set for Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.
