Mississippi State University volleyball opened Southeastern Conference play in Newell-Grissom last Wednesday defeating the University of Georgia in four sets.
The Volleydawgs started hot out of the gate in the first set of the match-up with 19 total kills in their 25-14 win against Georgia. Lauren Myrick had seven kills in the set alone. 
However, Georgia came out with revenge in the second match. UGA led MSU almost the entire match, but MSU tied the game up halfway through, yet couldn’t get over the hump at the end. UGA won the second set 25-20. 
MSU volleyball head coach Julie Darty Dennis said her team wanted to set the tone and figure out their identity in the SEC home opener.
“Today’s theme was figuring out who we are in our identity and setting the tone in our home court,” Dennis said. 
MSU set the tone in the third set with the first point and led UGA for the entirety of the set. MSU went point after point in the third set for a final of 25-15, making the series 2-1 in MSU’s favor. 
Starting the fourth set, both teams kept within two points of each other, and UGA saw their opportunity for a comeback with a score of 12-13 at the halfway point. Coach Dennis called for a timeout to give the team a chance to catch their breath. 
After the game, coach Dennis spoke to the media about the reasoning and message behind the timeout.
“They needed a chance to remember, ‘This is our time to close it out,'” Dennis said. “We did not want to go five sets. We want to close it in four at home so we can focus on our next opponent.” 
MSU returned from the time out with a fire lit underneath them, going on a 12-3 scoring run. MSU ended their fourth and final set at 25-15 over UGA and secured a win to open SEC play. 
MSU’s Myrick led the match with 15 kills total, trailed by Shania Cromartie with 13 and Gabby Walden with 11. Deja Robinson led the team with five blocks and Gabby Coulter had 44 assists total in the match.
Coach Dennis gave her thoughts on the Volleydawgs’ performance in the team’s SEC opener.
“It was a great opportunity to start SEC play,” Dennis said. “I was really proud about our first contact. They were loose, they were confident, and they were having fun.”
MSU volleyball’s record now sits at 8-3 (1-0) after the win against UGA. Mississippi State will face the Auburn University Tigers Wednesday, followed by a home series against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. Game one against the Hogs is set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in Starkville and game two is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday.