Mississippi State’s bid for a school-first 2-0 start in the SEC competition fell short in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Sunday as the Crimson Tide (7-2, 2-0) registered a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs (5-4, 1-1) at the Coleman Auxiliary Volleyball Extension. The loss gave MSU a split on opening weekend of league competition after State’s Friday night blanking of Auburn. “It was good to get a win in our first SEC competition, but we had too many breakdowns on offense to make it a clean sweep this weekend,” coach Brenda Bowlin said. “Alabama came out a little flat in the opening game. But they have a very disciplined team and went on some crucial scoring runs that we had difficulty stopping. We’ve got to work harder to get our offense moving for us.”
State built up a 10-point lead at 13-3 in the opening game and went on to register a 30-22 win. The Tide, held to -.054 hitting in the opening frame, hit its stride in game two, hitting at a crisp .400 clip and evening the match with a solid 30-14 win.
Jennifer Bibber delivered seven of her 14 kills in the third game as Alabama outscored State 9-2 down the stretch for a 30-23 win.
The Bulldogs battled back in the fourth game, with Misty Hubenthal delivering a kill that gave MSU a 13-11 lead. Alabama then reeled off eight consecutive points to take a 19-13 lead and cruised home to a match-clinching 30-24 win.
Hubenthal paced State with 10 kills while Katy Barnett and Tanika Taylor shared team defensive honors with 10 digs each. Taylor and Jennifer Rousey paced State at the net with four block assists each.
Erin Heffner totaled 15 kills, seven in the final game, to lead Alabama. Bibber added 14 kills and Shelly Adamcik 11 while Keena Milner’s match-high 17 digs helped Alabama claim a 59-46 edge on defense.
The Bulldogs return to action at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville this weekend, playing host to SEC East power South Carolina Friday at 7 p.m. and non-conference foe Jacksonville (Ala.) State Saturday at 4 p.m.