After splitting its first two SEC games, the Mississippi State volleyball team was unable to put anything together in a pair of conference road games, losing matches to Arkansas and LSU this past weekend.
The losses mark the first time the Bulldogs have lost back-to-back games in nearly a month, when they lost to the University of the Pacific and Duquesne in the Community Bankers Classic in Stockton, Cali.
Mississippi State began their conference road play Friday night against the University of Arkansas. The Razorbacks held the Dogs to a .097 attack percentage and forced MSU to commit 17 attack errors. Arkansas raced out to an early lead, beating State 25-14 and 25-16 in the first two sets. For a while, it looked like the Dogs were climbing their way back into the contest and, at one point, led the third set 15-10. They were not able to maintain their lead, however, and Arkansas completed the sweep 25-19.
Head coach Jenny Hazelwood said she was disappointed in her team’s effort against the Razorbacks.
“We were sluggish and didn’t execute the game plan we had put together for a very athletic Arkansas team,” she said after the game.
Senior outside hitter Caitlin Rance led MSU with nine kills and eight digs, while freshman middle blocker Lainey Wyman added seven kills.
The Bulldogs looked to salvage a split of the first half of their four-game road trip, traveling to Baton Rouge to play LSU on Sunday. They were unable to do so, though, losing again in straight sets 26-24, 25-18, 25-17. LSU was able to hold State to a season-low .069 attack percentage, whereas the Tigers finished with a .246 percentage. After the game, Hazelwood was quick to praise LSU for their defensive effort.
“We had a pretty good game plan, with our blocking assignments and things that we were going to do,” she said. “We were able to be effective early on, but they just played great defense. In the end, we had a hard time finding a way to put balls away.”
Seniors Caitlin Rance and Hannah Wilkinson led Mississippi State with five kills apiece. Defensively, the Dogs were lead by sophomore setter Paris Perret and freshman defensive specialist Bentley Witte, who tallied nine digs each. Freshman Lainey Wyman had a game-high seven blocks.
Wyman has been a bright spot for the MSU volleyball team and was recently named SEC Freshman of the Week. Wyman leads the SEC with 48 blocks and ranks second in the league with a 1.14 block per set average. She also leads all SEC freshmen in kills, piling up 119 in 13 games. The games against Arkansas and LSU mark the first time she has played on the road against SEC competition.
“I think in general, we struggled,” Wyman said. “But I think we learned what we need to work on to improve for the rest of the season.”
The pair of losses drops MSU back under the .500 mark with a 6-7 overall record. With a 1-3 record in conference play, the Dogs will look to rebound in the final half of their road trip, which begins as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday.
To prepare for the Tide, Hazelwood said the Dogs must ready themselves for the versatility of Alabama’s offensive attack.
“They are a lot different than any other team we’ve played,” Hazelwood said. “They are probably not as tall and physical, but they’ve got some girls that can really crush the ball.”
Senior outside hitter Caitlin Rance, a captain on the team, added that continuous improvement is a necessity for MSU.
“I know we have to reach our level of play, and that starts in practice,” Rance said. “I’m just going to focus on trying to get everyone ready in practice and prepared for this next weekend.”
After their match against Alabama this Friday, the Bulldogs will travel to Oxford to take on Ole Miss on Sunday. The game will be televised on ESPNU. With their match against the in-state opponent nearing, Hazelwood noted the importance of the rivalry.
“That’s always circled on the calendar. We always know when we play them, it means a little bit more to our university,” Hazelwood said. “We’ve got to take care of Alabama on Friday, but when Sunday rolls around, I hope we have that extra ‘umph’ in every move, just because it’s our biggest rival, and it’s on ESPNU. It’s a nationally televised game, and that’s the kind of match you get most pumped up for.”