Forgetting what has past and straining toward what lies ahead. This is a great theory for all athletic teams to grasp hold of and apply to seasons in which have not gone perfectly.
The Mississippi State volleyball Bulldogs clung to that clichܬ Wednesday night, as they were able to complete their series sweep against Ole Miss and stay undefeated against other Mississippi teams under head coach Tina Seals.
The Dawgs defeated the Rebels in Oxford in games of 30-28, 30-24 and 30-24. The victory came just five nights after a harsh shutout loss to Kentucky at home.
“Our team chemistry was as good tonight as it has been in a while,‹¨ said Seals, who is 6-0 against in-state opponents in two seasons at MSU. “Our opposite hitters did a nice job and contributed to our offensive success. I saw a lot of players step up and compete hard tonight, which is something you like to see heading into a tough three-match weekend.”
Ole Miss surprised the Bulldogs early, jumping out to a 7-2 lead in game one. With the leadership of senior Rachel Cooper, who was able to pound out six kills in the opening stanza, MSU bounced back and was able to take the lead.
Cooper’s sixth kill tied the game at 25 and several serves later, she was able to notch a service ace, putting the Dawgs ahead 27-25. MSU would eventually win the game 30-28.
The Bulldogs and Rebels fought evenly throughout game two, until the score was knotted at 22.
A kill by freshman Nicole Palazzo then pulled the Dawgs away from the Rebels, eventually leading to a 30-24 victory and a 2-0 lead going into intermission.
MSU hit at a .536 clip and committed only two hitting errors throughout the second game, and sophomore Eva Kriegel contributed two service aces. Kriegel would finish with four aces.
MSU dominated more in the third period, bolting out to a 9-4 lead. Ole Miss bounced back, however, with five straight points, but the Dawgs took the lead 10-9 and never fell behind for the rest of the game. They took the third game 30-24 and the match 3-0.
Cooper led the Dawgs with 14 kills, which moves her up to third place all-time in the MSU volleyball history books. Junior Orshi Kriegel pitched in 11 kills, while hitting at a .364 clip. State’s defensive leaders for the night were senior Andrea Mead and Orshi Kriegel, who both had six digs.