For jet-lagged Bulldogs there is no place like Newell-Grissom.
The Mississippi State volleyball team will put an 0-3 road trip to Corvallis, Ore., behind them as they host Austin Peay, the University of Tennessee-Martin and Southern Mississippi in this weekend’s MSU/Ramada Inn Classic.
This weekend’s invitational will be a round-robin tournament consisting of four teams.
In-state rival Southern Miss. finished their first tournament of year with a 3-1 record.
University of Tennessee at Martin is the two time defending regular season Ohio Valley Conference Champions.
Austin Peay, another OVC team, will round out the field.
The Bulldogs’ season-opening trip to Oregon State University was a tough one. They returned home winless despite three well-played games. After a loss to the host team, Northern Arizona narrowly defeated the Bulldogs by two points in each of the three games. MSU also lost a thriller to Gonzaga by two points in the fifth game.
“Basically, we were eight points from going 2-1,” head coach Brenda Bowlin said. “But overall, we did good for our first weekend.
“You can’t win a championship in the first week. So right now you just try to evaluate the way your team plays. We were strong in our serve/receive passing and Jennifer Hadden made a lot of smart choices. She’s our quarterback.”
Sophomore Jami Hester said the West Coast experience was a good one for the team.
“We had fun,” Hester stated. “It is totally different but you just have to play through it. We played well, and everything was just very positive.”
Hester now leads the Lady Dawgs in digs (40) and kills (36). She compiled two double doubles in the team’s first three games. The sophomore outside hitter has big shoes to fill being the younger sister of Janelle Hester, an All-SEC player at Tennessee.
“For this to be her first weekend (at the collegiate level), Jami did great,” Bowlin said of her star sophomore.
“She has a lot of talent, and I look for her to give consistent play at the net and on defense. I watch her improve every day in practice, and the sky is the limit (for how well she can play).”
Senior middle blocker Hilary Chambers will return after an ankle injury and reinforce the Bulldogs’ front line.
“We will have Hilary back (for this weekend) which will allow Nicole Broome to move back to the right side, her natural position,” Bowlin said.
The Bulldogs are looking to defend last years MSU/Ramada Inn Classic championship and capture a little bit of momentum for the SEC season.
“Our first SEC match is only about two weeks away,” said senior co-captain Tanika Taylor. “After starting out 0-3, I hope we’re able to come out with a little fire. We need this tournament for confidence and maybe to get a little momentum.”
Tourney Schedule:
Tonight, 7 p.m.
UTM v.MSU
Saturday, 10 a.m.
Austin Peay v. MSU
Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
Southern Miss. v. MSU