Wednesday, Mississippi State volleyball reached a level achieved by only one other team in school history. With a thrilling five-game win over the University of Mississippi on the road in Oxford, the team tied the 1998 Bulldogs for most SEC wins in a season.
“It was a gritty performance by our players,” said head coach Tina Seals. “Ole Miss was ready to play, competed well, and we were fortunate to come out of here with a win tonight.”
The Lady Dawgs, who won the first match between the two archrivals in Starkville, came out on the losing end of the first game, falling 25-30. Then the teams played a back and forth game in the second going, neither team wanting to give an inch. There were 10 ties in the game, including a 30-30 tied before MSU scored the final two points to claim the win.
The Rebels were far from done, however, as they came out in the third game 30-26. This put MSU in a must win situation in game four. But in a clutch performance, junior outside hitter Rachel Cooper notched seven of her match-high twenty kills, leading the Lady Dawgs to a 30-26 victory setting up a fifth and deciding game.
In the fifth game the Rebels came out with their pistols blazing while the Bulldogs were firing blanks. The Rebels jumped on the Bulldog defense to gain an early 5-1 lead. But the young Bulldog squad would not be denied, and behind a 14-7 run including three more Cooper kills and a game closing serve ace by Julie Hamilton, the Bulldogs rallied for the game win and match victory.
“This was a big win for us,” Cooper said. “We started off slow in most of the games, and then we were down in the fifth game early on. Coach called a timeout and got us regrouped, then we got a big block and the momentum built from there.”
The loss drops the Rebels to 2-13 in SEC play, the worst record in the conference.
“It’s a frustrating loss for us tonight, to have hit .385 as a team and out dug Mississippi State,” UM head coach Joe Getzin said. “We made too many critical errors at crucial times that gave them tight games.”
The Bulldogs finish the year 8-9 on the road, with victories at South Carolina and LSU. But for Seals, this one was just as big.
“We showed a lot of heart and pride in coming back in that final game,” said Seals. “We’ve been in some five-game battles this season, and it was nice get this one in Oxford.”