The Mississippi State volleyball team enjoyed great success earlier this season on the road. The same could not be said, however, about its most recent road trip through the state of Alabama. The Bulldogs lost aaboth Southeastern Conference contests this weekend. State lost to Auburn in five games Friday and got shut down in three games Sunday at Alabama.
Friday, Nov. 5
MSU drew first blood in the match with the Auburn Tigers-the same Tigers who embarrassed the Bulldogs on their home floor just two weeks ago. Freshman Jamie Joyner notched six kills in the 30-26 opener for State. The Tigers were far from beaten however, as they came back to take games two and three, never trailing in the second game, winning 30-25, and then cruising to a 30-22 win in game three.
Down two games to one, the Bulldogs showed fight, rallying from behind in the fourth game to take a 30-26 win. However the Tigers sprung into attack mode for the fifth and deciding game, streaking from a 5-5 tie to a 15-8 victory.
“Auburn was a very tough game for us,” said assistant coach Jozsef Forman. “We were very close to winning. We forced a fifth game, and a fifth game is always a lucky game. Auburn was a little more focused and prepared, so they came out ahead.”
Sunday, Nov. 7
Sunday’s match with Alabama resembled the two schools’ match in Starkville. The Tide jumped the Bulldogs from the very start of the match, winning game one by a 30-14 margin. The Bulldog attack logged only five kills.
In game two the Bulldogs responded by jumping out to a 6-5 lead and played the Tide into a 23-23 tie late in the match. But the offensive attack of Alabama’s Kelley Potter led the Tide to a 30-27 win, sending the Bulldogs into the locker room down two games to none.
“That first game against Alabama was tough,” Forman said. “They came out very focused and we were not. The second game was some high level volleyball, but we could never stop their outside hitters. That was very crucial.”
The third and final game was a clinic of defense put on by the Tide, who registered nine total blocks and led the young MSU squad for most of the game. The Tide clinched the match victory with a 30-22 game win.
The losses drop MSU to ninth place in the SEC, though not officially eliminating them from the SEC tournament. They enter the final week of competition one game behind Auburn and South Carolina for the eighth tournament spot with two games left to play.
The Lady Dawgs will travel to Mississippi on Wednesday before they host Arkansas Sunday on Senior Day.