It all came down to the fifth set. Each dig, set and hit worked to define the game. By the end of the night, the players were exhausted, but they had a job to finish, and they had to finish well.
Across the country, the SEC and ACC had a tournament at the net on Sept. 10, 2025. Eight teams from each conference were matched up with each other, representing their conference.
The showdown hosted 14 on-campus matches across two nights, while No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Louisville, No. 3 Kentucky and No. 7 Pittsburg competed at a neutral site on Sept. 10.
While SEC teams such as Louisiana State and Auburn swept their ACC opponents 3-0 in sets, it was a bigger challenge for MSU, with a full game of five sets, each going back-and-forth and taking the 25th point with the other team not far behind.
Each player stayed invested in the game, including freshmen outside hitter Lindsey Mangelson leading the team with 15 kills and racking up 17 points.
Mangelson expressed how she felt the Bulldogs played against the Duke University team, which was 0-2 at the start of the night.
“I feel like at the beginning Duke had a really good plan to play against us,” Mangelson said. “They’re a really good opponent, our plan worked out and even though we got in rough spots, we were able to work out of it and get out the tough situations.”
The team did find themselves in tough spots. In multiple instances, they would be up almost five points, only to have Duke catch on to their strategy and come back to match.
It came down to the last few points in the game when the team had to truly work together to secure the victory.
In the moment when the game-winning hit touched Duke’s side of the net, there was an instant release of the tension filling Newell Grissom as it turned into celebration and pride over a conference victory. The Bulldogs pulled off the final set 15-10.
Seconds before, the team knew they had to lock in to finish strong.
“I just feel like that was the moment you need to step up in the most,” Mangelson said. “You have to be able to lead the team, bring the team up together, but I feel like it was a whole team movement.”
Although this is Mangelson’s first season on the team, she has lead with humility in making sure the whole team works together to get the job done.
“We all passed well; we all played well,” Mangelson said.
Another key player to the team is the one not on the court. Head Coach Julie Darty Dennis recently celebrated 150 career wins after sweeping MTSU two games before Duke. The victory over the Blue devils put her at 152, propelling her to finish the week at 154 career wins.
Dennis did not allow the team to let up on Duke, and she encouraged the girls to give it all they had until the end of the fifth set.
After the victory, the Dawgs decided that one mid-week win just was not enough; they were hungry for more. The Bulldogs also swept Mercer on Saturday and defeated Southern Miss on Sunday 3-1.
As for the Southeastern Conference, the competition split in half, each winning eight games.
Until a strong enough opponent steps up, the Bulldogs will remain undefeated.
