One win.
That’s all the Bulldogs got as they went on an SEC East road trip this past weekend where they faced Georgia and Florida to close out the 2005 regular season.
It’s also all the Mississippi State volleyball team needed to secure a spot in the SEC Volleyball Tournament in Tuscaloosa.
MSU got that one win over Georgia in a Friday night thriller in Athens, defeating the rival Bulldogs 3-2, in games of 28-30, 30-27, 30-17, 20-30 and 15-13. The win over Georgia clinched the 7-seed in the SEC Tournament for MSU and also set a school record for conference wins with six.
“This was an exciting and emotional win for our players and the coaching staff,” second-year MSU volleyball head coach Tina Seals said. “We set a lot of team goals this season, and with this strong finish we have reached one–reaching the SEC Tournament. I am very proud of this team. Playing against a talented team and on the road in a noisy gym, they were able to maintain their composure when the match was on the line.”
Senior outside hitter Rachel Cooper, after a slow start in the match, led the team with 17 kills and 11 digs, notching her 12th double-double of the season and the 44th of her Mississippi State career.
Junior Orshi Kriegel tallied 13 kills and 10 digs while her younger sister, sophomore Eva Kriegel, had 13 kills, 29 assists and 16 digs, registering her fourth triple-double. Sophomore libero Megan Lukasek led the team in defense with 17 digs.
“We came up just short of making the SEC Tournament last year,” Seals said. “I think we learned a little from coming close but not quite getting to our goal last year. And now it’s great to see our players achieve that goal this year.”
On an emotional high, State went into Gainesville, Fla., Sunday night for the season finale against the SEC-leading Gators, who were out to make a statement against the underdog Bulldogs.
They did so in an impressive fashion, blanking the Bulldogs 3-0, in games of 30-13, 30-21 and 30-17.
Cooper tallied 10 kills to lead the Bulldogs. Orshi Kriegel added six and Eva Kriegel five. Erin Seago had two kills and a team-best four blocks.
Lukasek and Eva Kriegel shared MSU defensive honors with seven digs each.
The Bulldogs open postseason play in Tuscaloosa Friday at noon in a match against 2-seeded Tennessee (18-7, 12-3 SEC).
MSU was shut out 3-0 in their prior match against the Vols this year, in games of 30-26 30-27 and 30-24 in Knoxville, Tenn.