Friday, October 7
Starkville
7:00 PM
Mississippi State
11-8 (3-2SEC)
0
vs
3
Kentucky
11-5 (5-0SEC)
1
2
3
F
Kentucky
25
25
25
3
Mississippi State
20
20
22
0
Blossom Sato tallied 29 assists on Friday night, cracking the MSU Top 10 for career assists.
Bulldog Volleyball Falls In Battle Against No. 25 Kentucky
October 07, 2016 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Despite showing tremendous fight from start to finish, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-8, 3-2 SEC) dropped a three-set decision to the No. 25 Kentucky Wildcats (11-5, 5-0 SEC) Friday night at Newell-Grissom.
Despite only going three sets, the battle between the Bulldogs and Wildcats featured 16 ties and four lead changes. Friday's first set was the only to not feature any lead changes, as the Wildcats jumped out in front from the start and never relinquished their lead. UK would go on to a 25-20 first-set victory and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set started in MSU's favor, as State took a 3-1 lead out of the gate. Kentucky would regain the lead and go up 7-4. The Bulldogs would draw even at 7-7, but could not push out in front, as UK took a 25-20 second set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Led by 5 kills from Emily Hill and 4 from Jelena Vujcin, the Bulldogs put up a fight in the third, even pushing ahead by as many as four. Up 17-13, MSU looked poised to push the match to a fourth set, but a 9-2 run from the Cats put the visitors up for good. State would draw within one, down 23-22, but could come no further. A UK kill and an MSU attack error sealed the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.
"That was a tough one, because we felt we had the tools to get the win tonight," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "We didn't execute in a number of areas and couldn't come through in the critical moments of the match. It's tough, but now we just have to get back in the gym and get ready for a crucial roadtrip."
MSU's big three of Evie Grace Singleton, Hill and Vujcin would once again lead the way for the Maroon and White. Singleton led State with 12 kills, while Hill and Vujcin both earned 10, marking the sixth-straight match that the trio has all earned 10-plus kills.
Blossom Sato led State with 29 assists, which moved her into the Top 10 in career assists as MSU. With 1,404 career assists, the sophomore now stands 10th on the list and is 124 from tying for ninth place.
The Dogs were unusually quiet from the service line, as only Payton Harris tallied an ace for State on the night. Cheyenne Spell led MSU with 13 digs, while Bali Leffall-Young was the team's leader in blocks with 4.
MSU will have the rest of the weekend off before hitting the road for three-straight matches. State will head to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday to face the Alabama Crimson Tide (13-4, 2-2 SEC) at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Weekend Schedule…
Friday, Oct. 7
No. 25 Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-22)
Leading The Bulldogs…
Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 12
Assists: Blossom Sato, 29
Aces: Payton Harris, 1
Digs: Cheyenne Spell, 13
Blocks: Bali Leffall-Young, 4
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 12.0
Big Three Dominant Again…
Despite the loss on Friday night, the Bulldogs received another solid showing from its offensive big three of Evie Grace Singleton, Emily Hill and Jelena Vujcin. For the sixth-straight match all three earned double-digit kills, as Singleton tallied 12 while Hill and Vujcin both tallied 10.
Blocking Game Still Strong…
For the fifth-straight match, Mississippi State once again either tied or led in blocking battle. Both teams tallied 7.0 total blocks on Friday, with Bali Leffall-Young leading the Dogs with 4 total blocks.
Record Watch: Blossom Sato…
In only her second season in college, sophomore Blossom Sato has already cracked the MSU Top 10 for career assists. After tallying 29 assists against No. 25 Kentucky, Sato now has 1,404 career assists and stands 10th on the list. She is just 124 assists away from tying for ninth place.
Record Watch: Payton Harris…
Junior Payton Harris now stands at 1,396 digs for her career and continues to make strides up the MSU record book. She currently holds fourth place on the school's career digs list and is 37 short of tying for third place. Melissa Kariker (1993-96) holds the school record with 1,707.
Up Next…
The Dogs have the rest of the weekend off and will return to play on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at Alabama. MSU and UA are set for an 8 p.m. CT first serve, with the match nationally broadcasted on ESPNU.
Social Media…
For more information on Mississippi State volleyball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateVB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Despite only going three sets, the battle between the Bulldogs and Wildcats featured 16 ties and four lead changes. Friday's first set was the only to not feature any lead changes, as the Wildcats jumped out in front from the start and never relinquished their lead. UK would go on to a 25-20 first-set victory and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set started in MSU's favor, as State took a 3-1 lead out of the gate. Kentucky would regain the lead and go up 7-4. The Bulldogs would draw even at 7-7, but could not push out in front, as UK took a 25-20 second set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Led by 5 kills from Emily Hill and 4 from Jelena Vujcin, the Bulldogs put up a fight in the third, even pushing ahead by as many as four. Up 17-13, MSU looked poised to push the match to a fourth set, but a 9-2 run from the Cats put the visitors up for good. State would draw within one, down 23-22, but could come no further. A UK kill and an MSU attack error sealed the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.
"That was a tough one, because we felt we had the tools to get the win tonight," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "We didn't execute in a number of areas and couldn't come through in the critical moments of the match. It's tough, but now we just have to get back in the gym and get ready for a crucial roadtrip."
MSU's big three of Evie Grace Singleton, Hill and Vujcin would once again lead the way for the Maroon and White. Singleton led State with 12 kills, while Hill and Vujcin both earned 10, marking the sixth-straight match that the trio has all earned 10-plus kills.
Blossom Sato led State with 29 assists, which moved her into the Top 10 in career assists as MSU. With 1,404 career assists, the sophomore now stands 10th on the list and is 124 from tying for ninth place.
The Dogs were unusually quiet from the service line, as only Payton Harris tallied an ace for State on the night. Cheyenne Spell led MSU with 13 digs, while Bali Leffall-Young was the team's leader in blocks with 4.
MSU will have the rest of the weekend off before hitting the road for three-straight matches. State will head to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday to face the Alabama Crimson Tide (13-4, 2-2 SEC) at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Weekend Schedule…
Friday, Oct. 7
No. 25 Kentucky def. Mississippi State, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-22)
Leading The Bulldogs…
Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 12
Assists: Blossom Sato, 29
Aces: Payton Harris, 1
Digs: Cheyenne Spell, 13
Blocks: Bali Leffall-Young, 4
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 12.0
Big Three Dominant Again…
Despite the loss on Friday night, the Bulldogs received another solid showing from its offensive big three of Evie Grace Singleton, Emily Hill and Jelena Vujcin. For the sixth-straight match all three earned double-digit kills, as Singleton tallied 12 while Hill and Vujcin both tallied 10.
Blocking Game Still Strong…
For the fifth-straight match, Mississippi State once again either tied or led in blocking battle. Both teams tallied 7.0 total blocks on Friday, with Bali Leffall-Young leading the Dogs with 4 total blocks.
Record Watch: Blossom Sato…
In only her second season in college, sophomore Blossom Sato has already cracked the MSU Top 10 for career assists. After tallying 29 assists against No. 25 Kentucky, Sato now has 1,404 career assists and stands 10th on the list. She is just 124 assists away from tying for ninth place.
Record Watch: Payton Harris…
Junior Payton Harris now stands at 1,396 digs for her career and continues to make strides up the MSU record book. She currently holds fourth place on the school's career digs list and is 37 short of tying for third place. Melissa Kariker (1993-96) holds the school record with 1,707.
Up Next…
The Dogs have the rest of the weekend off and will return to play on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at Alabama. MSU and UA are set for an 8 p.m. CT first serve, with the match nationally broadcasted on ESPNU.
Social Media…
For more information on Mississippi State volleyball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateVB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Team Stats
UK
MS
Kills
54
39
Errors
15
14
Attempts
106
99
Hitting %
.368
.253
Points
65.0
47.0
Assists
48
37
Aces
4
1
Blocks
7.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ VolleyballOPP/MB
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