MSU Closes Non-Conference Road Slate At Wildcat Classic

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Momentum is what carried Mississippi State volleyball to a stellar finish to the 2015 season and it now plays a part in the program's impressive start to the 2016 campaign.

The Bulldogs will look to ride the high of a 5-2 start into their final non-conference road tournament as they head to Manhattan, Kan., for the 2016 Wildcat Classic. Hosted by Kansas State, the tournament features Loyola-Chicago, Miami (FL) and MSU.

State will open play on Friday, Sept. 9 at 12 p.m. CT against the Wildcats before taking on Loyola-Chicago in the 5 p.m., contest. The Maroon and White will cap off the weekend against the Hurricanes on Saturday, Sept. 10 with an early 10:30 a.m., start.

"I have been very pleased with how we've played throughout the first two weekends this year and this tournament will be another test of how much we've improved," MSU coach David McFatrich said. "For the third-straight week we're facing some of the best teams in the nation and our girls know they'll have to be on their A-game all weekend."

Seniors Evie Grace Singleton and Jazmyne Johnson and junior Payton Harris have been the Bulldogs' unquestioned leaders heading into the third weekend of the 2016 season. Singleton leads State in kills (109), aces (12) and points (124.5), while Johnson is the squad's leader in blocks with 28 total. Harris tops the team in digs with 133 and currently stands at 1,302 for her career, 69 away from tying for fourth place on the MSU career list.

The younger side of State's roster has also been crucial to the Bulldogs' early season success. Freshman Riley Duzenack and sophomore Blossom Sato have led the setting charge for MSU with 152 and 147 assists, respectively. Freshman Emily Hill's 74 kills stand second on the squad and the Denton, Texas native has recorded double-digit kills in four of her last five appearances.

"This has been one of the more balanced teams I've ever coached in my six years," McFatrich said. "We have great veteran leadership combined with a lot of promising young talent and it's slowly but surely coming together. I'm very confident about what this team can do, especially heading into a challenging weekend like this one."

Following the weekend, State will return home for its last non-conference matches of the season with the Maroon Classic. MSU will play host to Florida International, Troy, Eastern Illinois and Portland from Sept. 16-17 at Newell-Grissom.

2016 Wildcat Classic Schedule…
Friday, Sept. 9
Miami (FL) vs. Loyola-Chicago – 10 a.m.
Mississippi State vs. Kansas State – 12 p.m.
Mississippi State vs. Loyola-Chicago – 5 p.m.
Kansas State vs. Miami (FL) – 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 10
Mississippi State vs. Miami (FL) – 10:30 a.m.
Kansas State vs. Loyola-Chicago – 1 p.m.

Last Time Out…
MSU wrapped up a successful first weekend on the road with a 2-1 showing at the Little Rock Invitational, finishing in second place. After a sweep of UT Martin, the Bulldogs closed out day one by bouncing back from a first-set loss to take down host Little Rock in four. MSU's final match of the weekend was a fight for the weekend championship against the Oklahoma Sooners. MSU would take a 2-1 lead in the match, but only to have the Sooners storm back to take a heartbreaking 3-2 victory.

Mississippi State def. UT Martin, 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-10)
Mississippi State def. Little Rock, 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 25-12)
Oklahoma def. Mississippi State, 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-8)

First Time Foes All Around For The Dogs…
State's weekend at the Wildcat Classic will feature a trio of firsts for the Dogs. This weekend will mark the first time that MSU has faced Kansas State, Loyola-Chicago and Miami (FL) in its 42-year program history.

Scouting The Wildcats…
Kansas State comes into the weekend hosting its second-straight non-conference tournament, going 2-1 last weekend. The Wildcats suffered their lone setback to Michigan to open their weekend. KSU's only other loss came against No. 4 Wisconsin, while one of its wins came at No. 6 Hawaii. Former Bulldog Brooke Sassin leads KSU in kills with 76, while Katie Brand paces the Wildcats with 251 assists. Along with Brand, Macy Flowers leads Kansas State with 22 total blocks.

Scouting The Ramblers…
Loyola-Chicago holds the longest current winning streak of the four teams entering the weekend, having won its last three matches. The 3-3 Ramblers are led by Gabi Maciagowski, who has 90 kills through six matches. Sami Hansen (27 blocks) and Maddy Moser (148 digs) lead the Ramblers' defensive efforts. With 234 assists, Delilah Wolf is the team's top setter.

Scouting The Hurricanes…
The Hurricanes will look to snap a two-match losing streak when they come into the Wildcat Classic. Miami dropped a 3-1 decision to Lipscomb and a 3-0 match to No. 3 Texas in Austin last weekend. Olga Strantzali leads the team with 85 kills. Alyssa Basdavanos tops the team with 103 assists, while Sylvia Hernandez is first with 65 digs. Lucia Pampana and Sakile Simmons both lead UM with 14 total blocks.

Leading The Bulldogs…

Kills: Evie Grace Singleton, 109
Assists: Riley Duzenack, 152
Aces: Evie Grace Singleton, 12
Digs: Payton Harris, 133
Blocks: Jazmyne Johnson, 28
Points: Evie Grace Singleton, 124.5

Harris Chasing Down MSU Career Digs Record…
Junior Payton Harris now stands at 1,302 digs for her career and continues to make strides up the MSU record book. She currently holds fifth place on the school's career digs list, passing Jennifer Shupe (1996-99) last weekend. She is now 69 digs away from tying Shauna Owens (1988-91) for fourth place. Melissa Kariker (1993-96) holds the school record with 1,707.

Singleton Looks To Continue Her Dominating Season…
Senior Evie Grace Singleton continues to dominate the volleyball scene this year, as she is undoubtedly the team's offensive leader through the first two weekends. Singleton leads MSU in kills, aces and points, while placing second in the SEC in points and third in the other two categories. Her 3.89 kills per set also stands third in the league.

The Little Rock, Ark., native will look to top her performance from last weekend, as she set a new career high with 27 kills at Little Rock on Friday, Sept. 2. The 27 now stands as the most by a Bulldog player in a four-set match, while placing ninth across all matches at MSU. It also marks the most kills since Kimmy Gardiner tallied 27 against UAB in 2013.

Live Broadcast…
Only Kansas State's matches this weekend will be broadcast on K-StateHD.TV. To access the broadcast for the MSU-KSU match, follow the link below.

MSU vs. Kansas State

Live Stats…
Kansas State will provide live stats for all matches this weekend through Statbroadcast. Links for live stats to Mississippi State matches are located below and at msu.statbroadcast.com.

MSU vs. Kansas State
MSU vs. Loyola-Chicago
MSU vs. Miami (FL)

Admission…
Tickets will only be required for Kansas State matches this weekend, with all others being free admission. Prices are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors. For tickets, fans can visit the site below, purchase over the phone at 1-800-221-CATS or in person at the Bramlage Coliseum Ticket Office.

Kansas State Volleyball Tickets

Just Hold On, We're Coming Home…
State's two-week roadtrip will come to a close after this weekend's venture to Manhattan, Kan. The Bulldogs will return to The Griss for the final non-conference tournament of the year to host the 2016 Maroon Classic, welcoming Eastern Illinois, Portland, Troy and Florida International to Starkville for the two-day tourney.

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."

MSU Closes Non-Conference Road Slate At Wildcat Classic

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Players Mentioned

Riley Duzenack

Payton Harris

Emily Hill

Jazmyne Johnson

Blossom Sato

Evie Grace Singleton

Mississippi State University Athletics