Dawgs Make it 12 Straight Wins After Sweeping Razorbacks

Sunday, November 21

Fayetteville, Ark.

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

24-5,15-2SEC

Arkansas

18-10,9-8SEC

Mississippi St.

Arkansas

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Dawgs Make it 12 Straight Wins After Sweeping Razorbacks

November 21, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Anna Claire Thomas, Associate Director/Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Mississippi State's volleyball team set yet another program record on Sunday as the Dawgs won their 12th straight match with a 3-1 victory on the road at Arkansas to complete the series sweep over the Razorbacks.

The 12 straight wins marks a new school record for the Dawgs, while Mississippi State improved to 24-5 overall on the year and 15-2 in SEC play with the road victory. Arkansas dropped to 18-10 overall and 9-8 in the league. The win is the 12th straight for Mississippi State and sixth consecutive road win for the Dawgs.

"I am super proud of our team's response after that second set," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We've still got to work some things out in terms of sustaining our level of play just a little bit longer, but I thought the response in the third and then we just turned it on in that fourth set. We were just willing to execute and give them our best effort and execution to close out another match win, which is incredible. We were able to get a lot of faces in today. I am super proud of everyone that stepped on the floor. It was another total team win. To get a sweep on the road and head home going into our last regular season match, I can't say enough about this group. They are tough. They are gritty. They know what they want. They know how to win. I am just super proud of my team."

Gabby Waden led the way offensively, totaling 12 kills, a .323 attacking percentage, six digs and five total blocks. Waden registered 10-plus kills for the 22nd time this season, including during 16 of 17 SEC matches and 21 of her last 24 outings for the Dawgs. Margaret Dean recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 12 digs, while Francesca McBride was impressive for the second straight match. McBride ended the match with 11 kills, a .588 hitting mark and three total blocks on the afternoon.

State took a 1-0 lead in the match after going on an 8-1 run to close out the opening set of play by a score of 25-17. MSU hit .205 as a team compared to .022 by the Razorbacks, while the Dawgs were led by Waden and Myrick, who each had four kills apiece in the first.

In the second, MSU saved set point at 24-20 before rattling off three straight points to force Arkansas to call its first timeout of the set. However, the Razorbacks were able to close out the set following the break to even the match at one set apiece. State's offense was held to a .097 attacking mark in the second set, but Francesca McBride did provide a spark with six kills and a pair of blocks in the second set alone.

MSU regained the lead in the third, closing out the set on a 6-1 run to secure a 2-1 advantage in the match. In the third, the Dawgs hit .231 as a team and tallied 14 kills, while Arkansas had just as many errors (9) as kills in the set.

The fourth set belonged to the Dawgs from the start with MSU taking a 2-1 lead in the set and rolling to a 25-12 win to clinch the fourth-set victory. State hit .400 as a team during the fourth set alone to ensure the Dawgs walked away with a series sweep.

NEXT UP
The Dawgs return home to close out the regular season against Auburn at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 26 at The Griss in Starkville. Admission is free for all home volleyball matches with gates opening one hour prior to first serve.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateVB' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.