10/31/00
Cross Country - Mississippi State sophomore Joey Hansen claimed an 18th-place finish to lead the Bulldogs to a seventh-place team finish at the SEC Cross Country Championships Monday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Bulldogs garnered 191 points for the 6K race at Harry Pritchett Golf Course. The seventh-place team showing is the best finish by an MSU squad since a third-place finish in 1991. Arkansas won the women's race with 43 points.

Hansen completed the race in 22:18.96 for the 18th-place showing, the best individual finish for an MSU runner at the SEC race since April Ecke took 3rd-place honors in 1993.

Fellow sophomore Ronni Watjus was the second MSU runner to finish the course, clocking a 22:45.17 mark for 30th place. Christine Zawaski ran a 23:18.62 time for 42nd place, while Katie Longmire finished in 46th place with a 23:27.76 timing.

Junior LeeAnn Ripstra rounded out the MSU scorers with a 59th-place finish in 24:12.32. Martha Hudsonpillar took 77th place in 25:43.58, and fellow second-year harrier Janice Zawaski finished 80th in 25:56.45.

"I thought the team ran really well today," head coach Al Schmidt said. "We were close enough to be fifth or sixth. LeeAnn (Ripstra) ran really well as our fifth scorer, and I thought our sophomores did a great job in the hot conditions. I'm really pleased with our effort competing in the best cross country conference in the country."

The Bulldogs make a third trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., as they continue postseason action at the Nov. 11 NCAA South Regional.

SEC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; October 30, 2000

TEAM RESULTS
1. Arkansas 43
2. Georgia 74
3. Auburn 85
4. Florida 121
5. Alabama 153
6. Vanderbilt 171
7. MISSISSIPPI STATE 191
8. Tennessee 196
9. South Carolina 219
10. Kentucky 221
11. LSU 223
12. Mississippi 358

MSU INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
18. Joey Hansen 22:18.96
30. Ronni Watjus 22:45.17
42. Christine Zawaski 23:18.62
46. Katie Longmire 23:27.76
59. LeeAnn Ripstra 24:12.32
77. Martha Hudsonpillar 25:43.58
80. Janice Zawaski 25:56.45

After heavy fog delayed the start of the 54-hole tournament, the Bulldogs fired a 302 for the opening round before following that up with a 296 in the afternoon's second round. Tulsa recorded a 566 to sit in first place with 18 holes remaining Tuesday.

Junior Jason McKenzie led head coach Greg Martin's MSU contingent with a pair of 1-under par rounds of 71 that placed him in a tie for 10th place.

Sophomore Codie Mudd struggled with rounds of 72 and 73 to sit in a tie for 18th position with a 145, while junior John Mueller carded a 156 to stand tied for the 64th spot.

After posting an opening-round 80, redshirt freshman T.J. Washburn shot a 77 for the second round to sit tied for 68th place with a 157. Senior Scott Shelton sits three behind Washburn in 75th place with a two-round 160 total.

The Bulldogs close out the fall season with Tuesday's final round of the CC of Louisiana Intercollegiate.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/30/00
Soccer - Mississippi State (8-11-1) put together multi-goal first and second halves, then used its defensive intensity to stuff a number of Chattanooga (6-8-1) scoring chances, in a 7-1 victory Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Seven different players recorded goals for State which used the victory to send its Class of 2000 out in style. Senior goalkeeper Kirstin Olson recorded a game-high two saves on eight Chattanooga shots to highlight the MSU defense.

"Today's game was an excellent way to end the season," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "It left us with a positive feeling as we look forward to next season."

State got off the mark just more than four minutes into the contest when Jessica Kauffman utlized an assist from Charleston Platt and punched a ball past Chattanooga goalkeeper Rawlslyn Ray in the fifth minute (4:24) Annemarie Pimentel extended the Bulldogs' lead to two goals in the 15th minute (14:01), one-timing a pass across the goalmouth from Sam Corker. Freshman Leslie Nickles added a goal in the 21st minute to give MSU a 3-0 lead at the intermission.

Already clutching onto a suffice cushion, State added four more goals in the second half from Lauren Hall, Sam Schwenke, Amber Rose and Platt, respectively to finish off the Mississippi State scoring. Chattanooga's Charlene Shaunessy hit a chip shot from 25-yards out into the back of the net in the 89th minute (88:26) to prevent the shutout.

"We were blessed with a wonderful senior class this season," McGuire said. "Their work ethic, discipline and willingness to get better fueled our progress this season. They will be sorely missed."

SCORING SUMMARY, At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
Chattanooga (6-8-1) 0 1 - 1
Mississippi State (8-11-1) 3 4 - 7

MSU: Jessica Kauffman (Charleston Platt), 4:24
MSU: Annemarie Pimentel (Sam Corker), 14:01
MSU: Leslie Nickles (Unassisted), 20:35
MSU: Lauren Hall (Unassisted), 45:13
MSU: Sam Schwenke (Lauren Hall, Jessica Kauffman), 66:13
MSU: Amber Rose (Unassisted), 67:43
MSU: Charleston Platt (Stacey Smith), 84:01
UTC: Charlene Shaunessy (Unassisted), 88:26

Shots: UTC 8 (Haugen, Malinowski 2), MSU 15 (Hall, Rose 3). Corner Kicks: UTC 5, MSU 8. Goalkeeper Saves: UTC 2 (Ray), MSU 4 (Olson 2). Fouls: UTC 14, MSU 5. Yellow Cards: UTC 1 (Shaunessy - 44:50), MSU 1 (Corker - 53:51. Red Cards: UTC 1 (Giannotti - 85:32), MSU 1 (Smith - 85:32). Offsides: UTC 2, MSU 0. Att. - 483.

Combette, who improved to 16-5 this fall, downed Ambert 6-0, 6-3 for the win and in doing so became the second Bulldog in the six-year history of the event to win the title. State all-American Simon Larose won in 1997.

The match was also significant in the fact that it was the second time this fall that Ambert and Combette had met each other for the title of a tournament. They also met for the championship of the Citizens Bank Collegiate Clay Courts to open the semester, with Ambert winning 6-1, 6-2 there.

The two Bulldogs had advanced to Sunday's final with semifinal victories earlier in the day. The true freshman Ambert (now 13-3 this year) notched the biggest win of his very young State career, upsetting Arkansas' top-seeded and ninth-ranked Oskar Johansson 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Combette had downed Kentucky's Edo Bawono 6-4, 6-2, the Wildcat's first loss in 13 matches this fall.

Combined, Ambert and Combette upset three of the nation's top 50 players on the weekend.

"I'm extremely proud of Rene and Romain for their effort this weekend," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "This tournament has a solid field every year and this year's was no different."

In doubles play, Ambert and Max Fomine had advanced to the semifinals with a pair of victories late Saturday night. Their bid to help MSU sweep the tournament's two titles fell short there, however, as they dropped a tight 8-6 decision to Auburn's top-seeded and 46th-ranked tandem of Georges Matijasevic and Tiago Ruffoni, who went on to win the event.

State went 12-3 as a team overall during the tournament.

LSU's four-game win in Starkville (15-11, 15-13, 12-15, 15-6) gave the Tigers a sweep of the two-match series this season.

The Tigers pulled away from an 8-8 tie to take the opening game 15-11 and overcame a 13-11 Bulldog lead in taking game two 15-13. State's offense came to life in the third game as the Bulldogs rode a .273 hitting mark to a 15-12 edge. But 11 unforced errors in the fourth game opened the door for a decisive match-clinching 15-6 LSU win.

Brianne Smedley had a match-high 15 kills on a .444 hitting outing and totaled six blocks to pace the Bulldogs. Misty Hubenthal had 12 kills and Christine Owen earned a double-double with 11 kills and season-high 17 digs as State led LSU 55-51 in kills and 70-60 in digs. But the Bulldogs' offense was stymied by the 39 hitting errors and a resulting .097 hitting percentage.

LSU got 14 kills and 11 total blocks from Lauren Cuyler and 10 more kills from Meagan Davis. The Tigers enjoyed an advantage at the serving stripe, serving up 10 aces and benefiting from nine MSU serving errors.

Mississippi State travels to Oxford, Miss., Friday for a 7 p.m. match at Mississippi and the hosts the Lady Rebels at 2 p.m. on Senior Salute Sunday in the final home match of the 2000 campaign.

LSU 3, MISSISSIPPI STATE 1
Louisiana State (11-11, 5-6 SEC)
Mississippi State (14-12, 1-10 SEC)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/27/00 - Members of Mississippi State men's tennis team will compete in two different tournaments this weekend -- the sixth-annual ASU/Thunderbirds Collegiate Invitational in Tempe, Az., and the Tennessee Fall Classic in Knoxville, Tenn, which is in its first year of existence.

Travelling to Tempe for State will be sophomore Rene-Charles Combette and true freshmen Romain Ambert and Max Fomine. All three Bulldogs will compete in the 32-man singles draw while Ambert and Fomine will team in doubles.

Battling for MSU in Knoxville will be sophomore Jerome Le Belicard, junior Chris McDonald and senior Mathieu Soto. Le Belicard, ranked 86th nationally, will be playing in a 12-player, round-robin draw that features 12 of the nation's top 100 players in action. McDonald and Soto will compete in regular 32-player draws and will team in doubles as well. They are ranked 43rd in the country as a duo.

Following this weekend's action, the Bulldogs will conclude the 2000 fall schedule next weekend, Nov. 2-5, at the ITA Region III Indoor Championships in Athens, Ga.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/26/00
Soccer - Both teams got a handful of offensive chances in each period, but neither could capitalize, as Mississippi State (7-12-1, 3-5-1) and Mississippi (12-5-1, 5-3-1) battled to a 0-0 tie Wednesday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Lauren Hall fired off a game-high five shots to pace the Bulldog offense, with teammates Michelle Provenzano and Amber Rose both adding a pair of looks. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson recorded 13 saves on 13 Rebel shots on goal to highlight a very stingy Mississippi State defense.

With the draw, Mississippi clinched the SEC West title outright and kept the Bulldogs from securing their first-ever berth in the SEC Tournament. Both State and Arkansas possess identical 3-5-1 records, but the Lady Razorbacks earn the right to play Florida in the first round as a result of a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs in Starkville on September 29.

"Today's game was a highly exciting match for all involved," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "It is frustrating for our players as, I feel, they played well enough for an opportunity to play in the SEC Tournament, but that's what it is like to play in this conference. We must give credit to Mississippi as they did the things they needed to do in order to win the SEC Western Division title. They are an excellent team and we wish them the best of luck in the post season."

"We are incredibly proud of our players for the way they played today. This was a fun game to be a part of as it could have gone either way. Now we must look forward to Sunday's game versus UTC."

Neither team could get off a shot for the first 12 minutes of play until the Rebels' Jennifer Soileau got off a shot on goal that was easily collected by Olson with with 32:18 left in the opening half. Amber Meesey nearly got State off the mark in 32nd minute, but her header was deflected wide of the goal by Mississippi goalkeeper Melinda Smith.

After the intermission, both teams, again, put the opposition's defense to the test, but neither side caved. The Rebels could not find a hole in Olson's defense, with the Bulldogs finding the same results against Smith. The best chance for either side to score came in the 77th minute (76:25) when a shot by Hall trickled up the endline between the goalposts before the Rebels' Jessica O'Neill safely cleared to keep State off the scoreboard.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Sunday when the Bulldogs close out their season at home against Chattanooga. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Admission is free of charge. Sunday's game will also mark the final home match for State's Class of 2001 and all seven seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony.

SCORING SUMMARY, At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
Mississippi (12-5-1, 5-3-1) 0 0 0 0 - 0
Mississippi State (7-12-1, 3-5-1) 0 0 0 0 - 0

Shots: UM 17 (Solieau, Scanlon 4). MSU 10 (Hall 5). Corner Kicks: UM 5, MSU 4. Goalkeeper Saves: UM 7 (Smith), MSU 13 (Olson). Fouls: UM 9, MSU 21. Yellow Cards: UM 1 (Sample 76:07 - Conduct), MSU 0. Red Cards: None. Att. - 602.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/25/00 - Mississippi State soccer head coach Neil McGuire knew he had something special when he took over the reigns of the program near the end of January.

The progress of the Bulldogs this season has only solidified his theory. The Maroons have posted a school-record conference victory count this season, have posted first-time wins over Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee and, for the first time in the history of the program, have a chance to advance to conference postseason play.

"Our team, both individually and as a whole, has made tremendous strides so far this season," McGuire said "Each player has worked very hard to improve each day in practice and as a result the team has benefited. All we have ever asked is that they give the program their best effort and we have had that consistently day in and day out. This really is an amazing group of young women to work with, as their closeness with one another and dedication to better themselves has propelled them to reach their goals."

Mississippi State (7-11, 3-5 SEC) will close out its 2000 conference schedule Wednesday, hosting cross-state nemesis Mississippi (12-5, 5-3). The game will mark the sixth meeting between the two schools since 1995.

Besides the usual bragging rights, both teams will have extra incentive for victory in the matchup on Wednesday afternoon. A Mississippi State victory will send the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, while a loss will force State to remain at home with Arkansas going in their place. Mississippi, fresh off a 3-0 road loss to Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, will take the SEC Western Division title outright with a victory, but will share the title with LSU with a loss in Starkville.

"To be able to play Ole Miss to make the SEC tournament is an exciting prospect for us," McGuire said. "We have preached to the team to take one game at a time so that we could retain our focus, so we will treat this game as all the others. At the beginning of the season our goal was to improve our conference record and put ourselves in a position to make the tournament. We are all very pleased to this point. Both teams have a lot at stake and the atmosphere will be electric. I know that we will give the game our all."

Mississippi State, whose defense has been solid this season allowing nine less goals than at this same point last season, will be paced on offense by a pair of double-digit point scorers in sophomore Jessica Kauffman (3 G, 4 A) and freshman Sam Schwenke (2 G, 6 A). Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson, who became State's all-time career saves leader earlier this season, will bring her three shutouts and 2.37 GAA into the game to hold down the Mississippi State defense.

The Rebels are led offensively by midfielder Jennifer Soileau who, in her last season in Oxford, has scored 22 points on six goals and 10 assists. In the nets, Mississippi is anchored by junior Melinda Smith who has posted a 9-4 record this season to go along with her 1.44 GAA, one shutout and 58 saves.

"Ole Miss is very talented, disciplined and organized with many good players. In Steve Holeman they have an excellent coach. They carry a highly-potent offense which means we will have to be at our best defensively. Each team has the ability to win this game. We look forward to having them here."

Game time for Wednesday's contest between the intra-state rivals is set for 3 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Admission is free of charge.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/23/00
Volleyball - Mississippi State went toe-to-toe with SEC Eastern Division power South Carolina Sunday in Columbia, S.C., before dropping a 3-1 decision in a match that lasted more than two hours. The Gamecocks (18-4, 9-1) prevailed 15-3, 16-14, 13-15, 15-5.

Carolina romped to a 15-3 win in the opening game. But the Bulldogs battled back, recovering from a 13-10 deficit and serving for game point before USC claimed a 16-14 win and 2-0 lead in the match. The Bulldogs trailed 7-4 in the third game but rallied to lead 14-9 and, on the sixth game point serve, notched a hard-fought 15-13 win. USC put the match away early in the fourth and final game, racing to an 8-0 advantage en route to a 15-5 win.

"This was by far our best effort in a while," said Bulldog volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "It's disappointing to come off this weekend trip without a win, but at the same time it's encouraging to see our players step up their level of play. We need the same kind of effort this weekend at the Newell-Grissom Building when we play Arkansas and LSU."

MSU senior co-captains Christine Owen and Brianne Smedley paced the Bulldogs. Owen recorded a match-high 15 kills and 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Smedley, with a team-leading .330 hitting percentage, totaled 12 kills and three blocks. Freshman Tanika Taylor, who set a career-high with 20 digs Friday night at Winthrop, bettered that mark with a team season-high 21 digs against South Carolina.

State piled up a season-high 87 digs, with Katie Carraro adding 14, Michele Gordon 13 and Misty Hubenthal 12.

USC out-hit State .153 to .078 in the defensive struggle, with Milica Perovic leading the way with 12 kills and a match-leading 26 digs. Carolina also claimed a 15-6 edge in total blocks.

Mississippi State returns to SEC Western Division action at the Newell-Grissom Building this weekend, hosting Arkansas Friday (7 p.m.) and Louisiana State Sunday (2 p.m.).

SOUTH CAROLINA, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Mississippi State (14-10, 1-8) 3 14 15 5
South Carolina (18-4, 9-1) 15 16 13 15

Three different players recorded shots for State, with Beth Dreher tallying the Bulldogs' lone shot on goal. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson recorded eight saves on 11 shots on goal to highlight the Mississippi State defense.

"Today we were beaten by a very good team," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "Georgia possesses players with great speed, intensity and technical and tactical ability. Our players battled for 90 minutes and had several chances to score. We move on now to a very good Mississippi team on Wednesday."

The two teams battled nip and tuck for the first 15 minutes of regulation before Lauren Zacharski got Georgia off the mark with a sliding one-timer in the 17th minute (16:34). Amy Berbary's unassisted goal in the 40th minute (39:36) gave the host-Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage at the intermission.

State got a handful of scoring chances to open up the second half, but Georgia stymied any offensive chances with a very quick and aggressive defense. State's defense kept Georgia's aggressive offense at bay for much of the second half, but Stacy Hunt added an insurance goal for the hosts in the 69th minute (68:04) to cap the match scoring.

Mississippi State, with its SEC Tournament hopes very much alive, will next be in action on Wednesday when they return to Starkville for a intra-state battle with the Mississippi Rebels. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field and admission is free of charge.

SCORING SUMMARY, At Athens, Ga. (UGA Women's Soccer Stadium)
Mississippi State (7-11, 3-5 SEC) 0 0 - 0
Georgia (9-7-2, 4-3-1) 2 1 - 3

UGA: Lauren Zacharski (Morgan Coyle), 16:34
UGA: Amy Berbary (Unassisted), 39:36
UGA: Stacy Hunt (Amy Berbary, Catherine Holder), 68:04

Shots: MSU 3, (Dreher, Kauffman, Hall 1), UGA 22 (Berbary 6). Shots On Goal: MSU 1 (Dreher), UGA 11 (Berbary 5). Corner Kicks: MSU 2, UGA 8. Goalkeeper Saves: MSU 8 (Olson), UGA 1 (Williams). Fouls: MSU 11, UGA 8. Yellow Cards: None. Red Cards: None. Offsides: MSU 0, UGA 5. Att. - 576.

Oliveira won a pair of three-set matches on Sunday to claim the title. In her first match of the day, the sophomore defeated Vanderbilt's Aleke Tsoubanos, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. In the other semifinal, MSU's Anca Vasiloaica suffered a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 setback to another Commodore, Lauren Rose. In the finals, Oliveira avenged her teammate's defeat, beating Rose in come-from-behind fashion, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-0.

The Lady Bulldogs will return to action in two weeks, competing in the ITA/Rolex Southeast Region Indoor Qualifiers. The tounament marks the beginning of the second leg of the Collegiate Grand Slam.

Senior Lina Thoren paced MSU, shooting a 224 during the tournament and placing her in a four-way tie for 21st. Thoren shot a 73 on Sunday, combined with her two previous rounds of 73 and 78, which gave her an eight-over-par finish.

Freshman Anna Knutsson finished second for the Lady Bulldogs and in a tie for 29th in the Lady Paladin individual competition, while also setting new career marks for herself. Knutsson posted a career-low 227 score at the three-day tournament. She also carded a 72 on Sunday, tying her career-lowest round score.

Anna Gertsson, a junior, shot a 228 for MSU and finished in a tie for 35th place. Sophomore Christina Clausen shot a 237 at the Lady Paladin, while senior Renata Almeida rounded out the Lady Bulldog lineup by posting a 244. Almeida's 244 and her Saturday score of 80 marked individual season-lows, as she shot her lowest total score and lowest single-round score of the fall 2000 season.

Auburn took home the team and individual title. Their 877 team mark set a Lady Paladin record as the lowest tournament score, beating the previous record 887 score. Auburn's Celeste Troche won the individual competition with a score of 210, also breaking the old record of 214 as the lowest individual tournament score.

The Lady Paladin Invitational concludes the Mississippi State women's golf fall 2000 season. The Lady Bulldogs will be back in action on February 23, 2001, at the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

FURMAN UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE, Par: 72 5,902 Yards

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (top 15)
1. Auburn 291-290-296=877 +13
2. South Carolina 296-296-292=884 +20
3. Furman 295-299-300=894 +30
4. North Carolina 302-305-289=896 +32
5. Vanderbilt 297-302-301=900 +36
6. Georgia 298-297-306=901 +37
7. Wake Forest 295-302-305=902 +38
8. TCU 300-299-306=905 +41
9. Memphis 300-308-304=912 +48
10. Florida 297-311-305=913 +49
11. Mississippi State 305-314-296=915 +51
12. Louisville 309-308-301=918 +54
13. Florida State 313-307-304=924 +60
14. UNC-Greensboro 314-309-305=928 +64
15. Tulane 308-315-309=932 +68

MSU FINAL RESULTS
t21. Lina Thoren 73-78-73=224 +8
t29. Anna Knutsson 74-81-72=227 +11
t35. Anna Gertsson 79-75-74=228 +12
t63. Christina Clausen 79-81-77=237 +21
86. Renata Almeida 82-80-82=244 +28

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/17/00
Men's Golf - The Mississippi State men's golf team fired a 5-over par 581 to stand in fourth place following the opening two rounds of the Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate Monday in Tampa, Fla.

State carded rounds of 286 and 295 at the Old Memorial Golf Club to finish seven strokes behind leader and co-host Florida.

Junior John Mueller paced the Bulldogs with a 1-under 143 in the opening two rounds. Mueller shot a first-round 67 to sit in a tie for first place, but he fell to fifth after recording a 76 over the second 18 holes of the day.

Sophomore Codie Mudd opened the Cleveland Intercollegiate with back-to-back rounds of 72 to stand in a tie for seventh place with an even-par 144.

Senior Scott Shelton currently sits in a tie for 24th place after firing rounds of 74 and 73, respectively, for a 3-over par 147. Junior Jason McKenzie follows closely behind in a tie for 31st place. McKenzie fired a 4-over 148 for the opening 36 holes to trail his teammate Shelton by a stroke.

Freshman T.J. Washburn fired a 7-over par 151 to claim a tie for 49th place heading into tomorrow's final round.

MSU concludes play in the 2000 Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate with a final 18 holes Tuesday beginning at 8 a.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/16/00
Soccer - Freshman Michelle Provenzano's goal in the 64th minute broke open an otherwise close game as Mississippi State (6-10, 2-4 SEC) cruised to its sixth victory of the campaign with a 2-1 win over South Carolina (3-13, 0-6) Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer field.

Provenzano and senior Beth Dreher both netted goals for the Bulldogs, while Vicksburg native Lauren Hall provided the gamewinning assist. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson recorded a pair of saves on 11 Gamecock shots to key the State defense.

"This was a hard-fought battle between two very determined teams," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "I am very excited for our players as they have worked very hard every day. South Carolina played with great poise and passion in a game that could have gone either way."

Both teams went nip and tuck for a majority of the first half until the 40th minute when South Carolina was called for a hold inside the box warranting a penalty kick attempt for the Bulldogs. Dreher rifled the shot home, rifling a shot into the left side of the net just in front of a diving Jessica Freas. State carried the 1-0 advantage into the intermission.

Despite a 1-0 deficit, South Carolina netted its Equalizer just six minutes into the second frame when Morgan McIntyre headed a service from Jessica Workman past Olson to tie the game back up at one. After the teams traded a handful of scoring opportunities, State cashed in 12 minutes later when Provenzano took a through-ball assist from Hall and punched it in from close range to put the Bulldogs up for good.

The victory gave Mississippi State its most conference wins in three years and, more importantly, kept the Bulldogs very much in the hunt for its first conference tournament berth in program history.

The Bulldogs will again be in action on Friday when the team travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to battle the Tennessee Lady Vols, beginning a crucial conference weekend for State. Game time is set for 7 p.m. EST under the lights of the Tennessee Soccer Complex. The Bulldogs will travel to Athens, Ga., on Sunday for a date with the Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff for that game is set for 1 p.m. EST.

SCORING SUMMARY, At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
South Carolina (3-13, 0-6 SEC) 0 1 - 1
Mississippi State (6-10, 2-4 SEC) 1 1 - 2

MSU: Beth Dreher (PK), 41:02
USC: Morgan McIntyre (Jessica Workman), 51:25
MSU: Michelle Provenzano (Lauren Hall), 63:48

Shots: USC 11 (Hutson 3), MSU 9 (Dreher, Provenzano 2). Corner Kicks: USC 6, MSU 1. Goalkeeper Saves: USC 1 (Freas), MSU 2 (Olson). Fouls: USC 18, MSU 16. Yellow Cards: USC 0, MSU 3 (Sam Schwenke, 18:11 - Conduct; Jessica Wells, 23:45 - Roughing; Bench, 78:45 - Dissent). Red Cards: USC 1 (Allison Jarrow, 85:45 - Kicking). Offsides: USC 3, MSU 3.

Playing at the par-72 Gettysvue Polo, Golf and Country Club, freshman Anna Knutsson posted a 228 for the tournament to finish in 14th place in the individual competition. This score tops her previous low of 230 as a Lady Bulldog. Knutsson also enjoyed her lowest single-round score of her MSU career, shooting a 72 during Saturday's play.

Senior Lina Thoren was the second Lady Bulldog finisher. She carded a 234 over the weekend, placing her in a five-way tie for 29th. Sophomore Christina Clausen scored a 243, while junior Anna Gertsson shot a 246 for the tournament. Playing as an individual, senior Renata Almeida posted a 257, and freshman Catalina Olarte rounded out the MSU lineup with a 277.

Duke took the top honors at the Mercedes-Benz Championships by shooting an 890. Virada Nirapathpongporn of Duke won the individual competition by posting a one-under-par 215. Tennessee, Northwestern, Purdue and Louisiana State rounded out the top-five at the tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs waste no time hitting the road again, as they travel this weekend to Greenville, South Carolina for the Lady Paladin Golf Tournament.

GETTYSVUE POLO, GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB, Par: 72 5,958 Yards

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Duke 300-297-293=890 +26
2. Tennessee 302-297-301=900 +36
3. Northwestern 308-293-302=903 +39
4. Purdue 303-310-307=920 +56
Louisiana State 304-305-311=920 +56
6. TCU 311-310-302=923 +59
7. Vanderbilt 318-307-307=932 +68
8. Swedish Jr. National 307-312-314=933 +69
9. North Carolina 323-308-309=940 +76
10. New Mexico State 314-313-317=944 +80
11. Mississippi State 319-314-318=951 +87
12. Furman 324-316-315=955 +91
13. Arkansas 326-315-319=960 +96
14. Kentucky 325-322-322=969 +105
15. Mississippi 331-319-330=980 +116

MSU FINAL RESULTS
14. Anna Knutsson 76-72-80=228 +12
t29. Lina Thoren 79-80-75=234 +18
t50. Christina Clausen 78-81-84=243 +27
t57. Anna Gertsson 86-81-79=246 +30
t71. Renata Almeida 86-82-89=257 +41
77. Catalina Olarte 91-97-89=277 +61

State begins play on the 7,198-yard, par 72 course with two rounds Monday before concluding play with a final 18 holes Tuesday.

The Bulldogs will be competing in the event co-hosted by the University of Florida and Central Florida against a field that includes SEC foes Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Other teams participating in the tournament include College of Charleston, Florida State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, North Florida, Rhode Island and South Florida.

MSU enters play this week looking to rebound from a disappointing 12th-place showing at the Oct. 2-3 Windon Memorial Classic in Lake Forest, Ill.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/15/00
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's men's tennis duo of Chris McDonald and Mathieu Soto was eliminated from competition in main draw doubles consolation play at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships Saturday. The tournament, which is the second leg of the ITA Grand Slam, is being played at the Lincoln Tennis Center at Stone Mountain.

McDonald and Soto, ranked 43rd nationally, dropped a 7-5, 6-2 decision to Baylor's 20th-ranked team of Reiner Nuerohr and Mark Williams.

That loss ended MSU's overall competition at the event, where three Bulldog singles players as well as three State doubles squads qualified for the main draw, tying a school record for most main draw entries at a Grand Slam event.

"Even though our results did not show it as much, we had a very good week here," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "We had six qualifiers at a Grand Slam -- including two that are not currently ranked -- which is impressive in itself. In the main draw, many of our losses were very close to players ranked higher than us. Overall, we learned a lot about our team's strength and got a lot of solid experience."

State's netmen will return to action in two weeks, Oct. 27-29, when MSU will send split squads to the Thunderbird Invitational (Tempe, AZ) and the Tennessee Invitational (Knoxville, TN). The Bulldogs will close out the 2000 fall campaign Nov. 2-5 at the ITA/Rolex Region III Indoor Championships (Athens, GA).

MSU freshman Anna Knutsson shot a 72 Saturday at the par-72 Gettysvue Polo, Golf and Country Club. Her second round score of 72 marks her lowest round ever as a Lady Bulldog. Combined with her 76 on Friday, Knutsson has shot a 148 and sits in a four-way tie for seventh place in the individual standings.

Senior Lina Thoren and sophomore Christina Clausen both have scores of 159 for the MSU squad. Junior Anna Gertsson shot a 81 on Saturday to improve her overall score of 167. Freshman Catalina Olarte has posted a 188 through her first two rounds of action. Senior Renata Almeida, playing as an individual in the competition, has shot a 168.

Duke leads the Mercedes-Benz Championships with a score of 597. Christie Hermes of Northwestern and Meredith Duncan of Louisiana State are tied for the lead with scores of 144.

Final round of action concludes Sunday in Knoxville, Tenn.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/14/00
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's men's tennis duo of Chris McDonald and Mathieu Soto are into the semifinals of main draw doubles consolation play at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships. The tournament, which is the second leg of the ITA Grand Slam, is being played at the Lincoln Tennis Center at Stone Mountain.

McDonald and Soto, ranked 43rd nationally, downed Stanford's duo of K.J. Hippensteel and David Martin 7-6(5), 6-1 Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals. The win advanced the Bulldog pair into Saturday's consolation semis, where they will face Baylor's 20th-ranked team of Reiner Nuerohr and Mark Williams.

McDonald and Soto will look to become the second MSU tandem in as many years to claim the consolation doubles crown at the All-American after Bulldogs Marco Baron and Charles Sevigny did so last fall.

Baron and Sevigny, currently ranked third nationally and the weekend's number one seed in doubles, were upended by Auburn's 46th-ranked team of Georges Matijasevic and Tiago Ruffoni 6-2, 6-4 Friday in the championship draw's round of 16.

Also in action in main draw play for State Friday were Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette, who downed Tennessee's Wade Orr and Paul Podbury in the first round 6-1, 1-6, 7-6(2). The Bulldog pair then dropped a tough 7-6(4), 7-6(5) decision to the fifth-seeded and ninth-ranked Notre Dame tandem of Javier Taborga and Aaron Talarico in the round of 16.

Three different players recorded shots for Mississippi State to pace the Bulldog offense, while goalkeeper Kirstin Olson recorded three saves on 18 Florida shots to provide the defensive highlights for State. Abby Wambach recorded three goals and one assist to lead the conference-leading Gators.

"Today's game gave us the opportunity to see exactly where this program needs to be," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "Florida, as I said before, is a very talented, athletic and disciplined team. Our team played well for 90 minutes, yet lost goals that were very well executed. We must now look to Sunday and our game versus South Carolina. They, too, will provide a test for us that we must meet head on."

State's defense, which has been a cornerstone for the program all season, kept Florida off the board until the 19th minute (18:45) when Wambach hit a shot past Olson to get Florida off the mark. Less than nine minutes later, Wambach capped the first half scoring, connecting on a diving header on a service from Kristin Fisher in the 28th minute (27:10), to give the Gators a 2-0 advantage heading into the intermission.

The Gators picked up where they left off in the 52nd minute (51:31) when Sellers found open space and hit a ball underneath Olson to give Florida a three-goal cushion before scoring again in the 58th minute to put the Gators up 4-0. Wambach completed her hat trick in the 79th minute (78:15) with a diving header off a service from Danielle Murphy to cap the match scoring.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Sunday when they close out a three-game homestand by hosting SEC East foe South Carolina. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field and admission is free of charge.

SCORING SUMMARY, At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
Florida (9-6, 5-0 SEC) 2 3 - 5

Mississippi State (5-10, 1-4 SEC) 0 0 - 0

FLA: Abby Wambach (Crystal Frimpong), 18:45
FLA: Abby Wambach (Kristin Fisher), 27:10
FLA: Andi Sellers (Robin Fulton), 51:31
FLA: Andi Sellers (Abby Wambach), 57:23
FLA: Abby Wambach (Danielle Murphy), 78:15

Shots: FLA 18 (Wambach 5), MSU 3 (Schwenke, Kauffman, Meesey). Corner Kicks: FLA 10, MSU 1. Goalkeeper Saves: FLA 2 (Wiesemann), MSU 3 (Olson). Fouls: FLA 16, MSU 10. Yellow Cards: None. Red Cards: None. Offsides: FLA 1, MSU 0. Att. - 387.

Freshman Anna Knutsson leads MSU after shooting a 76, which puts her in a four-way tie for 15th place. Sophomore Christina Clausen posted a 78 to put her in a tie for 27th place. Senior Lina Thoren is close behind after carding a 79. Junior Anna Gertsson shot an 86 on her opening round, as did MSU senior Renata Almeida, who is playing as an individual in the tournament. Freshman Catalina Olarte rounds out the Lady Bulldog lineup with a score of 91.

Duke leads the team competition with a score of 300, while Rachel Lester of Kentucky leads the individual play after posting a 71 in her opening round.

Play at the Mercedes-Benz Championships continues Saturday and Sunday with 18 holes being played each day.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/13/00
Men's Tennis - Mississippi State's all-American men's tennis duo of Marco Baron and Charles Sevigny is into the round of 16 of doubles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships after a win Thursday. The tournament, which is the second leg of the ITA Grand Slam, is being played at the Lincoln Tennis Center at Stone Mountain.

Baron and Sevigny, currently ranked third nationally and this weekend's top-seeded pair, ousted Southern Methodist's 22nd-ranked team of Genius Chidzikwe and Jon Wallmark 6-3, 6-1 in first-round doubles play Thursday night.

The Bulldog tandem will face Auburn's 46th-ranked team of Georges Matijasevic and Tiago Ruffoni Friday in the round of 16 and would play again Friday night if they were to win that contest.

In other MSU action Thursday, it was a tough day for the Bulldogs in singles, as Baron, seeded second and fourth-ranked, was upset by 63rd-ranked Marko Cerenko of Duke 6-3, 6-4 in first-round competition.

Bulldog sophomore Jerome Le Belicard, ranked 86th, posted the biggest win of his young MSU career in the first round, upsetting New Mexico State's 37th-ranked Marc Legris 7-6(6), 6-1. But Le Belicard succumbed to SMU's Chidzikwe, ranked 45th, in the second round of the draw 6-2, 6-0.

In the marathon match of the day, MSU sophomore Rene-Charles Combette just missed in his upset bid against 41st-ranked Harsh Mankad of Minnesota, falling 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-4. Combette then dropped a 6-3, 7-5 decision to Pepperdine's 32nd-ranked Sebastien Graeff in first-round consolation action late Thursday.

Due to Combette's second singles match of the day getting a late start, he and partner Romain Ambert, who received a lucky loser entry into the doubles main draw late Wednesday night, will play their first-round doubles match against Tennessee's Wade Orr and Paul Podbury Friday.

State's 43rd-ranked duo of Chris McDonald and Mathieu Soto fell in the the first round of doubles Thursday night, ousted by Notre Dame's fifth-seeded and ninth-ranked team of Javier Taborga and Aaron Talarico 6-2, 6-2. The MSU pair will play in consolation beginning Friday against the loser of the MSU-Tennessee matchup.

The difference has translated into ever-improving confidence for the Maroons - a confidence which helped them Sunday when State recorded its first-ever victory against SEC West-nemesis Alabama in a 2-0 blanking of the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

"This program's first SEC win will give us an obvious boost as we head into yet another challenging conference weekend," McGuire said. "It gives the players the proof that they need to believe that they can be competitive and victorious within this conference. The games this weekend will have to be played with 100 percent intensity, desire and focus."

Mississippi State closes out its three-game homestand this weekend, hosting a pair of SEC East foes in a Friday match with Florida (8-6, 4-0) and a Sunday contest with South Carolina (3-11, 0-4). Both games are crucial to the Bulldogs' race for its first-ever berth in the conference tournament held in early November.

On the shoulders of a five-match winning streak, Florida will roll into town after reentering the top 25 for the first time in nearly three weeks. The Gators cracked the top 25 on Monday, checking in at No. 23 in all three major polls. The Gators are led by junior Andi Sellers who has tallied 10 goals and 5 assists through 14 games, good enough for top spot in the conference leaders. However, Florida will pose a double-threat with its complimenting forward, Abby Wambach, a two-time all-conference player.

"Florida is an excellent team," McGuire said. "They are disciplined, well-organized and very talented. This game will be a good test of our progress thus far into the season."

South Carolina has gotten off to a slow start, but has proven its hunger for a conference victory after being narrowly edged by nationally-ranked Kentucky Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks are led offensive by Becca Epstein (four goals, two assists) and are led defensively by goalkeeper Elise Matthews who already has 56 saves to her credit this season.

Friday's matchup with nationally-ranked Florida has been slated with a 4 p.m. start time while Sunday's contest against South Carolina is set to kickoff at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at the Mississippi State Soccer Field and admission is free of charge.

The 54-hole tournament will be played at the Gettysvue Polo, Golf and Country Club. The par-72, 5,958-yard course will host 14 schools and a Swedish National Team.

The MSU lineup will consist of senior Lina Thoren, junior Anna Gertsson, sophomore Christina Clausen, and freshmen Anna Knutsson and Catalina Olarte. Senior Renata Almeida will compete as an individual in the tournament.

"This upcoming weekend will be a great test for my squad," said head coach Christi Sanders. "The field has many top-ranked teams, and the golf course will be a challenge."

MSU will face Arkansas, Duke, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Purdue, the Swedish National Team, Tennessee and Texas Christian for the first time this season. The Lady Bulldogs will also compete against Furman, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Vanderbilt, all of whom were MSU opponents in a previous fall tournament this season.

The Lady Bulldogs have placed second in their two fall 2000 tournaments, the Derby Invitational and the Dodge ACC/SEC Shootout. Thoren won the individual title at the Derby Invitational, while Gertsson was the top Lady Bulldog finisher at the Dodge ACC/SEC Shootout with a second-place finish.

The Mercedes-Benz Championships begin Friday, October 13, with MSU teeing off at 8:30 a.m.

Next weekend MSU makes a swing to the Palmetto State, visiting Winthrop (Oct. 20) and South Carolina (Oct. 22).

Mississippi State has already surpasses its 1999 season win total (11) and with 14 wins, the most during coach Brenda Bowlin's four seasons at MSU, the Bulldogs are two wins away from clinching MSU Volleyball's first winning record since 1992.

"This is a huge weekend for us," said Bowlin. "We're in a battle with the two teams we face this weekend for one of the eight berths in the SEC Tournament (Nov. 17-19 in gainesville, Fla.). We've been having our problems offensively the past few weeks and need to get clicking again this weekend."

Mississippi State posted a 12-3 record during the most productive September in MSU's 26 years of volleyball. But in October State has managed but a 2-3 mark. And the crisp .264 hitting of September and has cooled to .150 for the month of October.

MSU's success over this weekend's opponents has been limited in years gone by. LSU holds a commanding 30-4 series lead against the Bulldogs, with the Tigers claiming both meetings last year (3-1 [15-12, 11-15, 9-15, 7-15] in Starkville and 3-2 [6-15, 7-15, 15-8, 15-1, 10-15] in Baton Rouge). Three of MSU's four wins against LSU and State's lone win against the Tigers in Baton Rouge have come since 1997 during the Brenda Bowlin era. And Arkansas has reeled off wins in all 13 matches with MSU since joining the SEC in 1994.

MSU's next home competition comes Homecoming Week when State hosts Arkansas (Oct. 27) and LSU (Oct. 29) at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/12/00
Volleyball - Three Bulldogs reached double figures in kills Wednesday night as Mississippi State (14-6) snapped a three-match losing skid with a 3-1 win over Middle Tennessee State 3-1 in college volleyball action at the Newell-Grissom Building. MSU claimed its final non-conference home match in four games, 15-3, 11-15, 15-6, 15-12.

"It certainly wasn't a pretty win, but it was a win," said coach Brenda Bowlin, whose Bulldogs now hit the road for SEC Western Division matches at LSU and Arkansas this weekend. "We're still having our problems with consistency and staying aggressive. We'll need to get that straightened out in a hurry. It's a matter of getting back to executing and doing the things that we did well earlier in the season."

Misty Hubenthal had a match-high 13 kills, Christine Owen 11 and Brianne Smedley 10 as the Bulldogs hit at a frosty .117 clip, their lowest hitting percentage in a winning effort this season. Owen also totaled 10 digs to complete her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, while freshman Tanika Taylor had a match-leading and season-best 17 digs.

In the opening game, Smedley had four of her 10 kills during an 8-0 Mississippi State burst. The Lady Raiders (8-11) took advantage of 11 MSU hitting errors to overcome a 10-8 MSU lead and tie the match with a 15-11 win in the second game.

State reeled off eight points during Michele Gordon's serve and led 10-0 before taking the third game 15-6. But the Bulldogs struggled in putting the Lady Raiders away, fending off an MTSU rally and claiming the match-clinching fourth game 15-12 on their fourth match point serve.

Erin Hillstrom had 11 kills and 14 digs for MTSU while Lindsay Pritchard had five total blocks and helped the Lady Raiders to a 13-8 edge in total team blocking.

The Bulldogs play their next four matches on the road, beginning Friday (7 p.m.) against LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 1
Middle Tennessee (8-11) 3 15 6 12
Mississippi State (14-6) 15 11 15 15

MSU already had one automatic entry in both singles and doubles in the main draw. Two-time, all-American Marco Baron (ranked fourth nationally) is in the 64-player singles field. He and partner Charles Sevigny (ranked third as a duo), a fellow all-American, are in the 32-team doubles draw.

Joining Baron in the singles draw will be sophomores Rene-Charles Combette and Jerome Le Belicard, who notched qualifying wins Wednesday to make the bracket.

Combette is in the second main draw of his career after upsetting Northwestern's 83rd-ranked Brad Erickson 7-5, 7-6(5) in the qualies. The Corsica, France, native made the main draw of the National Clay Court Championships earlier this fall, reaching the quarterfinals there. Le Belicard, ranked 86th in the country, will be making his first main draw appearance in a major after downing William and Mary's 90th-ranked Trevor Spracklin 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 Wednesday.

In doubles qualifying Wednesday, State's 43rd-ranked duo of Chris McDonald and Mathieu Soto downed Brian Lubin and Geoffrey Russell of William and Mary 8-5 to advance to the third major main draw of their MSU careers.

In other final-round qualifying singles play Wednesday, true freshman Romain Ambert dropped a 6-2, 7-5 decision to Paul Jacobson of Indiana, while Sevigny fell 6-4, 7-5 to Florida's 78th-ranked Nathan Overholser. Ambert and Combette were also in action in doubles, but fell 8-4 to Eddie Coates and Bobby Reynolds of Vanderbilt.

Only three other times has MSU had five or more qualifiers in a Grand Slam main draw ­ the 1990 NCAA Championships (5), the 1998 Clay Court Championships (6) and the 1998 All-American Championships (5).

"We are very proud to have this much representation in the main draw," MSU head coach Andy Jackson said. "The guys who qualified today played some good tennis this week to make the field. And we had a couple of others who were very close to making it as well."

The All-American is the second leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Grand Slam. MSU players have twice won the singles title of the event -- all-Americans Daniel Courcol (1992) and Thomas Dupre' (1996). Courcol teamed with Laurent Miquelard to claim the doubles crown in 1992 as well.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/11/00
Soccer - Memphis (7-7) got a goal in the 21st minute, then stuffed a handful of late scoring threats by Mississippi State (5-9), as the Tigers held on to defeat the Bulldogs 1-0 Tuesday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Freshmen Sam Schwenke and Jocelyn McNeely combined for six looks on the Memphis goal to pace the Bulldog offense which was unable to capitalize on its scoring opportunities. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson recorded three saves on just seven Memphis shots to highlight the Mississippi State defense.

"Today's game was very disappointing," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "We were in control for most of the match, but could not capitalize on the chances we created for ourself. If we don't execute on the things that make this team successful, we will not get the results that we desire. All credit goes to Memphis because they did what they needed to do."

Despite State getting a better portion of scoring opportunities through the first 20 minutes of play, Michelle Meehan got her team off the mark when she took a deflected corner kick and hit a shot past Olson at the 20:10 mark to give Memphis a 1-0 lead. Schwenke nearly gave Mississippi State its Equalizer less than three minutes later, but her shot careened off the post and out of the Memphis box.

State took offensive control in the opening minutes of the second half, suffering through a pair of hard fouls by Memphis' Ali Baker, before another shot by Schwenke, this time a header, went off the Memphis crossbar and out of danger. Memphis bunkered down the rest of the way out, stifling a numerous chances by State, especially a strong surge during the final seven minutes of regulation.

The Bulldogs will again be in action this weekend when they close out a three-game homestand against a pair of SEC Eastern Division foes. State will host conference-leading Florida on Friday at 4 p.m. and will suit up again on Sunday against South Carolina. Both matches will be played at the Mississippi State Soccer Field and admission is free of charge.

At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
Memphis 1 0 - 1
Mississippi State 0 0 - 0

MEM: Michelle Meehan (Unassisted), 20:10
Shots: MEM 7 (Gjertson 3), MSU 13 (Schwenke, McNeely 3). Corner Kicks: MEM 2, MSU 6. Goalkeeper Saves: MEM 6 (Rawe), MSU 3 (Olson). Fouls: MEM 15, MSU 10. Yellow Cards: MEM 2 (Baker; 41:26 - Roughing, Williams; 80:56 - Roughing), MSU 1 (White; 21:53 - Roughing). Red Cards: None. Offsides: MEM 0, MSU 3. Att. - 356.

In singles play, true freshman Romain Ambert, and sophomores Rene-Charles Combette, Jerome Le Belicard and Charles Sevigny all advanced to the finals of qualifying with victories. Those Bulldogs will be looking for one more victory each Wednesday, which would move them into the main draw of the tournament that begins Thursday.

Ambert was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Alex Bose of Duke Tuesday and will face Indiana's Paul Jacobson Wednesday. Sevigny ousted Ohio State's Chris Porter 6-1, 6-1 and will meet 78th-ranked Nathan Overholser of Florida. Le Belicard, ranked 86th nationally, held off Penn State's Jamie Gresh 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 and will meet Florida Atlantic's Martin Jirak on Wednesday. Combette, who qualified for the year's first major (the Nat'l Clay Courts) where he reached the quarterfinals, beat Notre Dame's Aaron Talarico 6-3, 6-4 Tuesday and will take on Northwestern's 83rd-ranked Brad Erickson to try to make his second-straight main draw.

In doubles play Tuesday, Ambert and Combette teamed to stave off Petr Koula and Daniel Wajnberg of Texas Christian 9-8(5). They will meet Eddie Coates and Bobby Reynolds of Vanderbilt Wednesday. Statešs duo of Chris McDonald and Mathieu Soto, ranked 43rd nationally, edged Ross Bourne and Jason Pongsrikul of San Diego 8-6 and will face Brian Lubin and Geoffrey Russell of William and Mary. As in singles, those doubles teams will be looking for one more win Wednesday to advance to the weekend's main draw.

MSU already has one entry in both singles and doubles in the main draw. Two-time, all-American Marco Baron (ranked fourth) is in the 64-player singles field, and he and Sevigny (ranked third as a duo), a fellow all-American, are in the 32-team doubles draw.

The All-American is the second leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Grand Slam. MSU players have twice won the singles title of the event -- all-Americans Daniel Courcol (1992) and Thomas Dupre' (1996). Courcol teamed with Laurent Miquelard to claim the doubles crown in 1992 as well.

Mississippi State (13-6) will be looking to shake a pesky season-longest three-match losing streak after dropping a midweek match at USM (3-1) last Wednesday and a pair of SEC Western Division battles with Auburn (3-2) and Alabama (3-1) over the weekend. Middle Tennessee State, a member of the Sun Belt Conference enters tonight's match with an 8-10 mark.

"We played with a lot of confidence during the first month of the season," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "That's been missing in our matches lately, and we need to find a way to get that confidence back as we head into an important stage in our schedule."

The Bulldogs are paced by seniors Christine Owen (232 kills/164 digs) and Brianne Smedley (.389 hitting percentage/65 total blocks). Smedley now ranks fifth with 57 career block solos, sixth with 213 block assists and ninth with 819 career kills.

Following Wednesday's match the Bulldogs travel to Louisiana and Arkansas for weekend matches at LSU (Oct. 13, 7 p.m.) and Arkansas (Oct. 15, 1:30 p.m.).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/06/00
Soccer - With all the lessons that the Mississippi State soccer team has learned through the first half of the 2000 season, none is more important now than the one taught to it by head coach Neil McGuire.

The importance of team chemistry was first on the agenda for coach McGuire when he took over the reigns of the program in February. And, while he wants his team to use what it has learned thus far into the campaign, he also wants to instill the value of togetherness as the team heads into its final nine matches of the regular season.

"Our team has steadily improved throughout this season," McGuire said. "We have faced adversity and come through it well because of the closeness of our players."

Mississippi State (4-7, 0-2 SEC), fresh off a four-game homestand, goes back on the road again this weekend for a crucial Southeastern Conference roadtrip with plenty of SEC Tournament-qualifying implications. State will first travel to the plains of Alabama to take on the surprising Auburn Tigers (9-3, 0-2) and will conclude the trip on Sunday when the team travels northward to Tuscaloosa to battle Alabama (4-8, 0-2).

With just eight spots available for the conference tournament, and with the first half of the 2000 season now a just a memory, the conference season will now involve teams jockeying for position. State is currently tied with Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina for the eighth and final spot in the tournament and will now begin its attempt to secure the first conference tournament berth in school history.

"We must turn our 'just being competitive' into victories," McGuire said. "We must execute our opportunities. I believe the team is ready to do that."

Auburn is currently 9-3 and have been the surprise team of the conference after a disappointing 6-13 record at the close of the 1999 campaign. The Tigers have turned in crucial program victories this season, including a 3-1 upset of then-No. 23 ranked Marquette two weeks ago. After tying the overall series 2-2-1 with a 1-0 victory in Starkville just more than a year ago, State will look to get the upperhand in the series, but will be forced to do it away from the comfy confines of home.

"Being on the road is a part of what being an athlete is," McGuire said. "We are focused, excited and ready to play."

Game time for Friday's contest with Auburn is set for 3 p.m. at the Auburn Soccer Complex, while Sunday's contest with the Crimson Tide has been slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

In tonight's match the Volleyball Bulldogs (13-4, 1-3 SEC) are looking for their second straight league win and back-to-back wins over Auburn (8-7, 0-4 SEC) for the first time since 1986. Coach Brenda Bowlin's Bulldogs topped Georgia 3-1 (15-7, 15-5, 7-15, 15-13) in last Sunday's win over UG televised by FOX Sports Net.

Senior co-captain Brianne Smedley has turned in two of her top offensive outings of the season in MSU's last two matches. Smedley currently sports a .418 hitting percentage, second highest in the SEC and ninth-best in the NCAA. The Arlington, Texas, native piled up 17 kills against both Georgia and Southern Miss and stands third on the team with 161 kills this fall. She has tied former MSU standout Temeka Thomas (1996-97) for eighth with 53 career block solos and for sixth with 211 career block assists.

The status of MSU's other senior co-captain, outside hitter Christine Owen, is uncertain for the weekend matches after she sustained a shoulder injury early in MSU's Wednesday night match at Southern Miss. Owen leads the team with 210 kills and 145 digs, and is four kills away from setting the school career kills record.

Auburn snapped a four-match losing skid Tuesday night with a 3-0 win at Samford. The Tigers are coached by Kevin Renshler, in his first season at Auburn and are led on the court by a pair of three-time All-SEC performers, middle blocker Jaunelle Hamilton and outside hitter Brooke McCarley. Alabama (13-4, 3-1 SEC) enters a Friday night match at Mississippi atop the SEC Western Division standings. UA senior Michelle Green currently leads the SEC in both kills (276) and kills per game (4.52).

Following Sunday's match with Alabama, the Bulldogs entertain Middle Tennessee State Oct. 11 (7 p.m.) to close out their current homestand.

MSU VOLLEYDOG NOTES: Mississippi State is ranked seventh in the latest AVCA South Region coaches poll. MSU is one of six SEC teams in the regional ranking ... Bulldog sophomore Misty Hubenthal is ranked fourth in the latest conference statistics averaging 0.52 service aces per game ... MSU's 3-1 Wednesday night loss at Southern Miss snapped a 13-match non-conference win streak for State ...With five digs against USM junior setter Dawn Steinhauser became the sixth Bulldog to reach the century mark in digs this season.

The field features sixteen of the nation's top collegiate tennis programs, based upon those programs' combined men's and women's rankings at the end of the 2000 spring season.

"This is a great experience and testament to the success our tennis program has had," MSU head men's coach Andy Jackson said. "(Women's head coach) Tracy (Lane) and I are very excited that both of our teams achieved what they did last season and those accomplishments are the reason we are in this tremendous field this weekend."

Over the course of the first two days of the event, each team will play three matches against other schools in their group. State's group (#2) consists of MSU, UCLA, Illinois and Virginia Commonwealth. MSU will meet UCLA on Friday morning, Illinois that afternoon, and VCU on Saturday morning.

The winners of each group then advance to the semifinals Saturday afternoon, with the championship slated for Sunday.

Each team match consists of five sets, with one set each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. One point is awarded for each match won and a nine-point tiebreak is played if a set reaches 5-5.

MSU's contingent at the event on the men's side will be two-time, all-American Marco Baron, his doubles partner and fellow all-American Charles Sevigny, and sophomore Chris McDonald. Teaming with those Bulldogs will be Lady Bulldogs Amelie Detriviere (ranked in the top 75 nationally), Linda Mattsson and Claudia Oliveira.

Most of the remainder of the Bulldog and Lady Bulldog squads will be in competition in other areas of the country this weekend. Bulldogs Matt Armstrong, Max Fomine, David Ruiz and Mathieu Soto will compete in the prequalifying stages of the All-American Hardcourt Championships in Stone Mountain, Ga., beginning Saturday. Lady Bulldogs Yumi Ueda and Anca Vasiloaica will be in action at the St. Mary's Healthy System Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., starting Friday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/02/00
Soccer - Louisiana State (10-2, 1-1 SEC) got two goals near the intermission, then held back a late rally by homestanding Mississippi State (4-7, 0-2), to take a 2-0 victory Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Senior Charleston Platt took two quality shots on goal to highlight the Bulldog offense. Goalkeeper Stephanie Lyon turned in five saves on 16 Tiger shots before giving way to Kirstin Olson in the 53rd minute of play. Olson stopped two of three Louisiana State shots at the Bulldog goal.

"We played very well in both games this weekend," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "It is a shame that we came out of the weekend with two losses because we were very competitive the entire weekend. We will not accept defeat and look to get back on track in our next match."

After both teams battled back and forth for a good part of the first 40 minutes of play, LSU got off the mark in the 43rd minute (42:12) when Ashley Mitnick snuck a corner kick inside the far post to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead heading into the break. LSU extended its lead to two at the 51:50 mark when Mitnick found Kara Dean in open space, then Dean finished with a shot underneath a diving Lyon.

Mississippi State attempted to rally over the final 20 minutes of action, developing several offensive charges, but could not find the back of the Louisiana State nets. Platt found space inches in front of the LSU endline at the 78:46, but her close-range shot found the open arms of Tiger goalkeeper Bonnie Otillio, denying the Bulldogs a chance to scratch the scoreboard.

State will again be in action on Friday when the Bulldogs go back on the road to face Auburn and Alabama in key SEC matchups. Friday's match at Auburn is set for 3 p.m. at the Auburn Soccer Complex, while Sunday's match against the Crimson Tide is set for 1 p.m. at the Alabama Soccer Complex.

SCORING SUMMARY, At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
Louisiana State 1 1 - 2
Mississippi State 0 0 - 0

LSU: Ashley Mitnick (Unassisted), 42:12
LSU: Kara Dean (Mitnick), 51:50

Shots: LSU 19 (Dean 7), MSU 7 (Platt 2). Corner Kicks: LSU 8, MSU 7. Goalkeeper Saves: LSU 2 (Otillio), MSU 7 (Lyon 5). Fouls: LSU 10, MSU 7. Yellow Cards: LSU 1 (Atwell; 85:05 - Roughing). Red Cards: None. Att. - 439.

"It's always a great feeling to get that first SEC win, especially since we let one slip away up at Kentucky last week," said fourth-year Bulldog head coach Brenda Bowlin. "Georgia has an outstanding program and we knew we'd have to play at our best to have a chance to end their win streak against State."

The win also advanced MSU's record to a perfect 3-0 in SEC-TV broadcasts. Sunday's match was televised regionally by FOX Sports Net South.

State pulled away from close early battles to win the opening two games with relative ease, 15-7 and 15-8. "We set the tone for the match by playing with the same intensity we had in the third game against Florida Friday night," said Bowlin. "Our passing and serving were sharp, and those were crucial to our success."

Georgia battled back into contention with a 15-7 win in the third game and staged a dramatic comeback that threatened to send the match into a rally-scored fifth game. State built up a commanding 11-2 lead in the fourth game before Georgia fought back to even the match at 11-11 and 13-13. But MSU put down the Georgia uprising and scored the next two points for a match-clinching 15-13 win.

The win snapped a string of 25 consecutive Georgia wins in the series. MSU's last previous win over UG came in 1979. It was State's first home victory against the SEC Eastern Division power.

Brianne Smedley registered eight of her season-high 17 kills during the deciding fourth game. The SEC's hitting percentage leader the past two weeks hit at a .485 rate and was credited with a team-leading five blocks.

Misty Hubenthal also had 17 kills and nine digs, while Christine Owen recorded her second double-double of the year with 16 kills and a dozen digs. Junior middle Michele Gordon had a career-high 17 digs while Dawn Steinhauser helped MSU's 72-69 edge in digs with a season-best 16.

Owen eclipsed the 1,400 mark in career kills and with 1,406 needs eight more to surpass Aimee York's school-record 1,413 set in 1992. With two block solos Smedley moved past Carmen Easley (1992-95) into ninth place among MSU's career leaders with 51.

Stacy Buerger registered a dozen kills and a match-high 21 digs to pace Georgia.

Mississippi State steps away from league competition Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. road match against in-state non-conference rival Southern Mississippi. The Bulldogs then return to the Newell-Grissom Building to host SEC Western Division foes Auburn Friday (7 p.m.) and Alabama Sunday (2 p.m.).

MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, GEORGIA 1
Georgia (8-7, 1-3 SEC) 7 5 15 13
Mississippi State (13-3, 1-3 SEC) 15 15 7 1

In singles, 86th-ranked Bulldog Jerome Le Belicard made the semifinals of consolation play in Division I Sunday. He downed Noel Wadawn of Florida A&M 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals before falling 4-6, 6-2, 10-4 to 58th-ranked Christoph Thall of South Alabama in the semis.

In doubles, Le Belicard and partner Max Fomine had advanced to the quarterfinals of Division II , where they fell to Florida's tandem of Ross Greenstein and Troy Hahn 8-4 Sunday.

Members of the Bulldog team will return to action next weekend, Oct. 6-8, when they team with members of the Lady Bulldog squad at the WingspanBank.com/WTT National Collegiate Tennis Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. The tournament, hosted by Stanford University, features 16 of the nation's top collegiate tennis programs each year.

Head coach Greg Martin makes his coaching debut Monday after returning to the MSU program a couple of weeks ago. The Bulldogs tee off at the Knollwood Club in search of a third consecutive top-five finish after placing second at the season-opening G. Gunby Jordan Intercollegiate and fifth at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate.

Sophomore Codie Mudd, senior Scott Shelton, freshman T.J. Washburn and juniors John Mueller and Jason McKenzie will challenge the 6,951-yard, par 72 Knollwood course in 54-hole play over the two days.

Martin's linksters are competing in the Windon Memorial for the first time, while the remainder of the 12-team field competed in last year's event. The Bulldogs will challenge for the top spot along with nationally-ranked host Northwestern (10th), 20th-rated defending champion Kent State, No. 22 USC and SEC foe Vanderbilt.

Through two tournaments in the fall season, MSU has posted a 52.96 scoring average over 25 rounds. Shelton's 66.00 average continues to lead those Bulldogs who have played in the opening two tournaments of the season.

Women's Golf - The Mississippi State women's golf team finished second at the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational Shootout in Destin, Fla. Playing at the Raven Golf Course, MSU posted a 909 to finish one stroke behind Auburn, the tournament winner.

Junior Anna Gertsson finished second in the individual competition, carding a 215 over the three-day tournament.

Mississippi State and Gertsson posted the lowest single-round scores of the tournament. MSU's 293 on Saturday was the lowest in team competition, while Gertsson's Saturday score of 68 was the lowest among the individual golfers. It also marked her lowest single-round score of her MSU career, breaking her previous-best 69 at the 1999 Lady Seminole Invitational.

"We had a fantastic round (on Saturday) to put us in contention, but we just came up a little short," said MSU head coach Christi Sanders. "I am extremely proud of Anna. She struggled early but put it together."

State senior Lina Thoren finished eighth in the tournament, shooting a 228. Freshman Anna Knutsson posted a 230 to put her in a tie for ninth place. Sophomore Christina Clausen shot a 243 and finished tied for 38th, while freshman Catalina Olarte's 245 placed her in a tie for 40th to round out the MSU lineup.

Auburn won the team and individual competition, posting a team score of 908. Celeste Troche shot a winning 212 at the Sandestin Resort.

"We beat a lot of great teams this weekend," said Sanders. MSU was one of eight teams competing in the Shootout that were NCAA Tournament qualifiers last year.

The Lady Bulldogs' next tournament action will be on October 13-15 at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate in Knoxville, Tenn.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

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