09/30/02
Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. ­ Mississippi State's men's tennis team finished competition at the Gator Invitational Sunday, playing just three matches due to some minor injuries. The format for this weekend's tournament was structured similar to a normal dual match, but no team scores are being recorded, only individual singles and doubles results.

In action against South Florida Sunday, Jerome Le Belicard and Matt Armstrong were the only Bulldog competitors. Le Belicard dropped a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 decision to USF's Juan Barragan while Armstrong fell 6-3, 6-2 to Federico Barton. In doubles, the same Bulldog pair was defeated by the same Bull duo 8-6.

Bulldogs Rene-Charles Combette, Michael Hailey and Max Fomine all sat out of action Sunday to recover from some minor injuries stemming from Saturday's play.

Next up for State will be the first major college event of the year, the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships which begin this Friday, Oct. 4, with prequalifying. MSU will have four players (Armstrong, Fomine, Hailey and Le Belicard) in the prequalifying rounds of the tournament. Combette is an entry into the qualifying stage of the event, which does not begin until Oct. 8. He will be joined there in doubles by Le Belicard.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Samford (10-1-1) converted on two second half goals in a span of 1:10, then held back a late charge by homestanding Mississippi State (3-7), to upset the Bulldogs, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Betty Ann Casey turned in her second score of the season and also paced the 'Dogs with six good looks, including four shots on goal. Samford's Marian Wagner added an assist and scored the gamewinner for the visitors.

The win left Samford with its school-record 10th victory of the season, as well as the Red and Blue's first victory over an SEC opponent in seven tries. The win also gave Samford its first victory over MSU in the six-game series and sent the Maroon and White reeling on its longest losing streak since the 1999 season.

Despite the loss, State outshot its guests by an alarming 24-6 count, including a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Bulldogs also collected 14 corner kicks ­ the most posted since a win over Middle Tennessee State on Aug. 31, 1996.

"Again, we outshot a team by a lot to a little and we came away empty," said McGuire in reference to last Sunday's loss to Southwest Missouri State despite a 27-9 shot advantage. "(Samford) had two breakaway goals that were very costly to us. It is becoming an issue for us to give up a goal, then surrender another shortly afterward.

"We're doing a lot of things right, but we just aren't scoring. Its becoming a matter of pride for us."

Mississippi State had its chances early, putting together a golden scoring opportunity just more than three minutes in, but Ngum Suh's header found the waiting arms of Samford goalkeeper Crystal Royall to nullify the threat. The Bulldogs continued to fire away at the Samford nets over the course of the first period, but were negated several times on wide shots or opportunistic saves by Royall.

Samford came out of the halftime gates fired up and forced the Maroon and White onto its heels early, but State recovered to give itself a few scoring chances in the opening minutes. However, just 10 minutes in, Samford's Marian Wagner barely escaped an offsides call and made her way into MSU's offensive third, deflecting a shot off State keeper Courtney Hubert to the waiting feet of Allison Provine, who finished with a cannon shot far post in the 55th minute (54:07). The Red and Blue struck again quickly when leading scorer Lindsay Shanks quickly found a streaking Wagner down the left side in open space, to which Wagner put her team up 2-0 on a shot underneath Hubert.

State composed itself to get a few quality chances down the stretch. Jessi Moore found her way into the Samford box in the 59th minute (58:18), but succumbed to nagging pressure from a Samford defender. Amber Rose followed shortly after with a header that caught the post and ricocheted safely away from the goal. Casey finally got State on the scoreboard in the 77th minute (76:29), taking a perfectly timed pass from Jessica Kauffman, then redirecting near post underneath a diving Royall.

The Bulldogs will again be in action on Friday when they open conference play at home against SEC West rival Arkansas (3-7) at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Game time is set for 3 p.m. and admission to all 2002 Mississippi State home games is free of charge.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Third-ranked Florida rode the 15-kill, 16-dig performance of Aury Cruz Sunday afternoon to a hard-fought 3-0 win over Mississippi State at the Newell-Grissom Building.

The Bulldogs (9-7, 0-2 SEC) out-hit Florida (12-1, 2-0) in the opening game .294 to .289. The two teams were tied at 16-16 before UF, riding the strong serving of Cruz, went on 9-0 run to win the opening frame 30-21. Cruz tallied seven kills and hit at a .545 clip to lead the Gators to a 30-14 win in the second game. Florida forced a match-high 12 Bulldog hitting errors in the final frame and pulled away from a 26-22 contest with a match-clinching 30-24 win.

"Florida has an impressive, athletic team, and today they executed well in just about all areas," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "But I am so proud of the way we bounced back from a disappointing performance Friday night (a 3-1 loss to Georgia) and competed at such a high level today against one of the nation's best teams. Before the match we talked about having the desire to play hard and play to win, and for the first time this season we saw that.The key for us now is to maintain that intensity level and that desire the remainder of the year."

The Bulldogs were led on offense by Misty Hubenthal, held to a season-low nine kills, ending her two-season run of 17 consecutive matches of double-digit scoring. Rachel Cooper, Nicole Broome and Hilary Chambers had seven kills each. Cooper paced MSU on defense with 14 digs, while Tanika Taylor, drawing her first start in the libero defensive position, added nine digs. Jennifer Rousey had six of MSU's 11 blocks.

Jacque Robinson joined Cruz in double figures in kills for the Gators with 10.

The Bulldogs continue their ongoing season-longest four-match SEC homestand this weekend, playing host to Auburn (1-13, 0-2) in a 7 p.m. match Friday at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

DESTIN, Fla. - No. 18 Mississippi State fired a third round 312-904 and fell to a fifth place tie as the third annual Chrysler ACC/SEC Challenge came to a close at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

The Lady Bulldogs were led by sophomore Beth Irwin, who garnered her second straight top 10 finish with an 8-over 221. The Germantown, Tenn., native fired rounds of 71, 73 and 77.

Sophomore Natalie Booth and freshman Sofie Andersson both finished with an 11-over 224, good enough for 16th place among individuals. Senior Anna Knutsson shot a final round 78, but fell to 46th place, 22-over par.

Fourth-ranked Auburn claimed the team title for the second time in three years. The Tigers' final round 296-887 was six strokes better than defending national champion Duke. No. 17 Florida, who won the tournament last year, finished third while host Florida State claimed fourth place.

Auburn also claimed medalist honors for the second time in the tournament's three year history. Diana Ramage finished with a 1-over 214, three strokes better than Furman's Brandi Jackson, and Duke's Elizabeth Janangelo, who fired a course record 67 in the first round.

Mississippi State (16-6-2) returns to action on Oct. 11, when they travel to the Beacon Woods Invitational in New Port Richey, Fla., hosted by 16th-ranked South Florida.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Mississippi State women's tennis team finished play at the Roberta Alison Fall Classic on Sunday. Justyna Switala was the only lady netter to record a victory on the last day of comptition. Switala, No. 2 seed, defeated Jasmin Singh of the University of Louisville 6-1, 6-1 in the fifth-place match of Flight E.

Flight F No. 1 seed, Elaine Fagan dropped the third-place match to No. 3 seed Carla Bruno o f Auburn University-Montgomery in a 6-4, 6-2 decision.

In the fifth-place match of the Flight A consolation round, Marcelle Hirt fell to host Alabama's Millie Begovic 6-0, 6-1.

No. 2 seed, Magdolna Rekasi dropped the third-place match in Flight C to Sarah Suitor of Auburn 6-3, 6-4.

Lady netter Yumi Ueda lost a tough 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 decision to Auburn's Martina Janska, seeded No. 4. The Flight D consolation match was the only match for State to go three sets.

MSU will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., next for the St. Mary's Classic on October 4-6.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

09/28/02
Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Mississippi State University women's tennis team had to be flexible on the first day of competition at the Roberta Alison Fall Classic. Due to rain, the entire doubles bracket was played on Friday and the singles portion will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

MSU's duo of Marcelle Hirt and Magdi Rekasi lost to Andrea Kurekova and Dominika Nemcovicova of South Alabama 8-4 in Flight A doubles. In their consolation match, they defeated Melisa San Martin and Kelly Taylor of Louisville 8-4. They then fell 8-3 to Carolina Gago and Suzanna Valekova of Auburn-Montgomery.

Lady Bulldogs Elaine Fagan and Yumi Ueda, seeded No. 1 in Flight C, were victorious over Kelly Bucewicz and Cassidy Shaw of the University of Louisiana-Monroe. They then dropped a 9-8(4) decision to the fourth-seeded pair of Marie-France Lord-Andrade and Melissa Minor of host Alabama. In the third-place match, the MSU duo claimed an 8-4 win over Marusa Pogacnik and Julia Searle of Arizona State University.

Singles competition will be begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The team was led by sophomore Meggan Hodge, who navigated the 5K course in 19:20.4, finishing 33rd on a rainy Friday afternoon at the Ballantyne Cross Country Course.

"Meggan ran another good race today," said head coach Al Schmidt. "It is an extremely tough course made even harder with the rain."

Tiffany McWilliams, a sophomore from Red Bay, Ala., finished 69th overall (19:52.5). Senior Ronni Rudolphi (20:48.2) crossed the line in 124th position, with sophomore Trina Hobyan (20:49.4) coming in 125th.

Freshmen Mina Thorstenson (21:30.0) and Michelle Kinney (21:57.2) came in 152nd and 164th, respectively.

Next up for the Bulldog harriers is the Notre Dame Invitational Friday, October 4.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The lone victory of the day for State came from senior Rene-Charles Combette. The Ajaccio, Corsica, native, ranked 57th nationally in singles, rallied for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over 59th-ranked Gator Eleazar Magallan.

Bulldogs Jerome Le Belicard and Matt Armstrong both dropped close contests in singles. Le Belicard fell 8-6 in a tight first-set tiebreaker before finally succumbing to UF's Janne Holmia 7-6(6), 6-3. Armstrong, a Jackson native who is back in a ction this fall after a broken bone in his arm sidelined him last season, forced a third set with Gator Matt Behrmann before dropping a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 decision.

The Gators gained straight-set wins in the other two singles matches contested and were also winners in the only two doubles matches of the afternoon.

"Just like against Georgia in the last tournament," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said, "we only got one win, but some good things happened for us. Rene fought hard to come back and beat a very good player in Eleazar. Jerome was close against a new player who I think will be very good. And Matt Armstrong really showed some signs of his potential by pushing Matt Behrmann, who clinched their win against us last season, to three sets. We definitely still have room to improve in some areas, but overall I was pleased with our efforts today."

The Bulldogs will continue play Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, taking on the Miami Hurricanes. State will conclude action in the event Sunday at 10 a.m., meeting South Florida.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The visiting Bulldogs rolled to a 30-17 win in the opening game, split a pair of close battles 32-30 and 33-35 in the next two sets, and then hit at a match-best .405 clip in a match-clinching 30-16 win in game four.

"We got off to a poor start and then had to play from behind all night," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We battled back after a slow start in the second game and had an opportunity to win it at the end. But Georgia had a balanced attack and played well when they had to. They got some big performances from Petruschke and Forsythe."

Petruschke hit .340 and added 12 digs, while Forsythe also registered a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs on a .367 hitting night.

Bulldog senior Misty Hubenthal paced State with 14 kills, six in the third game when the Bulldogs rallied from a 29-26 deficit to notch a 35-33 win. Hilary Chambers added 13 kills with a match-high six blocks and Nicole Broome registered 10 kills with five blocks on a team-best .389 hitting night.

Libero Lauren Bounds led the MSU defensive effort with 13 digs.

Georgia out-hit State .270 to .184, leading 66-51 in kills and 53-41 in digs. MSU turned in a strong game at the net, out-blocking Georgia 13-7.

The Bulldogs continue conference competition and their season-longest four-match homestand Sunday at 2 p.m. playing host to third-ranked Florida (11-1, 1-0), who opened league play with a 3-0 win Friday night at Mississippi.

Georgia def. Mississippi State 3-1 (30-17, 32-30, 33-35, 30-16)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Defending ACC/SEC Challenge champion Florida is in third place, only one stroke behind the leaders while defending national champion Duke stands fourth after a first day 297.

Beth Irwin and Sofie Andersson both shot career bests in the first round. Both fired an even-par 71 and stand fourth among individual scorers.

Duke's Elizabeth Janangelo shot a 4-under 67 to claim the individual lead while Kentucky's Kelly Anders stands in second place after her opening round 68.

Play continues Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at the par 71/5,937 yard Raven Course.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/26/02
Women's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State's women's golf team, ranked 22nd in the latest Sagarin/Golfweek top 25 poll, will travel to Destin, Fla., to take part in the third annual Chrysler ACC/SEC Challenge at the Sandestin Resort.

Competing for MSU will be sophomore Beth Irwin, who is currently ranked 36th in the nation individually. Freshman Sofie Andersson, who finished 11th in her first collegiate tournament two weeks ago, will join Natalie Booth, Anna Knutsson and Catalina Olarte in team competition.

Ashleigh Korzack, a freshman from Toronto, Ontario, will compete as an individual in her first collegiate competition.

The Lady Bulldogs, who finished second in both the 2000 and 2001 ACC/SEC Challenges, will face five other teams ranked in the top 25, including three ranked among the nation's top ten.

Defending national champion Duke, ranked No. 4 in the nation, leads the field of 12. Fifth-ranked Auburn and No. 7 Georgia will also compete in the tournament.

No. 16 Florida and No. 17 Wake Forest join host Florida State, North Carolina and North Carolina State from the ACC. Alabama, Kentucky and Furman round out the competition.

"This tournament field will be one of the strongest we play in this fall," MSU head coach Christi Sanders said. "“'m ready to see how our team matches up with the best in the nation."

Mississippi State is scheduled to tee off Friday at 7:30 a.m. at the Raven Course.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Play will begin Friday with MSU facing the host Florida Gators at 3 p.m. ET. Saturday morning, State's contingent will meet the Miami Hurricanes at 10 a.m. The Bulldogs will conclude play on the weekend Sunday at 10 a.m., meeting the South Florida Bulls.

The format for the weekend will be structured similar to a normal dual match, but no team scores will be recorded, only individual results.

Competing once again for MSU will be Rene-Charles Combette, Matt Armstrong, Jerome Le Belicard, Max Fomine and Michael Hailey. The senior Combette is ranked 57th nationally in the preseason Omni Hotels Collegiate Rankings, released earlier this month.

"This is another great opportunity for our team to see some quality competition," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "All three of the teams we will face made the NCAAs last year and all have very talented squads again this season."

Following this weekend's event, State's next competition will be at the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn., beginning Friday, Oct. 4.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/24/02
Soccer
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. ­ Despite total domination, Southwest Missouri State (4-4) took advantage of late scoring opportunities, as well as a bit of hard luck that befell on visiting Mississippi State (3-6), to move past the Bulldogs, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at the Cooper Sports Complex in Springfield, Mo.

Amy Van Zandt fired off eight shots, six of which were on goal, and converted on a second half score in a losing effort for the Maroon and White. Julie Yank converted a penalty kick and provided the gamewinning assist for Southwest Missouri State. Elke D'Hollander had two shots on goal in her first action for Mississippi State since the 2000 season finale.

Mississippi State completed the contest with a 27-9 shot advantage, including an 11-1 drubbing in the first half, but fell on the strength of an opportunistic Bear offense down the stretch. The Bulldogs finished the game with a 14-4 advantage in shots on goal as well.

"It is not often we will completely dominate a match in the way we did and lose," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "Our players played as well as I have seen them play in a very long time, and yet we came out second. Our effort was magnificent today. Last week I talked about the ball not rolling our way, and today it happened again. Our team is committed to not waiting for our luck to change, we are are going to embrace the challenge of changing it ourselves."

Mississippi State came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, forcing the Bears on the defensive immediately due to four quality shots on goal in the opening seven and a half minutes of play. Southwest Missouri got off its first and only shot of the first period just more than 17 minutes in when Lisa Martel connected on a diving header that found the right side of the crossbar. State's domination showed through even brighter in the remainder of the stanza, however, as the Bulldogs countered with heavy arsenal from the feet of Van Zandt and cohort Jessi Moore.

The Bulldogs found themselves on their heels in the first five minutes of the second half, but quickly regained their composure to force the Bears into a dark corner once again. After allowing SMS to have four out of the first five shots of the second stanza, MSU put together a run of 15 shots (nine on goal) of their own. Van Zandt's breakaway goal in the 80th minute (79:22) broke the deadlock and appeared to put the Maroon and White up for good.

However, SMS turned the momentum in short spurts down the stretch and got the better half of an aggressive joust inside the MSU penalty area on Yank's penalty kick conversion in the 82nd tick (81:02). Yank assisted Mary Litvan with the gamewinner with 2:06 remaining to provide the heartbreak.

Mississippi State will return to action this weekend as the Bulldogs make their homecoming in a 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon contest against Jacksonville State at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State home games is free of charge.

SCORING SUMMARY
At Springfield, Mo. (Cooper Sports Complex)

MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 1 - 1
SW MISSOURI STATE 0 2 - 2
79:22 MSU Amy Van Zandt (Unassisted)
81:01 SMS Julia Yank (Penalty Kick)
87:54 SMS Mary Litvan (Julia Yank)

Shots: MSU 27 (Van Zandt 8), SMS 9 (DeCarlo 3).
Shots On Goal: MSU 14 (Van Zandt 6), SMS 4 (Four players).
Corner Kicks: MSU 5, SMS 6.
Saves: MSU 3 (Hubert 2), SMS 13 (Stormo).
Fouls: MSU 11, SMS 7.
Cautions: MSU, Berry (87:39, Language).
Offsides: MSU 0, SMS 4.
Att. ­ 150.

MSU STARTERS: Hubert (GK), D¹Hollander (M), Rose (D), Benefield (D), McDonald (D), Sandrik (D), Suh (M), Gaji (F), Kauffman (F), Peterson (M), Berry (M).

SW MISSOURI STATE STARTERS: Stormo (GK), Hood (D), Litvan (M), Guenther (M), DeCarlo (F), Martel (F), Yank (M), Whiteman (D), Fisher (M), Reisch (D), McBride (D).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/22/02
Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Mississippi State (8-4) rolled to an impressive 3-0 win over Mercer (5-7) Friday afternoon in the opening match of the UNO/Wyndham-Metairie Classic at the University of New Orleans' Lakefront Arena. With the win the Bulldogs matched their season win total of a year ago.

Rachel Cooper and Hilary Chambers combined for 31 of MSU's 52 kills and committed but one hitting error between them to lead the Bulldogs. Cooper totaled a match-high 17 kills and hit .533 while Chambers registered a team season-best and career-high .778 hitting percentage on a 14-kill performance and lead State at the net with four blocks.

"It's always a good feeling to get a win in your first match of a tournament," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We got strong balanced offensive performances from Rachel Cooper and Hilary Chambers, and Misty picked up the team on defense. The important thing tonight was that we stayed focused and did a good job from start to finish. It also enabled us to play all 11 of our players, and each one contributed to the win."

The Bulldogs pulled away from a 10-10 deadlock in the opening game, parlaying a 10-3 run into a 30-17 win. State hit at a sizzling .425 clip in the opening set. State trailed only briefly early before earning a 30-23 win in game two, and raced to a 7-1 advantage in posting a match-clinching 30-19 win in the third game.

Senior Misty Hubenthal registered her 12th double-digit kills total in as many matches this season and with a team-high 14 digs finished the match with her eighth double-double of the campaign. And with the first of her 10 kills, Hubenthal became the eighth Bulldog player to reach the 900-kill career milestone. Tanika Taylor hit double digits in digs with 11.

The Bulldogs out-hit Mercer .290 to .091, with Andrea Shipley pacing the Bears with 10 kills. Katie Plummer paced Mercer on defense with a match-high 19 digs.

The tournament continues Saturday at 10 a.m. when Mississippi State meets Centenary College (6-10), coached by former MSU standout Jenny Hazelwood. The Bulldogs conclude tourney play in a 7 p.m. match against host New Orleans (4-7).

Saturday's action

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tournament host New Orleans rallied from a 2-1 deficit Saturday night to nip Mississippi State 3-2 in the final match of the UNO/Wyndham-Metairie Classic held at UNO's Lakefront Arena. Despite the five-game setback (28-30, 30-25, 21-30, 30-21, 15-8) , Mississippi State (9-5) captured the tournament title, posting the best record (8-3) in tournament games played.

Mississippi State returns to action and opens its 2002 SEC schedule Friday at 7 p.m. in the Newell-Grissom Building, playing host to the Georgia Bulldogs.

"We let this one slip away from us," coach Brenda Bowlin said following the tournament finale. "We had poor execution in a lot of areas, and it all seemed to start with our serve-receive game where we had 14 receiving errors. Those breakdowns passing the ball made it difficult for our offense to started. We've obviously got some work ahead of us to get ready for our tough conference schedule."

Rachel Cooper registered a match-high 19 kills and 12 digs, all-tournament team selection Misty Hubenthal added 18 kills and 14 digs, and tournament MVP Hilary Chambers had eight kills and seven total blocks to pace MSU against UNO. State out-hit UNO .180 to .175 and held a similarly slim 14 to 13 advantage in total team blocks. UNO was paced by Jennifer Cruz's 16 kills and an 11-kill, 15-dig performance by Melissa Caravella.

The Bulldogs sandwiched 30-28 and 30-21 wins around a 30-25 UNO win in game two to take a 2-1 lead in the match. But the Privateers used an 11-1 run to pull away from a tight contest for a match-tying 30-21 win in the fourth stanza and hit at a match-best .417 clip to take the match-clinching fifth game 15-7.

In a match that lasted a season-shortest 63 minutes, the Bulldogs raced past Centenary 3-0. Misty Hubenthal registered seven of her match-high 17 kills in the first game as MSU took control early. The Bulldogs out-hit the Ladies .440 to -.037 in the opening stanza and trailed only briefly in the second game before nailing down the match with 30-16 and 30-23 wins.

Hubenthal hit .577, Nicole Broome matched a career-best with 12 kills and Hilary Chambers added 10 kills with four blocks to pace MSU. Tanika Taylor and Jennifer Hadden had eight digs apiece to lead the Bulldog defensive effort.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Betty Ann Casey notched three shots and scored her first career goal to pace the MSU offense, while freshman goalkeeper Courtney Hubert (6 saves) played brilliantly in her first collegiate action for the defense. Leslie Nickles and Jessi Moore also logged assists in the losing effort. Three different players scored goals for the Mizzou.

"Tonight we once again allowed our opponents an insurmountable lead," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "I felt Missouri was the better team in the first half, and we edged it in the second. However, productivity is measured in only one way in soccer, and winning is paramount.

"Despite the loss, our freshman goalkeeper, Courtney Hubert, playing in her first-ever collegiate game, turned in the best freshman debut performance I have ever seen. I am very proud of her."

Missouri used two goals in a three minute span midway through the first half, dodging offsides calls on both occasions. Missy Peabody somehow found her way behind the Mississippi State backline in the 19th tick (18:35) but, despite her point blank shot being blocked by an MSU defender, Shea Swoboda collected the rebound and returned a shot that found its way past Hubert. Peabody, again, escaped an offsides call nearly three minutes later (21:00) and, this time, broke through herself before converting on a shot from just outside the penalty area.

Peabody created a scoring chance again in the 24th minute (23:10) dribbling down the nearside touchline before crossing the ball to Karen Bauer, who redirected from six yards out to give the Mizzou a 3-0 advantage. However, not to be outdone, Mississippi State made good down the stretch, creating a chance on a series of passes that ended on Casey's goal as time expired.

Despite the 3-1 halftime deficit, Mississippi State came out of the halftime gates and dominated most of the early second half action. Heather Ammann fired the first shot of the half for either team in the 56th tick, but Amy Van Zandt provided the excitement nearly two minutes later, finding plenty of green on a breakaway in the 58th minute (57:43), but fell inside the Missouri penalty box on heavy pressure from a Tiger defender. Leslie Nickles got loose on a couple of breakaways minutes later but, both times, her shot sailed well high of the Mizzou net.

Missouri turned the momentum for a few seconds in the 62nd minute, twice finding space in front of the Maroon and White goal, but Peabody's shot found the woodwork and Davis' cannon shot seconds later was easily collected by Hubert to preserve the two-goal deficit.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to close out their four-game road trip in an afternoon contest with the Southwest Missouri State Bears. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the Cooper Sports Complex.

SCORING SUMMARY
At Columbia, Mo. (Audrey J. Walton Soccer Complex)

MISSISSIPPI STATE 1 0 - 1
MISSOURI 3 0 - 3
18:35 MU Shea Swoboda (Unassisted)
21:00 MU Missy Peabody (Unassisted)
23:10 MU Karen Bauer (Peabody)
44:58 MSU Betty Ann Casey (Leslie Nickles, Jessi Moore)

Shots: MSU 9 (Casey 3), MU 15 (Peabody 5).
Shots On Goal: MSU 5 (Casey 2), MU 9 (Three players with 2).
Corner Kicks: MSU 0, MU 3.
Saves: MSU 6 (Hubert), MU 4 (Duncan).
Fouls: MSU 4, MU 20.
Offsides: MSU 0, MU 5.
Cautions: MSU, April Berry (49:08, Conduct). Att. ­ 639.

MISSISSIPPI STATE STARTERS: Hubert (GK), Ammann (M), Moore (F), Van Zandt (F), Benefield (D), McDonald (D), Wells (D), Sandrik (D), Suh (M), Peterson (M), Berry (M).

MISSOURI STARTERS: Duncan (GK), Davis, Pusch, Gibbs, Swinehart, Probst, Heil, Moore, Hibbert, Peabody, Swoboda.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/19/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State soccer team (3-4) will look to right its ship this weekend as the Bulldogs close out a four-game roadtrip in the state of Missouri, battling Missouri (4-1-1) on Friday and Southwest Missouri State (3-3) on Sunday.

The games this weekend follow a tough stretch for the Bulldogs, who are coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in overtime at Memphis on Sunday afternoon. After spotting a 2-0 lead six minutes into overtime, State tied the score with six minutes remaining, but succumbed to the Tigers on a goal 31 seconds into the first overtime period. It was the Maroon and White's fourth one-goal loss of the campaign.

"Last year at this point, the ball was rolling our way and we won games of this nature," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire of the close losses. "We are playing to the same standard, yet now we are losing. I am hoping for a change in fortune. We have faced stiffer competition thus far, and hence our mistakes are being punished. We are still playing well in many areas but failing in some.

"This weekend will again be a tough one, and our focus has to be on our team defense. Lack of communication has caused us to break down, and only the players can fix that."

Friday's 7 p.m. contest with Missouri at the Audrey J. Walton Soccer Complex will mark State's toughest matchup of the season. Missouri, which is ranked No. 5 in the latest NSCAA Central Region top 10 poll, have talent abundantly littered on their roster. The Tigers, whose roster features 16 freshmen and sophomores, are currently paced by a trio of young talent, including freshmen Amber Swinehart who currently leads the team with seven points on three goals and an assist.

However, Swinehart is aptly supported by sophomore Missy Peabody (2 G, 2 A) and junior Adriene Davis (1 G, 4 A). The three leading scorers have combined for 40 shots this season, 22 of which have come on goal. Missouri is solid in the nets as well, having the netminding skills of junior Megan Duncan who has played every minute of the 2002 season, turning in a 0.89 goals against average and 40 saves (.870 save percentage).

"Missouri's head coach Bryan Blitz is an exceptional tactician, and his teams are always well-organized, technically and tactically sound and very explosive offensively," McGuire said. "They are in the midst of a great season and will be brimming with confidence. We need to be at our best."

Statistically, both Mississippi State and Missouri match up well. Both are averaging at or above 1.5 goals per game with a shot percentage well above the .100 plateau. Missouri averages 15.8 shots per game, while allowing opponents 16.3 per game. In contrast, State has averaged just more than 13 shots per game (13.4), while surrendering a 12.9 average to its opponents.

Missouri will come into the game on a high, however, having defeated or tied a potpourri of nationally-prominent teams, including a 1-0 victory over then-No. 23 Miami (FL), as well as a 2-2 tie with then-15th ranked Florida State. Friday's meeting will mark the first between the Mizzou and the Maroon and White.

"Our team has come to terms with the work they need to do to fix our recent run of results, and their effort and decision making has been good this week in practice," McGuire said. "For us to win games, we will not ask the players to accomplish tasks they cannot do, only execute what they know they can do at the level they are playing at."

Following Friday's matchup in Columbia, Mo., Mississippi State will travel to nearby Springfield for a Sunday contest with Southwest Missouri State. Game time for Sunday's contest is set for 1 p.m. at the Cooper Sports Complex.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/17/02
Men's Golf
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State University men's golf team sits in a two-way tie for fifth place out of 11 teams after the first day of competition in the Mason Rudolph Collegiate Golf Championships. The Bulldogs shot eight-over par (284-284=568) leaving them tied with the University of North Florida.

Senior, Codie Mudd paces MSU after the second round at one-under par (70-69=139). Mudd is in a three-way tie for 12th-place. Joe Deraney (73-69=142) and Kellen Maurer (71-71=142) both finish at two-over par after two-rounds.

Newcomer Jay Giannetto is three-strokes behind teammates Deraney and Maurer, shooting five-over par (70-75=145).

"I feel like we played well today," said coach Greg Martin. "We did not shoot a lot of birdies though. We stumbled a little at the end, but there were so many positives on the course. Overall, it was a positive day, and I expect us to play very well on Tuesday."

The final round of the Mason Rudolph Collegiate Golf Championships will begin Tuesday morning at Legends Golf Club.

The results will be posted each day at www.mstateathletics.com.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The squad, led by sophomores Meggan Hodge and Tiffany McWilliams, has won two straight meets, taking the team titles at the Sewanee and FSU Invitationals. Both individuals finished in the top 10 at both meets.

"We're definitely focused now, looking to move up the rankings," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "Most of these teams will be at the Great American Classic (on Sept. 27) where we will be able to gauge where we are."

The Bulldogs' next meet is the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa on Friday, September 20.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Amy Van Zandt converted her team-leading fourth goal of the season on seven shots from her forward position, while Ngum Suh added her first score of the season with six minutes remaining in regulation. Southeastern Conference saves leader Krystal Werges tallied six saves in the losing effort.

The contest marked MSU's fifth one-goal game of the season and put an end to a five-game winning streak in overtime for the Bulldogs. With the victory, Memphis evened up the overall series between the two schools to 3-3-2.

"It would be unfair to the University of Memphis to make any excuses about why we lost this game," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "We knew what we needed to do, yet did not execute our gameplan. Memphis is very much improved and Brooks Monaghan has done a fantastic job recruiting on the international scene.

"It is time for our players to take control of what we do and get back on track."

State took the initiative early getting off a pair of good looks that failed to connect, including Jessi Moore's give-and-go that sailed just wide of the Tiger nets just more than 16 minutes in. State sustained its first shot of the contest on a Becca Amrowicz header at the 17:03 mark, but the shot sailed wide right. The duo found shots far and few over the next 18 minute until the 36th minute (35:44) when speedster Alison Baker's through-ball found the feet of Robyn Smart who converted on the scoring chance.

Memphis forged a 2-0 lead just six minutes into the second period on Baker¹s fourth goal of the campaign. Kirsty Marr found Baker slicing through the Bulldog defense and the flanker fired a shot just under the outstretched Werges on the near side.

Faced with the 2-0 deficit, however, State turned the other cheek. The Bulldogs got to within one, 2-1, in the 64th minute (63:48) when Van Zandt found space in the Memphis defense and hit a cannon shot far post. The Bulldogs turned the volume up on their offense after that, using high pressure to force Memphis back on their heels but, each time, having their scoring chance thwarted just short.

However, with just less than six minutes remaining, Suh collected a loose ball and flicked a shot over Tiger goalkeeper Katarina Wicksell to knot the score up at two apiece. With the momentum clearly on the Bulldogs' side, Memphis put the gamewinning chance together when Monica Powell found McLeod racing down the near touchline.

Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs visit the Show Me State for a pair of games to wrap up their four-game roadtrip. State will take on regionally-ranked Missouri on Friday at 7 p.m. in Columbia, Mo., and will be in action again on Sunday when it visits Springfield for a 1 p.m. date with Southwest Missouri State.

SCORING SUMMARY
At Memphis, Tenn. (Mike Rose Soccer Complex)
MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 2 0 - 2
MEMPHIS 1 1 1 - 3

Shots: MSU 19 (Van Zandt 7), MEM 15 (McLeod 5).
Shots On Goal: MSU 10 (Van Zandt 3), MEM 9 (McLeod, Baker 3).
Corner Kicks: MSU 7, MEM 7.
Saves: MSU 6 (Werges), MEM 8 (Wicksell 6).
Fouls: MSU 11, MEM 21.
Offsides: MSU 0, MEM 7.
Cautions: MSU, McDonald (18:00, Language), Suh (81:37, Language); MEM, McLeod (21:19, Language).
Att. ­ 274.

MSU STARTERS: Werges (GK), Ammann (M), Moore (F), Van Zandt (F), Rose (D), Benefield (D), McDonald (D), Wells (D), Sandrik (M), Suh (M), Berry (M).

MEMPHIS STARTERS: Wicksell (GK), Raine (D), Amrozowicz (F), McGee (M), McLeod (M), Baker (M), Melton (D), Smart (M), Shelton (M), Powell (D), Thorsdottir (F).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

In Saturday's 2-1/2-hour marathon matchup in DeKalb, Ill., the Huskies and the Bulldogs combined for the highest scoring game in NCAA history, a 45-43 Northern Illinois win. The game featured 25 ties and nine game-point opportunities for each team. NIU took game two 30-20 for a 2-0 match lead, but the Bulldogs fought back tie the match with 30-19 and 30-24 wins before the Huskies claimed the match-clinching fifth game.

NIU out-scored State 133-129, with the 262 combined points standing as the second-most points scored in an NCAA match. Robert Morris and Youngstown State combined for 269 points in a match last year, the first year of the 30-point scoring system. NIU's 133 points ranks sixth and MSU's 129 points ninth in points scored by a team in a five-game match.

Bulldog freshman outside hitter Rachel Cooper, a native of nearby Roscoe, Ill., tallied 49 kills, hit .244 and totaled a team-leading 42 digs to earn a berth on the Country Inns & Suites All-Tournament team.

Mississippi State concludes its September tournament schedule this weekend in New Orleans, taking on Centenary, Mercer and tourney-host New Orleans in the UNO/Wyndham-Metairie Classic. The Friday-Saturday tourney will be held in UNO's Lakefront Arena.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/16/02
Women's Golf
LEXINGTON, Ky. ­ Mississippi State's women's golf team fired a second round 313 and fell to a third place tie with host Kentucky in a rain-shortened Lady Kat Invitational Sunday at the University Club of Kentucky.

South Florida's round-best 302 was good enough to overtake the Lady Bulldogs, who were in second place after Friday's first round competition. No. 19 Tennessee claimed the team championship, finishing eight strokes ahead of the Bulls with a two-round tally of 604.

The Lady Volunteers also claimed medallist honors. Violeta Retamoza shot an even-par 144 to finish one stroke ahead of teammate Jessica Shepley. Shepley fired the tournament's low round, a 3-under 69 on Friday.

MSU was led by sophomore Beth Irwin. The Germantown, Tenn., native shot a 78 to finish ninth with a 6-over par 150. Freshman Sofie Andersson matched her first round 76 to finish 11th in her first collegiate tournament.

Mississippi State returns to action Sept. 27, as they travel to Destin, Fla., for the Dodge ACC/SEC Challenge. The tournament features the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Duke and Auburn.

TEAM RESULTS
1. Tennessee 604
2. South Florida 612
t3. MISSISSIPPI STATE 614
t3. Kentucky 614
5. Penn State 619
6. Miami 621
7. Louisville 623
8. Arkansas 630
9. Maryland 639
10. Illinois State 640
11. Alabama 646
12. Mississippi 649
13. Cal State Northridge 652
14. Kentucky "White" 666
t15. Northern Kentucky 679
t15. Richmond 679

MSU INDIVIDUALS
9. Beth Irwin 150 +6
t11, Sofie Andersson 152 +8
t25. Natalie Booth 157 +13
t30. Anna Knutsson 158 +14
t47. Catalina Olarte 162 +18

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Head coach Al Schmidt's squad scored 45 points on Saturday, taking the team victory over the likes of Florida, who finished third in the SEC last season, and host Florida State, who came in third place at the NCAA South Regional.

It is the first time in school history that MSU has opened the season with two team wins. The last time any MSU cross country team had two straight wins was in 1993.

"Anytime you beat Florida, it's special," said Schmidt. "And it's even sweeter for me winning over Florida State, where I used to work.

"Overall, we are very pleased with the results. It was a good team performance."

Sophomore Meggan Hodge (18:00.3) crossed the line second overall, but she was the first collegiate runner to break the line, the second straight week the Beaumont, Alberta, native has accomplished that feat.

"It is amazing and great," said Hodge. "I ran one of my best races. The coaches were pushing me at every point in the race."

Sophomores Tiffany McWilliams (18:34.7) and Trina Hobyan (18:57.1) came in sixth and 13th place overall, respectively. A trio of freshmen followed Hobyan, with Jennifer McPherson (19:00.0) crossing 14th, Zita Magloire (19:00.7) 15th and Mina Thorstenson (19:01.7) 16th.

Senior Ronni Rudolphi (19:21.0) finished 24th overall and seventh on the team. Freshman Michelle Kinney clocked a 19:23.6 to finish 26th. Sophomore Cassie Hanan (19:44.1) came in 33rd with freshman Jessica Braswell (20:10.2), running in her first race for the Bulldogs, coming in 46th overall.

The Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Classic on Friday, September 20.

FSU Invitational, Miccosukkee Greenway Park - Tallahassee, Fla.

Team Scores
1. MISSISSIPPI STATE 45
2. North Florida 53
3. Florida State 64
4. Florida 72
5. Tampa 163
6. Central Florida 175
8. Florida A&M 267
9. Valdosta State 268
10. Warner Southern 279
11. West Florida 327
12. Stetson 327
13. Bethune Cookman 409
14 Webber International 453

MSU Individual Finishers
2. 1. Meggan Hodge 18:00.3
6. 5. Tiffany McWilliams 18:34.7
13. 12. Trina Hobyan 18:57.1
14. 13. Jennifer McPherson 19:00.0
15. 14. Zita Magloire 19:00.7
16. 15. Mina Thorstenson 19:01.7
24. 22. Ronni Rudolphi 19:21.0
26. -- Michelle Kinney 19:23.6
33. -- Cassie Hanan 19:44.1
46. -- Jessica Braswell 20:10.2

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

MSU's next action of the fall will be September 27-29 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/15/02
Men's Tennis
ATLANTA, Ga. ­ In second-day action at the Southern Intercollegiate Scramble Saturday, Mississippi State's men's tennis team was only able to register one victory against host Georgia, claiming a doubles victory.

Saturday's matches were actually played at Georgia Tech's Bill Moore Tennis Center in Atlanta due to rain in Athens. UGA's indoor facility is currently undergoing renovation.

MSU's one win came in doubles, where Bulldogs Max Fomine and Michael Hailey edged Georgia's duo of Will Glenn and Stephan Timu 9-8(2). Georgia's sixth-ranked team of Nicolas Boeker and Bo Hodge won 8-3 over MSU's tandem of Rene-Charles Combette and Jerome Le Belicard in the other doubles match contested.

In singles, Georgia notched triumphs in all five matches, led by a 7-5, 6-2 win from Hodge, ranked 79th, over State's 57th-ranked Combette. But the first set in every match was decided by a 6-4 or closer score.

"Even though we only won one match today, we felt like we played pretty well overall," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We had a good chance to win some of the first sets in singles. We actually played very well against a team that has made the national championship match in three of the last four years and won the title twice."

The format for this weekend's tournament is being structured similar to a normal dual match, but no team scores are being recorded, only individual results. The Bulldogs will conclude play Sunday at 10 a.m., meeting the Duke Blue Devils.

MSU RESULTS AT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE SCRAMBLE
Athens, Ga. - 9/14/02

MSU VS. GEORGIA

SINGLES
#79 Bo Hodge (Georgia) def. #57 Rene-Charles Combette (MSU) 7-5, 6-2; Nicolas Boeker (Georgia) def. Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) 6-4, 6-3; Stephan Timu (Georgia) def. Max Fomine (MSU) 7-6(7), 7-6(5); Will Glenn (Georgia) def. Matt Armstrong (MSU) 6-4, 6-2; Jason Varela (Georgia) def. Michael Hailey (MSU) 6-4, 6-1.

DOUBLES
#6 Boeker/Hodge (Georgia) def. Combette/Le Belicard (MSU) 8-3; Fomine/Hailey (MSU) def. Glenn/Timu (Georgia) 9-8(2).

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Hubenthal totaled 22 kills and hit .409 in the tourney finale as the Bulldogs rebounded from a slow start against UW-Green Bay, coached by former MSU assistant volleyball coach Debbie Kirch. The Phoenix posted a 30-24 win to open the match before the Bulldogs reeled off three straight wins, 30-28, 30-20 and 30-24. Cooper notched her fourth double-double of the year with 18 kills and 15 digs and represented MSU on the all-tournament team.

Jennifer Rousey added 12 kills and three other Bulldogs hit double figures in digs --- Jennifer Hadden with 15, Lauren Bounds with 14 and Tanika Taylor with 13. MSU held a .283 to .200 edge in hitting and a 74-60 advantage in digs.

In an earlier match, State spotted tourney host Northern Illinois a 2-0 lead, battled back to even the match but came up short in the deciding fifth game.

The 2-1/2-hour marathon opened with a remarkable battle won by UNI 45-43, just shy of the NCAA record for points in a game. The score was tied 25 times and both teams reached game-point nine times. The Huskies held MSU to its worst hitting mark of the season in a game (-.088) in posting a 30-20 win in the second game for a 2-0 match lead. But State, led by Cooper's career-best 22 kills and Tanika Taylor's season-best 20 digs, battled back after the break to win 30-19 and 30-24. In the deciding fifth game, UNI (5-3) committed but one hitting error in a 15-6 win.

Rousey had 13 kills and hit .440 while Misty Hubenthal totaled 11 kills and Hilary Chambers 11 kills and six blocks.

Mississippi State closes out its September tournament schedule next weekend in New Orleans, joining UNO, Centenary and Mercer in the UNO/Wyndham-Metairie Classic.

Northern Illinois d. Mississippi State 3-2 (45-43, 30-20, 19-30, 24-30, 15-6)
Mississippi State d. Wisconsin-Green Bay 3-1 (24-30, 30-28, 30-20, 30-24)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/14/02
Volleyball
DEKALB, Ill. --- Colleen Hunter and Brooke Minnibar proved to be powerful 1-2 punch for Saint. Louis Friday after, combining for 40 kills and leading the Conference USA team to a 3-1 win over Mississippi State in the opening match of the Country Inns & Suites Classic hosted by Northern Illinois. The win by the Billlikens (5-3) snapped a six-match win streak for the Bulldogs (6-3).

Hunter tallied five of her match-leading 21 kills in the opening game as Saint Louis pulled away from a tight contest and scored the final three points for a 30-26 win. State rebounded impressively, hitting at a match-best .444 clip and knotting the match with a 30-16 win in the second game.

Saint Louis took control of the match early in game three and never trailed the remainder of the night, nailing down the win with 30-19 and 30-23 scores.

"We didn't take care of the little things tonight, and that hurt us offensively against a pretty good Saint Louis team," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We knew Hunter and Minnibar were going to get the majority of their swings, and we weren't able to stop them. Misty Hubenthal had another solid game for us tonight, but we lacked the consistent play that we had seen in our earlier matches."

Mississippi State got a ninth-straight team-leading kills performance from Hubenthal, who finished the match with 19 kills and 14 digs on a .310 hitting night. Junior middle blocker Jennifer Rousey and freshman outside hitter Rachel Cooper, the two Illinois natives on the MSU team, combined for 19 more Bulldog kills.

Three other Bulldogs reached double figures in digs - Lauren Bounds (14), Cooper (13) and setter Jennifer Hadden (10), who also registered 51 assists.

Saint Louis out-hit State .239 to .174, held slight edges in kills (61 to 57) and digs (69 to 68) but trailed the Bulldogs in blocks. Nicole Broome registered five of MSU's 18 assisted blocks.

With 19 kills, Hubenthal raised her career kills total to 866, tying Theresa D'Antoni (1987-1990) for eighth place among MSU's all-time leaders.

Mississippi State continues tournament play in the Country Inns & Suites/Northern Illinois Classic Saturday, testing the host UNI Huskies at 2 p.m. and concluding tournament play in a 5 p.m. match against Wisconsin-Green Bay.

SAINT LOUIS d. MISSISSIPPI STATE 3-1 (30-26, 16-30, 30-19, 30-23).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The Maroon and White surrendered just three shots in the contest, including just a lone Tulane shot in the second half. The Bulldogs got goals from three different players, including Jessi Moore and Amy Van Zandt's third scores of the campaign. MSU goalkeeper Krystal Werges surrendered just one goal in her sixth complete game of the season.

"Tonight was a tale of two halves," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "Tulane used the wind to their advantage to command much of the first half. We told our team at halftime that, if we utilized all the width available, we would create scoring opportunities. We did and, as a result, scored the necessary goals.

"This was, without question, our most disciplined performance of the season. It was a total team effort."

Despite a flurry of first half shots from State sophomore April Berry, Tulane got on the scoreboard first, using a bit of confusion in front of the MSU nets to create a shot for itself, finished on a Tracey Powers' toe poke past Werges in the 30th (29:31) minute.

Although clutching onto the 1-0 deficit heading into the halftime break, Mississippi State answered quickly in the second, knotting the score up at one apiece on Moore's strike inside the far post in the 49th (48:31) minute, then took the lead in the 58th (58:00) tick on Van Zandt's breakaway.

Amber Rose gave the Bulldogs an insurance goal in the 84th (83:34) minute when she collected a rebound off a Moore shot and rifled a shot past Tulane goalkeeper Kristin Weegar for the 3-1 final.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Sunday when the Maroon and White travel to Memphis for an afternoon date with the Memphis Tigers. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex on the campus of the University of Memphis.

SCORING SUMMARY
At New Orleans, La. (Westfeldt Facility)

MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 3 - 3
TULANE 1 0 - 1

29:31 TU Tracey Powers (Jacque Gruber, Emily McArthur)
48:31 MSU Jessi Moore (Unassisted)
58:00 MSU Amy Van Zandt (Moore)
83:34 MSU Amber Rose (Unassisted)

Shots: MSU 12 (Berry, Rose 3), TU 3 (Three players).
Corner Kicks: MSU 7, TU 6.
Saves: MSU 0, TU 6 (Weegar).
Fouls: MSU 8, TU 14.
Offsides: MSU 0, TU 8.
Att. ­ 424.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The format for the weekend is structured similar to a normal dual match, but no team scores are being recorded, only individual results.

Leading the way for MSU was senior Rene-Charles Combette and junior Jerome Le Belicard who both went undefeated on the day. Combette, ranked 57th nationally in singles, was a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 winner over Yellow Jacket Scott Schnugg. Le Belicard also claimed a three-set triumph, downing Tech's Joao Menano 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Combette and Le Belicard also teamed for a 9-8(5) doubles victory over West Nott and Schnugg.

State's other victory on the day came from Max Fomine, who had won the first set 6-3 in his match with Nott when the Yellow Jacket was forced to retire.

"We had some solid results today against some good players," State head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We will get an even tougher challenge tomorrow against Georgia."

The Bulldogs will continue action Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, facing the hosting Bulldogs. MSU will conclude play Sunday at 10 a.m., meeting the Duke Blue Devils.

MSU RESULTS AT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE SCRAMBLE
Athens, Ga. - 9/13/02

MSU VS. GEORGIA TECH

SINGLES
#57 Rene-Charles Combette (MSU) def. Scott Schnugg (Georgia Tech) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) def. Joao Menano (Georgia Tech) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Max Fomine (MSU) def. West Nott (Georgia Tech) 6-3, ret.; Marko Rajevac (Georgia Tech) def. Matt Armstrong (MSU) 6-3, 6-2; Trevor McLeod (Georgia Tech) def. Michael Hailey (MSU) 6-1, 6-0.

DOUBLES
Combette/Le Belicard (MSU) def. Nott/Schnugg (Georgia Tech) 9-8(5); Menano/Rajevac (Georgia Tech) def. Armstrong/Fomine (MSU) 8-2.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The Lady Bulldogs fired a first round score of 301, yet find themselves 11 strokes behind the leader, No. 19 Tennessee.

Sophomore Beth Irwin led the assault with an even par 72, which places her tied for third among all individuals. Natalie Booth fired a 75 and stands tied for 13th after day one. Tennessee's duo of Jessica Shepley and Violeta Retamoza shot a 69 and 70 respectively, to lead the field.

Freshman Sofie Andersson, playing in her first collegiate tournament, stands seven strokes behind the leader in 20th place. Senior Anna Knutsson is tied for 30th after posting a first round 78.

State continues play in the Lady Kat Invitational on Saturday.

LADY KAT INVITATIONAL, University Club, Lexington, Ky., Par 72, 6,153 Yards

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Tennessee 290 +2
2. MISSISSIPPI STATE 301 +13
3. Penn State 303 +15
4. Kentucky 306 +18
t5. Louisville 307 +19
t5. Miami 307 +19
7. Illinois State 309 +21
8. South Florida 310 +22
t9. Maryland 316 +28
t9. Arkansas 316 +28
11. Cal State Northridge 319 +31
12. Mississippi 320 +32
13. Alabama 321 +33
14. Kentucky "White" 325 +37
15. Richmond 330 +42
16. Northern Kentucky 355 +67

MSU INDIVIDUALS
T3. Beth Irwin 72 E
T13. Natalie Booth 75 +3
T20. Sofie Andersson 76 +4
T30. Anna Knutsson 78 +6
T60. Catalina Olarte 83 +11

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The tournament field includes Alabama, Belmont, College of Charleston, Florida State, Georgia State, Mississippi State, North Florida, Mississippi, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

The Bulldog starting five will be lone-senior Codie Mudd, juniors Jay Giannetto and Kellen Maurer, and sophomores Joe Deraney and Craig Horrocks.

Mudd is the defending champion posting a 10-under par with a three-day tournament score of 200 (64-67-69). Alabama returns to protect its 2001 team title (839). MSU finished in eighth-place (285-286-287=858) last year.

"I believe we are prepared to compete this weekend and I expect us to play well," said head coach Greg Martin. "For the most part, practice and workouts have been good and we are all excited about the start of the season."

The results will be posted each day at www.mstateathletics.com.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Head coach Al Schmidt's squad looks to keep its momentum going, coming off last weekend's win at the Sewanee Invite.

Leading the Bulldogs once again will be sophomores Meggan Hodge and Tiffany McWilliams. Hodge, an 2002 all-South region runner, won her second individual title last weekend. McWilliams finished second last weekend and looks to continue her climb up the chart.

Senior Joey Hansen also looks to continue her rebound after battling injuries last year. The Mauston, Wis., native led the Bulldogs in six meets in 2000.

Senior Ronni Rudolphi also hopes to continue her streak of 21 straight meets scoring for the Bulldogs. The Moss Point native finished seventh overall last week at Sewanee.

Freshmen Michelle Kinney, Zita Magloire, Jennifer McPherson and Mina Thorstenson should once again compete for MSU. The foursome all ran sub-20 minute times at Sewanee, with McPherson taking fourth place overall.

Competing with the Bulldogs on the Miccosukee Greenway course include the host Seminoles, Central Florida, Miami and SEC foe Florida.

Start time for the women's race is slated for 8:10 a.m. EST Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/13/02
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team will begin its 2002 fall schedule this weekend, September 13-15, at the Southern Intercollegiate Scramble in Athens, Ga. State will join Duke, Georgia Tech and host Georgia in competition at the event.

Play will begin Friday with MSU facing Georgia Tech at 10 a.m. A battle of Bulldogs is set for Saturday morning at the same time when MSU and Georgia collide. State will conclude play on the weekend Sunday at 10 a.m., meeting Duke's Blue Devils.

The format for the weekend will be structured similar to a normal dual match, but no team scores will be recorded, only individual results.

Competing for MSU will be Rene-Charles Combette, Matt Armstrong, Jerome Le Belicard, Max Fomine and Michael Hailey. The senior Combette is ranked 57th nationally in the preseason Omni Hotels Collegiate Rankings, released this past Monday.

"We are looking forward to beginning our year," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "The fall is always important in terms of preparation for the spring, so we are eager to get started. We will compete this weekend against players from three very good teams."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Competing for State will be senior Anna Knutsson, junior Catalina Olarte, sophomores Natalie Booth and Beth Irwin and freshman Sofie Andersson.

MSU will tee off Friday at 9:15 a.m. at the University Club of Kentucky, which will also host the 2003 SEC Championships. The Lady Bulldogs will be paired with SEC foe Tennessee and Louisville in opening round play on the par-72/6,100 yard layout.

"This week will give us a chance to see Kentucky's new course where the SEC Championship will be played," MSU head coach Christi Sanders said. "This team is ready to get underway after finishing a tough qualifying this weekend."

This will be MSU's seventh appearance in the Lady Kat Invitational, dating back to 1990. State finished third as a team in both 1983 and 1984 and former Lady Bulldog Kathy Kingston took medalist honors in both the 1982 and 1984 tournaments, which were played at the Spring Lake Country Club.

Joining State in the field of 14 will be SEC rivals Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and 19th-ranked Tennessee. Also competing in the 54-hole tournament is Cal State Northridge, Illinois State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Northern Kentucky, Penn State, Richmond and South Florida.

The tournament concludes on Sunday and live stats will be available at www.golfstatlive.com.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The Bulldogs, who are coming off a barnburning home loss Sunday afternoon to Kansas, will attempt to right its ship heading into the meat of its non-conference schedule. The Green Wave will look to put an end to a two-game skid after dropping a pair of matches last weekend to James Madison and Richmond, respectively.

"These games offer our players a chance to play as they know how to," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "The result is vitally important, but even bigger than that is our belief in ourselves is what I am looking to see most."

The Green Wave continues to be paced by sophomore forward Lindsay Morris who, after leading TU in scoring last season (7 G, 2 A), currently paces the offense with three of the team's five total goals. Morris has scored at least one goal in three of the Green Wave's four games this season, with sophomore Brook Parker and senior Colleen Lake also added goals for the Wave. Kristin Weegar is Tulane's leading netminder, turning in 15 saves and a 2.74 goals against average on three starts and 263 minutes in goal.

In its four games this season, Tulane has averaged just less than 10 shots per game (9.75), while allowing its opponents nearly 12 a game (11.75). However, the Green Wave defense has proved stingy at times as well, allowing Alabama to shoot the ball just eight times in a tough 4-1 loss, then allowing Northwestern State just six good looks at the goal in a 3-1 victory.

Friday's contest will mark the fifth meeting in a series controlled (3-1) by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have outscored Tulane 11-6 in the four meetings and suffered their lone loss in 1999 when Tulane blanked the Maroon and White 3-0 in Starkville.

State will be led into the game by the usual suspects in Jessi Moore (2 G, 3 A) and Amy Van Zandt (2 G, 2 A), as well as freshman Heather Amman, who scored her team-leading third goal in Sunday's loss to the Jayhawks.

Sophomore Krystal Werges, who has played every minute in goal for the Bulldogs this season, currently leads the Southeastern Conference with 39 saves while posting a 1.67 goals against average.

Following Friday evening's action in New Orleans, the Bulldogs will return to action on Sunday when State travels to Memphis, Tenn., for an afternoon date with the Memphis Tigers. Kickoff of Sunday's contest is set for 3 p.m. at the 3,000-seat Mike Rose Soccer Complex on the campus of the University of Memphis.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/10/02
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State junior tennis standout Romain Ambert is ranked third nationally in the preseason Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings, released Monday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Ambert, who has compiled a remarkable 64-22 overall record in singles during his career, will return as the Bulldogs' top player again this season. His No. 3 ranking Monday is the highest of his career and the best national spot for any Bulldog since three-time, all-American Marco Baron ended the 2000-01 season ranked No. 1 in the country in singles.

A native of Toulouse, France, Ambert was an all-America selection in singles last season as a sophomore after posting a 37-11 record (18-4 in dual match play). He was also named the ITA's National Player to Watch and was a first-team, all-SEC selection for the second straight campaign.

Joining Ambert in Monday's poll was senior Rene-Charles Combette, who came in at 57th in the country entering the 2002-03 season. The Ajaccio, Corsica, product has been ranked as high as 24th in singles during his career.

During his three-year MSU career, Combette has compiled a 61-44 singles record. Combined with doubles, his 126 career victories leave him just 31 triumphs away from State's career top 10 in overall wins as he starts his final campaign as a Bulldog.

Ambert and Combette, who helped lead MSU's team to its 12th consecutive NCAA appearance last spring, are also among the nation's top 50 doubles tandems, entering the rankings at No. 20. The duo, which topped out at No. 12 in the country last season as a pair, qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championship to end the year and were 21-10 overall as a duo.

"We are very excited about our preseason rankings," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Romain's ranking is very indicative of his capabilities and his play up until now. And while Rene is in the top 60, he knows he can go higher because he already has. We are looking forward to starting the year."

The Bulldog netters will begin their 2002 fall slate this weekend (Sept. 13-15) at the Southern Collegiate Scramble in Athens, Ga.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

State topped Samford 3-0 (30-22, 30-20, 30-23) in the tournament to present MSU head coach Brenda Bowlin with her 150th career coaching victory. The Bulldogs followed up the win with a 3-1 decision over Lamar (30-18, 22-30, 30-19, 30-28) and then clinched the championship with a hard-fought 3-1 decision over Boston College (27-30, 30-28, 30-27, 30-23).

Senior outside hitter Misty Hubenthal, the team's leader in kills in the last six matches, piled up 52 kills and hit at a .302 clip to earn tournament MVP honors. She notched her fourth double-double of the year with 19 kills and 16 digs against Lamar and climbed into MSU's career top-10 in kills (831) with 18 in the tourney-clinching win over BC.

MSU's other outside hitter, freshman Rachel Cooper, had 38 kills and 29 digs and joined Hubenthal on the all-tournament team.

Hubenthal leads the team with 121 kills, while junior libero Lauren Bounds has taken over the top spot in digs (80) and junior middle blocker Jennifer Rousey paces the club in both hitting percentage (.353) and blocks (31).

State continues weekend tournament play Friday and Saturday in DeKalb, Ill. The Bulldogs take on host Northern Illinois, Saint Louis and Wisconsin-Green Bay in the Country Inns and Suites/UNI Huskie Classic. The Bulldogs' next home competition is set for Sept. 27 (7 p.m.) when State opens Southeastern Conference competition against SEC Eastern Division rival Georgia in the Newell-Grissom Building.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/09/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State soccer team (2-3) took a 1-0 lead towards the end of the first half, but Kansas (2-1-1) answered with two second half goals of its own to move past the Bulldogs, 2-1, in a physical melée Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Heather Ammann scored her team-leading third goal of the campaign, with sophomore Amy Van Zandt tagging on an assist to pace the MSU offense, while the Maroon and White defense held their own for much of the game, paced by high octane performances from the entire back line, as well as a career-high 12-save performance from Krystal Werges. Rachel Gilfillan and Brianna Valento both scored goals for the visiting Jayhawks.

"Kansas is an extremely talented team who ranks among some of the best in the country," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "Anyone watching this game today could see that this was a fantastic soccer match between two great teams. Neither team deserved to lose."

Paced by very physical play, both teams pulled out a handful of opportunistic first half scoring chances, with both goalkeepers put to the test early. Kansas found very few holes in the MSU defense, but managed to take a variety of shots, many of which sailed wide of the MSU net. State used its speed on a variety of occasions to get behind the KU backline, but were stifled by Jayhawk goalkeeper Meghan Miller.

Ammann broke a scoreless tie in the 32nd (31:32) minute, collecting a loose ball about 25 yards out, then turning and firing a shot far post over the head of Miller for the 1-0 lead. Kansas countered with high pressure down the stretch, but the Bulldogs were up to the task and protected the advantage heading into the break.

Coming out of the half, both teams battled back and forth with neither finding daylight to get off a shot, but the Jayhawks struck gold in the 68th (67:33) tick when Gilfillan's cannon shot ricocheted off the legs of Werges and hit the post before trickling into the net. Carmel Kiplinger found a hole in the MSU defense just more than seven minutes later (74:53) when her pass across the goalmouth found the feet of Valento who redirected to give Kansas a 2-1 lead.

Mississippi State will return to action on Friday when the Bulldogs travel to New Orleans, La., to begin a four-game roadtrip against Tulane. Game time for that contest is 7 p.m. under the lights of the 3,000 seat Westfeldt Facility.

SCORING SUMMARY
At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
KANSAS 0 2 - 2
MISSISSIPPI STATE 1 0 - 1
31:32 MSU Heather Ammann (Amy Van Zandt)
67:33 KU Rachel Gilfillan (Unassisted)
74:53 KU Brianna Valento (Carmel Kaplinger)

Shots: KU 20 (Smith 6), MSU 11 (Van Zandt 5).
Shots On Goal: KU 15 (Smith 6), MSU 7 (Van Zandt, Moore 2).
Corner Kicks: KU 4, MSU 2.
Saves: KU 6 (Miller), MSU 13 (Werges 12).
Fouls: KU 10, MSU 9.
Cautions: KU, Karfonta (35:54, Conduct), Wahle (57:36, Conduct), Brothers (76:35, Delay); MSU, Van Zandt (57:36, Conduct).
Offsides: KU 3, MSU 2.
Att. ­ 483.

KU STARTERS: Miller (GK), Woolf (F), Ryder (M), Gilfillan (F), Jones (M), Hunting (M), Kaplinger (M), Geha (D), Valento (D), Wahle (D), Smith (F).

MSU STARTERS: Werges (GK), Meesey (D), Moore (F), Van Zandt (F), Rose (D), Benefield (D), McDonald (D), Sandrik (M), Kauffman (M), Peterson (M), Berry (M).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/08/02
Cross Country Track
SEWANEE, Tenn. ­ Mississippi State's cross country team opened with a team victory for the second straight season, winning the Sewanee Invitational, hosted by the University of the South.

The Bulldogs finished with six of the top 10 and 10 of the top 20 runners, one of the best showings in school history at a cross country meet.

Sophomore Meggan Hodge, an all-South runner last season, won the individual title, clocking in at 18:15.75. It is Hodge's second win overall, with her first coming at last year's season opener at Alabama-Huntsville.

Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams, an NCAA qualifier in outdoor track last year, finished second overall (18:53.00), coming in behind her teammate Hodge for the second straight meet. The Red Bay, Ala., native finished behind Hodge at last year's NCAA South Regional.

Freshman Jennifer McPherson came in fourth (19:20.26), making the best freshman showing since Hodge's first race last year. Fellow freshman Mina Thorstenson placed sixth (19:29.49), with senior Ronni Rudolphi finishing seventh (19:30.39) and frosh Zita Magloire taking eighth (19:32.54).

"We are really excited about Jennifer (McPherson) and our other freshmen," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt. "We looked really strong today, but we'll find out how strong we really are next week."

Freshman Michelle Kinney (19:47.72) crossed the line 11th, the seventh Bulldog to cross the line. Senior Joey Hansen (19:57.49) finished 13th, with sophomore Trina Hobyan (20:00.01) coming in 14th. Cassie Hanan (20:09.03), a sophomore from New Orleans, finished 16th, and sophomore Jackie Rentschler (20:51.93) took 21st.

Freshman Anne Fyfe crossed the line in 22:14.78, finishing 42nd. Senior Martha Hudsonpillar (22:26.74) took 46th, with sophomore Mary Francis Wright (23:18.16) coming in 61st.

It was the Bulldogs' 13th team win under the tutelage of Schmidt, in his 15th year as head coach of the Bulldogs. This is also the 16th individual victory by a Bulldog under Schmidt.

Mississippi State's next race is Saturday, Sept. 14 at the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla.

SEWANEE INVITATIONAL
Sewanee Golf Course ­ Sewanee, Tenn.

Team Results
1. MISSISSIPPI STATE 20
2. Emory 66
3. Rhodes College 69
4. Centre College 107
5. Uni. Of the South 156
6. Covenant College 174
7. Savannah College of A&D 186
8. Tennessee Tech 215
9. Lee 256
10. Reinhardt College 299
11. Gadsden State CC 327

MSU Individual Results
1. Meggan Hodge 18:15.75
2. Tiffany McWilliams 18:53.00
4. Jennifer McPherson 19:20.26
6. Mina Thorstenson 19:29.49
7. Ronni Rudolphi 19:30.39
8. Zita Magloire 19:32.54
11. Michelle Kinney 19:47.72
13 -- Joey Hansen 19:57.49
14. -- Trina Hobyan 20:00.01
16. -- Cassie Hanan 20:09.03
21. -- Jackie Rentschler 20:51.93
42. -- Anne Fyfe 22:14.78
46. -- Martha Hudsonpillar 22:26.74
61. -- Mary Francis Wright 23:18.16

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State turned back Lamar and Boston College by identical 3-1 scores Saturday to complete a perfect weekend and claim the team title in the third annual MSU/Ramada Inn Classic held at Humphrey Coliseum.

MSU (5-2) bested the Lamar Cardinals 30-18, 22-30, 30-19, 30-28 to open the day and then sealed the tourney title by clipping the BC Eagles 27-30, 30-28, 30-27, 30-23. The win extended MSU's modest early-season win streak to five matches heading into a Tuesday night match at Middle Tennessee State.

"I see a lot of balance, a lot of fight, and a lot of fight to the end in this club," said MSU head coach Brenda Bowlin. "They battled through some tough situations this weekend and handled the different challenges that each team threw at them very well."

Bulldog senior captain Misty Hubenthal, who entered the weekend with the second-highest kills total in the Southeastern Conference, recorded 19 along with 16 digs in MSU's win over Lamar. She then added 18 kills on a .341 hitting performance against Boston College. For the weekend, the Georgetown, Texas, native totaled 52 kills and a .302 hitting percentage en route to tournament MVP honors.

Freshman Rachel Cooper, who joined Hubenthal on the all-tournament team, tallied 11 kills against Lamar and recorded her first double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs in the tourney-clinching win over Boston College.

Junior libero Lauren Bounds paced MSU on defense with 30 digs, 15 in each match Saturday.

Another MSU junior, Nicole Broome, enjoyed her best outings as a Bulldog with 22 kills in two matches, including a career-high 12 against BC. She finished the day with seven total blocks. MSU's middles, Jennifer Rousey and Hilary Chambers, combined for 29 kills and 14 blocks while junior setter Jennifer Hadden dished out 95 assists and totaled 22 digs, including a career-best 16 against int he tournament finale.

Boston College (4-2) got a match-high 25 kills from Rachel Bach. Bach ripped eight kills to lead BC to its 30-27 win in the opening game against MSU, reaching the 1,000-kill milestone. Bach joined BC teammate Liz Aron, Lamar's Natalie Sarver, Samford's Alyssa Whitehead and State's Hubenthal and Cooper. Sarver set a Lamar record with a remarkable 34-kill performance in the Eagles' 3-2 loss to Samford.

Mississippi State finished 3-0 while Boston College, Lamar and Samford all posted 1-2 marks in the two-day, round-robin competition.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/07/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State soccer team erupted for three second half goals and held back periods of late offensive spurts by visiting Northwestern State (1-2-1) to defeat the Demons, 3-1, Friday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Three different players scored goals for the Bulldogs, with Amy Van Zandt and Heather Ammann both hitting on their second scores of the campaign. Jessi Moore also added a pair of assists for the victors. By playing in the 25th game of their careers, Van Zandt and Moore officially added their names atop MSU's career goals per game and assists per game list, respectively.

"After a loss, every team is going to come out with renewed focus, and all credit goes to our team for doing that," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "We showed good determination to win the game in the second half and we seem to be better organized today."

After a scoreless first half, senior Jessica Kauffman broke the deadlock in the 52nd (51:04) minute when Amber Meesey sliced the Northwestern State defense and found her in front of the Demons' net. NSU struck back less than seven minutes later when Heather Penico collected a loose ball in the MSU box and struck a ball past goalkeeper Krystal Werges in the 62nd (61:29) minute to knot the score back up.

Van Zandt revived the MSU offense in the 69th (68:40) minute, however, taking a perfect cross from Ngum Suh and redirecting the ball with a header from six yards out past NSU goalkeeper Nellie Latiolais for the 2-1 advantage. Amman's strike from point blank distance nearly 10 minutes later (78:29) gave the 'Dogs an insurance goal to work with.

Mississippi State will be back in action Sunday afternoon when the Bulldogs close out a three-game homestand in an afternoon date against 2001 NCAA Tournament participant Kansas. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

SCORING SUMMARY:
At Starkville, Miss. (Mississippi State Soccer Field)
NORTHWESTERN STATE 0 1 - 1
MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 3 - 3
Shots: NSU 7 (Marshall 2), MSU 20 (Van Zandt 7).
Shots On Goal: NSU 4 (Marshall 2), MSU 13 (Van Zandt 6).
Corner Kicks: MSU 7, NSU 6.
Saves: NSU 10 (Latiolais 8), MSU 3 (Werges).
Fouls: NSU 14, MSU 16.
Yellow Cards: NSU, Fogel (13:04, Conduct); MSU, Berry (39:56, Conduct).
Att. ­ 447.

NORTHWESTERN STATE STARTERS: Latiolais (GK), Maag (M), Marshall (F), Crona (M), Hung (M), Priest (D), Powasnik (D), Fogel (M), Popov (F), Lawrence (M), Miller (F).

MISSISSIPPI STATE STARTERS: Werges (GK), Meesey (M), Moore (F), Van Zandt (F), Rose (D), Benefield (D), McDonald (D), Sandrik (D), Kauffman (M), Peterson (M), Berry (M).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/06/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State soccer team (1-2) will look to rebound this weekend from a pair of heartbreaking losses as the Bulldogs close out a three-game homestand with a pair of non-conference tilts against quality opponents.

The Bulldogs will welcome Northwestern State (1-1-1) to the Mississippi State Soccer Field on Friday at 4 p.m. and will close out its home gig on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest against Kansas (1-0-1). Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State home games is free of charge.

Battle-tested Northwestern State, who is in the midst of a four-game roadswing, is coming off a tough 3-0 loss at Tulane on Tuesday. The Demons captured the championship of their own NSU/Best Western Classic last weekend, having defeated Mercer while drawing even with Tennessee Tech.

NSU will bring a steady mix of lethal youth into the contest, led by freshman Ashley Hadley (5 points) and Brittany Hung (4 points). The Demons are solid in the nets as well under the sure hands of sophomore goalkeeper Nellie Latiolais who collected nine saves in the tie with Tennessee Tech.

The Kansas Jayhawks, who qualified for their first NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Mark Francis last season, will roll into Starkville ranked No. 7 in the latest NSCAA Central Region top 10 poll. KU comes into the game having knocked off Boston University, 2-1, in double overtime, two days after tieing UNLV in its season opener.

The Jayhawks will bring a youth movement to MSU as well, with freshman Caroline Smith leading the way on a goal in each of KU's first two contests. Sophomore Monica Brothers, Kansas' leading scorer from the 2001 campaign, is currently second on the squad with a goal and an assist.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

09/04/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Southern Mississippi (1-2) used a pair of second half goals to erase a 2-1 halftime deficit, then used stiff defense down the stretch to stifle a handful of Mississippi State (1-2) scoring chances, to slip by the Bulldogs, 3-2, Tuesday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Amy Van Zandt and Heather Ammann both scored goals for Mississippi State, with Van Zandt leading the way offensively with four shots on goal. Sam Schwenke and Ngum Suh added assists for the Maroon and White in the defeat. Lindsay Canham rattled off six shots, four on goal, for the visitors.

"Southern Miss beat us in everything today," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "They were quicker, had more passion and they were more organized. Technically and tactically, we were a step slow in every position."

Mississippi State lit up the scoreboard first, using a perfect through ball from Schwenke to Van Zandt in the 17th (16:29) minute to take a 1-0 lead, but Southern Mississippi answered nearly eleven minutes later (27:11) on Tricia Wiles' on-target shot that hit top shelf from about 25 yards away. The Maroon and White stifled a few Golden Eagle scoring chances in the next 10 ticks, then retook the lead in the 42nd (41:27) minute on Ammann's shot from 35 yards out.

Katie Adams, Southern's leading scorer entering the contest, capitalized on an early second half scoring chance to knot the score back up in the 50th (49:06) minute, then the Golden Eagles took their first lead of the game in the 57th (56:49) minute on a Katie Randolph header in front of the net. State got scoring chances in spurts down the stretch, with each being stifled by luck or a opportunistic USM defense. Van Zandt took on and won a challenge with Southern Miss goalkeeper Leslie Schoeplein in the 83rd (82:09) minute, but her shot hit the right post and her rebound went high. Van Zandt, again, got a chance just more than six minutes later (88:17) but a Southern Miss defender tipped her close-range shot wide left.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Friday afternoon when the Bulldogs suit up to host Northwestern State in a 4 p.m. contest at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Admission to all 2002 MSU home games is free of charge.

SCORING SUMMARY
At Starkville, Miss. (MSU Soccer Field)
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 1 2 - 3
MISSISSIPPI STATE 2 0 - 2
Shots: USM 14 (Canham 6), MSU 14 (Van Zandt 6). Shots On Goal: USM 12 (Canham 4), MSU 6 (Van Zandt 4). Saves: USM 4 (Schoeplein 3), MSU 9 (Werges). Fouls: USM 12, MSU 19. Att. ­ 338.