10/31/02
Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Volleyball Bulldogs will be battling to extend one streak and end another Friday night in Lexington, Ky., when Mississippi State (10-14, 1-9 SEC) takes on SEC East foe Kentucky (9-12, 3-7 SEC) in an SEC match televised lived on FOX Sports Net South.

The 6:30 p.m. (CST) appearance on the SEC-TV series will be MSU's fourth in five seasons, with the Bulldogs having won all three of their previous televised matches. State, still clinging to hopes of making the eight-team field of the 2002 SEC Volleyball Tournament Nov. 22-24 in Fayetteville, Ark., also seeks an end to a seven-match losing skid.

"This is a big match for both teams," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "The winner will be a step closer to earning an SEC tournament berth. We're hopeful that Jenn Rousey (high ankle sprain) will be back with us this weekend. It's tough to go on the road in the SEC and do well without one of the your top players. She's made some progress this week and we may not know until match time if she'll be ready to return to the lineup."

The Bulldogs are led by senior outside hitter Misty Hubenthal, whose team-leading 344 kills ranks ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference. The Georgetown, Texas, product, who earlier this year eclipsed the 1,000 mark in career kills, is 50 point-scoring hits away from single season top-10 status at MSU.

Another Bulldog, junior setter Jennifer Hadden, is 15 assists away from becoming the fifth MSU player to reach 1,000 assists in a career. She ranks second in the SEC with 985 assists and already ranks fourth at State with 1,651 career assists.

Mississippi State concludes weekend play and its current four-match road run in a 12:30 p.m. (CST) match Sunday at No. 20 South Carolina (17-4, 9-1 SEC).

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/29/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State soccer team's scheduled home date against Jacksonville State on Sunday has been moved to a road contest, head coach Neil McGuire announced Monday morning. Game time is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at JSU's University Field.

Therefore, the Maroon and White will close out its 2002 home schedule on Friday as the Bulldogs take on cross-state rival Mississippi in a 2 p.m. contest at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. The Bulldogs will honor its 2002 senior class in a Senior Day ceremony prior to kickoff and, following the game, will host a "Meet The Players" social and autograph session on the playing field.

The Rebels and Bulldogs have met every year since the inception of Southeastern Conference soccer in 1995. The Rebels own a 4-3-1 advantage in the series, but the two squads have split the last three meetings, 1-1-1. Mississippi State clinched its first SEC Western Division title with a 2-1 double overtime thriller last season in Oxford.

"It is always nice to finish your regular season home games with a game of major significance, especially when it is against the University of Mississippi," McGuire said. "It will be a great game. Both teams are currently playing very well. My good friend Steve Holeman and his Ole Miss Rebels have had a great year thus far, and will be gunning for us. Our players can't wait to get this game under way.

"We hope our fans, who have been very supportive as well as motivational this season, will again come out and support their soccer team. Our players will give it their all, and with our fans support behind them, our adrenaline may run that little bit faster."

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/28/02
Men's Golf STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State University men's golf team was schedule to compete Monday and Tuesday at the LSU Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate in Baton Rouge, La. However, the tournament has been postponed due to the amount of heavy rain that the Baton Rouge area received over the past three days.

The tournament has not been rescheduled at this time.

"We had to make the decision to postpone the tournament because of all the rain that we have gotten this weekend," said LSU head coach Greg Jones. "The course was basically flooded and it would have been impossible to try to play."

This was the last fall tournament for the Bulldogs. They will begin spring play in Houston, Texas, at the Rice University Intercollegiate Golf Tournament on February 10-11.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The Tigers hit at a .297 clip in taking the opening game 30-27, then rallied from a 29-22 deficit to take a 32-30 thriller in game two and a 2-0 lead in the match. LSU pulled away from an 11-11 deadlock to seal the match with a 30-19 win in third game.

Jennifer Hampton registered a match-high 13 kills and paced LSU with 10 digs. Kyra Lancon added 10 kills as the Tigers out-hit the Bulldogs .260 to .182.

Nicole Broome had 11 kills and one hitting error on a .476 hitting performance. Micty Hubenthal followed with 10 kills. Tanika Taylor led State on defense with a match-high 12 digs.

MSU freshman Kelly Willinger, making her first career start, had a career-best six kills.

State continues its four-match SEC road swing Friday in Lexington, Ky., when the Bulldogs test the Kentucky Wildcats in an 7:30 p.m. EST SEC-TV match broadcast on FOX Sports Net South.

Mississippi State (10-14, 1-9 SEC)
Oct. 25 --- Arkansas 3, MSU 0 (30-25, 30-23, 30-26)
Oct. 27 --- LSU 3, MSU 0 (30-27, 32-30, 30-19)

Upcoming matches

Nov. 1 at Kentucky (7:30 p.m. EST)
Nov. 3 at South Carolina (1:30 p.m. EST)

Source: MSU Media Relations

Amber Rose and Amy Van Zandt each scored a goal for Mississippi State, while three different players recorded assists in the loss. Mississippi State goalkeeper Krystal Werges recorded six saves on 18 Georgia shots, while also picking up an offensive assist. It was the first point scored by a State goalkeeper in program lore. Three different players scored goals for visiting Georgia.

"In the first half, I think we came out in awe of Georgia because of their reputation as a great team," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "In the second half, we threw caution to the wind and showed everybody that we are every bit as good as them. It was a good game and our girls worked very hard. It was tough to see them lose."

Despite going into the half in a scoreless deadlock, each team had their chances to score on great opportunities in the opening period. Georgia tested Werges early, taking the first four shots of the game, but each time Werges was up to the task and stuffed each Georgia chance. Amy Van Zandt took MSU's first shot of the game in in the 20th minute, before April Berry nearly got the 'Dogs off the mark moments later, but was disappointed as her header caught the near post and careened out of danger. Newbern equalled Berry's task just more than seven minutes later, firing a shot from the close right wing, but catching a healthy amount of woodwork seconds later.

Georgia needed just two-and-a-half minutesof the second half to break the deadlock as Andrea Valasco redirected a Shannon Murray cross with a header that bounced under a diving Werges in the 48th tick (47:30). Georgia gave itself a two-goal cushion on Nicole Greathead's score in the 57th minute (56:52) before State kicked itself up a gear to mount the comeback.

A Carolyn Cayard foul set Jessi Moore up on a direct free kick from 30 yards out at the 60:58 mark and, after a perfect service, a header from Amber Rose sent the ball far post and into the Georgia nets. Nearly nine minutes later, Werges' booming punt was flicked on by Betty Ann Casey to the waiting feet of Amy Van Zandt, who dribbled about 10 yards before completely fooling a charging Ashley Lindley with a skipper to the far post that tied the score at two apiece.

The Bulldogs will return to action this Friday when the Maroon and White suit up to host cross-state nemesis Mississippi (11-3-2, 3-3-1) in a key SEC West battle for both teams. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field and admission is free. Friday's game will also be preceded by Senior Day festivities as MSU's Class of 2002 ­ Lynda Henry, Jessica Kauffman and Jessica Wells ­ will be honored prior to kickoff.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The B Singles matches for Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda were canceled along with all the consolation matches of the tournament.

In A Doubles action, Marcelle Hirt and Magdi Rekasi dropped their first round match to Florencia Basile and Karem Harboe of Mississippi, 8-6. MSU's duo of Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda were defeated 8-4 by Alabama's Millie Begovich and Robin Stephenson in B Doubles.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals rounds of A Singles will begin Sunday morning in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The semifinals and finals of doubles play will follow the singles competition.

The Lady Bulldogs will be in action next at the SEC Fall Classic in Peachtree, Ga., on the weekend of November 8-10.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/27/02
Men's Tennis
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team ended play at the Omni Hotels Region III Indoor Championships Saturday, as one Bulldog doubles team fell in a tight match and another defaulted due to injury, both in second-round action.

State's duo of Rene-Charles Combette and Jerome Le Belicard dropped a close 9-7 decision to Vanderbilt's 19th-ranked and third-seeded tandem of Bobby Reynolds and Lewis Smith late Saturday evening.

The Bulldog team of Matt Armstrong and Max Fomine was to have faced Auburn's 14th-ranked and second-seeded duo of Rameez Junaid and Rodrigo Minozzo in the second round, but was forced to default that match due to an injury to Fomine.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/25/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ April Berry's first goal of the season minutes into the second half gave Mississippi State (5-11-1, 2-4-1 SEC) the lead, but it wasn't enough as 16th-ranked Tennessee (11-5-1, 4-2-1) struck back with two goals of its own to defeat the Bulldogs, 2-1, Friday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

The goal marked Berry's third career score and gave the sophomore five points on the season. Amy Van Zandt also managed a late shot for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State goalkeeper Krystal Werges collected seven saves in the nets for the 'Dogs. Rhian Wilkinson led the UT arsenal on a goal and an assist.

The gallant second half effort by visiting Tennessee marked the sixth comeback victory of the season for a Mississippi State opponent and also marked State's eighth one-goal loss on the campaign. In addition, it was MSU's fourth one-goal loss in the five-game series with the Lady Vols.

"I think that is the sixth time this season that we have blown a lead within five minutes," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "We do it to ourselves. The players need to start taking responsibility for their actions and we have to fix our own problems. If we refuse to do it on the field, then we are going to continue to lose games."

Although outshooting the hosts 7-0 in the opening period of play, State forced Tennessee into the halftime break empty-handed due to a handful of defensive highlights by the Bulldogs. The Lady Vols took the first three shots of the second half, but the Bulldogs staved off each one before using their transition to give Betty Ann Casey a breakaway in the 57th minute. Obviously beat by Casey's breakaway speed, Carrie Swibas nixed the effort, however, pulling down the Maroon and White player to warrant a yellow card. Moments later, after a pair of pass attempts deflected off Tennessee defenders, Jessi Moore collected a loose ball and fired a pass across the goal mouth to Berry, who finished with a one-timer to give the Bulldogs the lead in the 58th minute (57:57).

However, a resilient Lady Vol team would not die easily and, following confusion in front of the Bulldog nets, tied the score one minute and and 40 seconds later (59:37) on Wilkinson's blast past Werges. Resiliency paid off again nearly nine minutes later when a pair of UT passes found the feet of Kim Patrick who gave the Orange and White the lead in the 69th tick (68:17). Despit the deficit, State continued to fight, getting its best chance in the 88th minute (87:56) on Van Zandt's breakaway, but Tennessee goalkeeper Ellen Dean protected the lead on a kick save that sent the ball sailing out of bounds.

Mississippi State will return to action on Sunday when the Maroon and White host Georgia in a key SEC interdivisional battle at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and admission to all 2002 Mississippi State Soccer home games is free of charge.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The Bulldogs stayed close in all three games, bowing 30-25, 30-23, and 30-26.

Kincaid tallied a match-high 15 kills, seven in the second game.

"We played well at times tonight, but it's very difficult when you have to go on the road and against a talented team like Arkansas minus your best front row player," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "I can't fault our players' effort tonight. I was pleased with the way Nicole Broome and Kelly Willinger stepped in and adjusted to the changes we made with Rousey out of the lineup. Tonight we just couldn't get the plays that we needed to get over the hump."

Freshman Rachel Cooper paced the Bulldogs with 10 kills and a team-high 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Senior Misty Hubenthal, held to single digits for only the fourth time this season, had nine kills and 10 digs. Junior libero Tanika Taylor added 12 digs.

Arkansas out-hit State .189 to .073, nipped State 51 to 49 in digs, but commanded a solid 11.5 to 6 edge in blocks. Libby Windell had 13 kills on a .455 hitting night and totaled seven blocks.

The Bulldogs continue their SEC weekend road trip Sunday in Baton Rouge, La., testing the LSU Tigers in a 1:30 p.m. match at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Source: MSU Media Relations

State's duo of Rene-Charles Combette and Jerome Le Belicard was up 5-2 over Matt Emery and Alex Hume of host Kentucky, when Hume had to retire due to injury. The State team of Matt Armstrong and Max Fomine overcame a 4-1 deficit to down the Tennessee-Chattanooga duo of Dustin Kane and Jason Ontog 8-6.

Singles play was not as kind to the Bulldogs Friday, as all three of State's entries fell.

Combette, ranked 57th nationally and the No. 12 seed this weekend, was upset by Alabama's Stephen Mitchell 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. Combette had received a first-round bye.

Fomine, who had won two matches Thursday just to reach the main draw, won his first match there, downing Birmingham Southern's Nils Hanchen 6-3, 6-2. Fomine then fell in the second round, 6-2, 6-4 to Florida's Matt Behrmann. Le Belicard fell in his first round contest, a 6-3, 6-2 decision to Middle Tennessee's Kirk Jackson.

Source: MSU Media Relations

In A Singles, Magdi Rekasi was defeated by Florida State's Anca Dumitrescu, seeded sixth in the tournament, 6-2, 6-1. Lady Bulldog, Marcelle Hirt fell 6-4, 6-2 to Mariana Melo of host Troy State. All consolation rounds of the tournament have been canceled due to the weather conditions.

Justyna Switala's match with Florida International's Christine Suard in B Singles is scheduled to be played Saturday morning along with Yumi Ueda, who is slated to take on Maria Nieto of Georgia Tech.

Doubles matches will immediately follow the conclusion of singles action. Hirt and Rekasi will compete against in-state rivals Florencia Basile and Karem Harboe of Mississippi. With a 2-1 record, Switala and Ueda will play Auburn's duo of Evan Epps and Liz Sauerborn.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/25/02
Men's Tennis
LEXINGTON, Ky. ­ With two straight-set victories Thursday in the qualifying draw at the Omni Hotels Region III Indoor Championships, one over the top seed, Mississippi State junior Max Fomine has advanced to the weekend's main draw in singles. The event, which is the precursor to the Omni Hotels National Indoor Championships, is being hosted by the University of Kentucky.

Fomine opened the day Thursday with a solid 6-2, 6-3 win over Tennessee Tech's Rolando Vargas. He then ousted the qualifying draw's No. 1 seed, Central Florida's Antonio Sierra, 6-3, 6-1.

"Max played two very good matches today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said, "He was really in control of both of them throughout. If he continues to play that way, he could make some noise in the main draw."

Fomine will open play in the main draw Friday. His opponent was to be determined late Thursday.

Joining Fomine in the main draw Friday will be seniors Rene-Charles Combette and Jerome Le Belicard, who did not have to go through qualifying. Combette, ranked 57th nationally and the No. 12 seed overall, has a first-round bye. He will meet the winner of the match between Mississippi's Karim Alaily and Alabama's Stephen Mitchell at 5 p.m. ET. Le Belicard will begin action at 11 a.m. ET, facing Middle Tennessee's Kirk Jackson.

In main draw doubles, Combette and Le Belicard, and Armstrong and Fomine, will be in action following singles Friday evening.

In other MSU action Thursday, senior Michael Hailey fell in the first round of qualifying in a marathon match with Vanderbilt's Jens Pilgram-Larsen, who took a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) decision in that contest. Junior Matt Armstrong, seeded eight, was also a first-round victim, falling 6-2, 6-3 to LSU's Paul White.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Participating in the tournament will be individuals from UAB, Alabama, Auburn, Birmingham-Southern, Florida International, Florida State, Florida, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Jacksonville State, Miami, Mississippi State, Mississippi, South Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Stetson and Troy State.

Marcelle Hirt and Magdi Rekasi will represent MSU in A Singles and Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda in B Singles. Doubles duos are Hirt and Rekasi in A Doubles and Switala and Ueda in B Doubles.

The three day event will begin Friday morning.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/24/02
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Members of Mississippi State's men's tennis team will begin competition in the 2002 Omni Hotels Region III Indoor Championships Thursday. The event, which will feature most of the Southeast region's top collegians, is being hosted by the University of Kentucky.

Thursday's action will feature the qualifying draw for singles. In action for MSU in that draw will be Matt Armstrong, Max Fomine and Michael Hailey. Those three players will be trying to advance to the the weekend's main draw, which begins Friday.

There are two Bulldogs already entered into In the main draw ­ Rene-Charles Combette and Jerome Le Belicard. The senior Combette, ranked 57th nationally in singles, is the 13th seed overall in this weekend's event.

In doubles main draw competition, two MSU teams will be in action beginning Friday. Combette and Le Belicard will pair up for State, while Armstrong and Fomine will be a duo.

This weekend's event is the precursor to the Omni Hotels National Indoor Championships, college tennis' second major, which will be held November 7-10 in Dallas. Source: MSU Media Relations

Blaire Brown, Kate Jaspers, Amy Mosley, Lindsay Nelson and Krystal Tillman were all recognized for their efforts in the classroom during the 2001-2002 academic school year. The NFCA annually recognizes excellence of competitive fastpitch players in the classroom, including excellence on the Division II, NAIA, NJCAA and high school levels.

Leading the way for the quintet was Jaspers who has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in her first four semesters in Starkville as a psychology major.

"I think it is a great honor for Mississippi State University and our softball program to have five players selected on the NFCA academic all-America team," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "It is a tribute to the time that our players devote to the classroom, as well as the time that they devote on the field. They provide a great representation of our softball program for the young players throughout the state."

Ever since its reintegration as a varsity sport at Mississippi State in 1997, the Maroon and White has been the leader among the 11 SEC softball-playing institutions in terms of its level of commitment to academic success. The Bulldogs currently pace the SEC with 48 academic all-SEC selections, including the six selected for the honor in 2002.

Since 1997, Mississippi State has tallied 24 NFCA academic all-America selections, a 2000 first team GTE Academic all-American and three GTE academic all-district selections in 1998 and 2000 combined. The Bulldogs have also been recipients of three NFCA team academic all-America awards (1998-2000), finishing 13th in the nation with a 3.256 team GPA in 1999.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Friday's meeting will mark the fifth in the series between the two schools and the first since the Maroon and White knocked off the Lady Vols in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 20, 2000. That win setup MSU for a late season run at an SEC Tournament berth, giving this meeting a dejá vu feeling in terms of conference importance. Tennessee leads the all-time series, 3-1.

"This is a crux weekend for every team in the conference," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "There is a one game difference between third and last place in the SEC at the moment, so everyone is still in the hunt for the the elusive tournament berth. Tennessee is a magnificent team who are well-coached by head coach Angela Kelly. They will be motivated. I am looking forward to seeing our players in this environment."

Tennessee has posted favorable results against six teams ranked in the top 25 this season, including victories over No. 20 Auburn (4-2) and No. 7 Wake Forest (2-0). However, UT is still looking for its first SEC road victory this season after dropping a 2-1 overtime contest at Florida on Friday and drawing 1-1 at South Carolina on Sunday.

Like Mississippi State, Tennessee has had its share of heartbreakers this season, dropping close contests to both top-ranked Stanford and defending national champion Santa Clara early on in the campaign. Four of UT's five losses this season have been by a single goal.

"Tennessee plays a controlled soccer style, and have many facets to their attack," McGuire said. "They possess well and have excellent speed as well as technical ability. They pose a scoring threat from many areas, and we will have to be conscious of that when we defend against them."

Tennessee will be led into the contest by a pair of 20-point scorers in both Kim Patrick (10 G, 7 A) and Rhian Wilkinson (5 G, 11 A), but are held steadfast by a stalwart in goal in senior Ellen Dean. Dean has allowed just 17 goals in 16 contests, including three shutouts, and will bring a 1.11 goals against average and 52 saves into Starkville. She has started every one of UT's 16 games this season.

Mississippi State will bring in a simmering team of its own, however, as the Bulldogs are fresh off a weekend in which it knocked off Vanderbilt for the first time in school history, then dropped a heartbreaker to perennial SEC powerhouse Kentucky on a goal in the 84th minute. State held a lead or was tied for a combined 172 minutes and 29 seconds in the two games this past weekend.

The Bulldogs will be paced into the weekend by sophomore Jessi Moore (6 G, 6 A) who needs just three more points this season to match State's career scoring record currently held by Meredith Riekert who scored 59 points (22 G, 15 A) for the Bulldogs from 1995-1998. Moore already holds MSU's career assists record on the shoulders of a 16-assist showing in her 2001 rookie campaign.

Following Friday's action against Tennessee, Mississippi State will continue its homestand on Sunday, taking on SEC East rival Georgia in a 1 p.m. game at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. The Bulldogs will close out the homestand on Nov. 1 against cross-state nemesis Mississippi. Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State Soccer home games is free of charge.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/22/02
Men's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ­ The Mississippi State men's golf team finished in 13th place at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions in Knoxville, Tenn., shooting a final round 301 (299-298-301=898).

Codie Mudd, for the third time this season, led MSU, shooting a 219 (3-over par). Leading the Bulldogs after day one, Joe Deraney finished one stroke behind Mudd with a final round 75 (72-73-75=220).

The University of Georgia took home the team crown with three consecutive 280 rounds and a 24-under par finish. Vanderbilt's Brandt Snedeker was the individual medalist with 12-under par.

Next, State will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a two-day competition at the LSU Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate beginning on October 28.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/22/02
Volleyball

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Tennessee's Lady Vols parlayed a pair of dramatic comeback wins into a 3-1 match victory over Mississippi State in SEC volleyball competition at the Newell-Grissom Building.

UT (15-6, 4-4 SEC), after dropping a 30-24 decision to Mississippi State (10-12, 1-7 SEC) in the opening game, trailed the Bulldogs 28-22 in game two. The Lady Vols went on an 8-0 run to claim a 30-28 win in the second game, took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 30-27 win in game three, and then overcame a 19-9 Bulldog lead in game four to clinch the match with a 31-29 verdict.

"This was about as disappointing a loss as you can have," said Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "We played at times about as well as we have all year long, but once we got within striking distance of a win we made just enough mistakes to let Tennessee slip away. You have to give Tennessee a lot of credit for not giving up and taking charge late in the match. Thatıs something we're still trying to learn how to do as a team."

The Bulldogs sizzled in a closely-contested opening game, hitting at a match-best .375 and trailing only briefly early. Jennifer Rousey, who paced MSU with five kills in the opening frame, stepped up with six kills in game two, five during a 7-0 MSU run that put State up 26-19. But the Lady Vols topped that with a game-closing 8-0 run of their own that included three of Janelle Hesterıs game-high seven kills.

Hester continued her assault with another seven-kill period as UT pulled ahead with a 30-27 win. The Bulldogs, who were even at 16-16 and trailed 28-26 before falling, were paced in the stanza by Jennifer Rousey's six kills.

Tennessee saved its most dramatic turnaround for the fourth game, when State raced to an 8-0 lead on the serving of Jennifer Hadden. The Bulldogs' lead grew to double figures five times, the last at 19-9. But UT chipped away, finally pulling even at 28-28. State regained the lead on a service error and served at game point. But UT's go-to player Janelle Hester answered with a kill and assisted on a block to lift the visiting Vols to a 31-29 win.

Hester finished the match with 24 kills on a .388 hitting afternoon. Michelle Piandosti added 13 while Kristen Andre and Whitney Gifford combined for 13 blocks and a 13-3 UT team blocking dominance at the net.

Four Bulldogs reached double-digits in kills. Jennifer Rousey carded a career-best 18 kills and hit .471 for the match. Outside hitters Rachel Cooper and Misty Hubenthal had 14 kills each but combined for 15 hitting errors, while Hilary Chambers finished the 140-minute match with 11 kills. State managed a 75-72 edge in digs, including a career-high and team season-best 27 by Tanika Taylor. Cooper followed with 13.

Junior setter Jennifer Hadden was credited with 57 assists, raising her career total to 1,582 and boosting her to fourth on MSU's career assist list.

The match was State's third and final home battle in October. The Bulldogs return to SEC Western Division competition Oct. 25-27 with road trips to Arkansas and LSU.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Sophomore Joe Deraney paces the Bulldogs with a one-over par showing (72-73=145). Deraney is in a tie for 26th place with LSU's Brandon Aydlett. Codie Mudd is in a tie for 38th place, just two strokes behind Deraney (73-74=147).

After day one, host Tennessee and Georgia are in a two-way tie for the team crown with a 16-under par (560). Vanderbilt's Brandt Snedeker, Tennessee's David Skinns and Charleston's Bruce McDonald are all tied at nine-under par (135) for the individual lead.

The final round of competition will begin Tuesday morning.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The Bulldogs, ranked fourth in the South region coming in, finished with 708 points in their first 6K meet of the season.

Sophomores Meggan Hodge and Tiffany McWilliams led MSU, finishing 1-2 on the team in the sixth straight meet dating back to last year. Hodge, an all-South runner last year, clocked a 21:29.3 and finished 41st overall. McWilliams, a native of Red Bay, Ala., finished 46th with a time of 21:30.0.

Senior Ronni Rudolphi (22:45.2) finished third for the Bulldogs and 166th overall. Freshman Mina Thorstenson (23:23.0) crossed the line next for MSU, placing 224th.

Freshmen Jennifer McPherson took 231st place with a time of 23:27.0, while Michelle Kinney, another freshman, crossed the line in 23:36.3, placing 239th. Zita Magloire (23:51.9) was the Bulldogs' fourth freshman across the line, finishing in 246th place.

Brigham Young, the nation's top-ranked team, won the team title with 55 points. North Carolina's Shalane Flanagan took the individual title with a time of 19:56.5.

Next up for the Bulldogs, coached by Al Schmidt, is the SEC Cross Country Championships in Gainesville, Fla., on Monday, Nov. 4.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/19/02
Soccer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ­ Ngum Suh broke a 1-1 tie just less than seven minutes into the second half, and Krystal Werges collected a career-high 13 saves, to throttle Mississippi State (5-9-1, 2-2-1 SEC) past Vanderbilt (4-8, 2-4) for the first time in school history with a 2-1 victory Friday night at the Vanderbilt Soccer Stadium.

Heather Ammann and Suh both scored goals for the Bulldogs, while Elke D'Hollander and April Berry added an assist apiece, to give the Maroon and White its first series victory over the Commodores in five meetings. Vanderbilt midfielder Kat Carroll collected eight of Vandy's 23 total shots to pace the hosts in a losing cause.

Werges was near-flawless in goal, yielding just a late first half goal in evening her record up at 5-5-1 on the campaign. The save total was the most by an SEC goalkeeper this season and the highest recorded tally for an MSU netminder since Sarah Roberts turned in the same amount in a 3-2 overtime loss at Georgia on Oct. 24, 1997.

The victory was crucial for the Bulldogs who vaulted themselves up to the middle of the pack in the race for its second-straight SEC Tournament berth.

"Tonight's win was much needed for this team," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire.m "We played hard, and executed our gameplan. We were very concerned with the offensive threat of Vanderbilt and had to choose to defend the lessor of two evils. We tried to take away their ability to get in behind our defense and, with that, gave their midfielders a lot of shooting opportunities.

"It was was a rough ride as Vanderbilt has two exceptional players in Kat Carroll and Jen Lewis providing their team with many great shots. Coach Hill is someone I respect greatly, and her team is one of the best we have faced this season. Vanderbilt will be a contender in this conference."

Neither team could muster an advantage early on, trading offensive opportunities back and forth before a set play by the Maroon and White broke the deadlock. A foul by the Commodores' Kendra Sasa set State up on a direct kick about 40 yards out to which D'Hollander served a ball into the box that put the VU backline into a state of confusion. Ammann collected the loose ball moments later and fired a shot near post to give MSU a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute (17:55). Vandy created a handful opportunities for itself in the next 15-plus minutes before knotting the score back up in the 34th tick (33:26) on a 20-yard shot that barely escaped the leaping ability of Werges. State took advantage of an early second half opportunity when a Berry pass found a streaking Suh on the far sideline. After a couple of nifty moves by the sophomore midfielder, Suh completed the play a shot time later, fooling Vandy goalkeeper Esther Thompson, then skipping the ball far post past the charging netminder in the 52nd minute (51:27). Vanderbilt had its chances to knot the score back up, including a Carroll header in the 71st minute (70:42) that found the crossbar and bounced straight down but did not cross the endline, but could not put a goal in the State nets.

Mississippi State will return to action on Sunday when the Bulldogs close out their final roadtrip of the 2002 campaign with an afternoon contest against Kentucky. Game time is set for 2 p.m. EST at the UK Soccer Complex.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/17/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Fresh off one of its best defensive weekends of the campaign, the Mississippi State soccer team (4-9-1, 1-2-1 SEC) will close out its final roadtrip of the regular season this weekend as the Bulldogs take on Vanderbilt (4-7, 2-3) and Kentucky (7-6, 2-3) in a pair of SEC East dogfights.

The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive weekend in which they held two of the SEC's top scoring offenses to a combined 22 shots. Against Auburn on Friday, MSU held the Tigers to a paltry eight shots in a 2-0 loss, then came close to completely shutting down the nation's third-leading scoring offense in a 1-1 tie at Alabama. The Crimson Tide's Dawn Nash, who ranks among the nation's leading scorers with 27 points, was held scoreless in 110 minutes of action.

The Bulldogs, who have grappled with narrow losses this season, earned the distinction of coming back against the Crimson Tide, scoring a late goal in the 70th minute to knot the score up at one apiece.

Defensively, State has become more sound than it has ever been as the Bulldogs are on pace to finish with their third-lowest goals against average in school history. The Maroon and White have allowed less than 12 shots per contest (11.57) this season, marking the best defensive effort of any State team in team lore. State has also allowed a collective 1.74 goals per game due to the outstanding efforts of its goalkeeper tandem, Courtney Hubert and Krystal Werges. The two will carry a combined .764 save percentage into this weekend to complement 71 saves.

"Our practices have been good this week," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "We have to continue to build on our defensive understanding, and look to play more as a unit in the defensive end. We are much improved, but have things still to achieve."

State will face a pair of opponents this weekend that, much like itself, have gotten stiff defense thus far into the 2002 campaign. Vanderbilt has allowed more than two goals just once this season in a 3-0 loss to Florida at home and will carry a collective 1.32 GAA into its contest with the Bulldogs. Offensively, Vanderbilt is led by junior midfielder Michelle Bruntlett's three goals, but Bruntlett has been supported by teammates Kat Carroll and Erin Higgins, both of whom have put away a pair of goals for the Commodores this season. Vanderbilt takes an average of just more than 13 shots per game (13.82).

Kentucky, which had been a pain in MSU's side until the Bulldogs snapped a three-game skid to the Wildcats with a 2-1 overtime victory last season in Starkville, will present an equally difficult task. UK has already posted three shutouts this season, including a 3-0 blanking of perennial SEC powerhouse Florida in Lexington, Ky., two weeks ago. The Wildcats get their dominance in the second half, scoring 14 of their 18 total goals (78 percent) in the final period. The 'Cats are led by all-SEC forward Elizabeth Ramsey who has scored 17 points this season on six goals and five assists.

"Each and every game is important in the SEC title race," McGuire said.

"There is a great deal of parity at present between teams in this conference, with one goal possibly separating a team from going to the SEC tournament and the NCAA's or staying home. This is a big weekend for us all."

Following this weekend's action on the road, State will return home next weekend as the Bulldogs embark on a regular season ending four-game homestand against both nationally-ranked Tennessee and Georgia at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State Soccer home games is free of charge.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/14/02
Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ­ Despite surrendering a first half goal, the Mississippi State soccer team (4-9-1, 1-2-1 SEC) showed its unrelenting behavior the rest of the way out, scoring a late second half goal to forge a 1-1 double overtime draw with Alabama (10-3-1, 1-2-1) Sunday afternoon at the Alabama Soccer Complex.

Jessi Moore scored her sixth goal of the campaign and paced the Bulldogs with five shots, while Heather Ammann tallied 61 quality minutes off the bench and collected her first assist of the season for the Maroon and White. Kylie Boyd scored the lone goal for the regionally-ranked Crimson Tide.

It was State's first tie since a double overtime deadlock with cross-state nemesis Mississippi on Oct. 25, 2000. The teams combined for 43 fouls, 26 of which came from the homestanding Crimson Tide, and five yellow cards.

"Today's game is an indication of what this team can achieve when we play together," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "Alabama is a fiercely competitive team and I was very happy with our players' effort against them."

State controlled much of the opening 20 minutes of play, denying Alabama a quality shot on the Maroon and White nets until the 23rd minute (22:18) when the Bulldogs narrowly escaped a couple quickfire shots from Alabama's Kim Zarzour and Dawn Nash, respectively. State, based largely on the play of starting goalkeeper Courtney Hubert, continued to dodge close calls until the 40th minute (39:48) when Boyd finished a scoring play with a rocket shot far post that gave the hosts a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

With the wind in their face, State came out of the halftime gates on fire, however, continuing with their gameplan that confused the Crimson Tide for a majority of the game and forced Alabama to commit untimely fouls. MSU got off the first three shots of the game and didn't allow the Tide a quality shot until the 63rd minute (62:06) when Dawn Nash's header ricocheted off of the crossbar and out of danger. With time winding down, State created a simple offensive opportunity for itself when Ammann served a pass to Moore who chested down the ball and hit a shot into the upper right corner over the outstretched fingers of Tider goalkeeper Courtney Rogers to knot the score back up at one apiece.

Mississippi State will return to action this weekend as the Bulldogs close out their final roadtrip of the season with a pair of games against SEC Eastern Division foes. The Maroon and White will head to Nashville, Tenn., on Friday for a twilight date against Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. EST before traveling to Lexington, Ky., on Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Alexandra Oquendo totaled 12 kills, Rashinda Reed 11 on a .688 hitting performance, and Julia Petruschke 10 to lead the homestanding Bulldogs. Georgia out-hit State .306 to .103.

State raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening game and battled Georgia down the stretch before bowing 32-20. UG used a 9-2 run midway in the second game and hit .364 en route to posting a 30-20 win. Georgia then pulled away from 10-10 deadlock to clinch the match with a 30-23 win.

Junior Nicole Broome paced the Bulldogs with 10 kills and six blocks. Rachel Cooper added eight kills and Tanika Taylor led State on defense with nine digs. State held a 10-9 lead in team blocks, including five by Jennifer Rousey, but trailed badly in digs 51-31.

"That first game was critical," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We jumped out to a nice lead and stayed with them until the end. But we just didn't have anyone step up and make the big plays when we got our opportunities to go for the win. It was a disappointing weekend that we'll have to put behind us. We've got some key SEC matches ahead and we'll need to be better prepared for them."

Mississippi State resumes SEC competition with its first Wednesday match of the season, taking on instate league rival Mississippi Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in Oxford. The Bulldogs play host to Tennessee Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. in their lone remaining home match of the month.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The Lady Bulldogs have now finished in the top five of all three of their tournaments this season. The final round 297 was the 12th best round in school history, and the second lowest 18-hole total of the season.

The tournament was filled with individual accomplishments. Freshman Sofie Andersson, who shot a 2-under par 70 on Friday, finished tied for seventh place with a career best 222. Sophomore Natalie Booth also finished seventh after firing a collegiate low 72 on Sunday.

Senior Anna Knutsson carded her best round of the season on Sunday with a 1-over 73. Junior Catalina Olarte fired her career best round, a 76 to finish with a career low 237 for the weekend.

No. 12 Tulane shot a tournament low 280 on Sunday and finished 24 strokes ahead of host South Florida with an even-par 864. Defending tournament champ Mississippi finished third while Conference USA power Memphis took fourth in the 13 team competition.

The Green Wave placed four players in the top five for the tournament, led by Carolin Landman and Liliana Alvarez, who shared medalist honors with an even-par 216. Landman fired a 5-under 67 on Sunday, a tournament best.

Mississippi State will conclude its fall season Nov. 1-3, as they travel to Wilmington, N.C., for the annual Landfall Tradition.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/09/02
Men's Tennis
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Mississippi State senior tennis standout Rene-Charles Combette advanced to the second and final round of qualifying in both singles and doubles at the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships with wins in each of those draws Tuesday.

Ranked 57th nationally and the top seed in the singles qualifying draw, Combette ousted Louisville's Octavian Nicodim 6-0, 6-1 Tuesday in the first round. The MSU senior will meet UCLA's 86th-ranked Chris Lam Wednesday morning for the right to advance to this weekend's 64-player main draw, which begins Thursday.

After singles Tuesday, Combette paired with fellow senior Jerome Le Belicard to register an opening-round doubles win as well. The Bulldog pair upended Texas Christian's duo of Daniel Scholten and Fabrizio Sestini 9-7. State's tandem will meet Tennessee's second-seeded and 31st-ranked team of Mark Dietrich and Simon Rea Wednesday afternoon, with the winner advancing to the 32-team main draw.

"We played a couple of solid matches today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Rene was obviously very impressive in his singles match. And he and Jerome played well to hold off a good TCU doubles team."

A total of sixteen singles players and eight doubles teams move on to the main draw from qualifying at this week's event.

The All-American is the first major collegiate event of the 2002-03 season. Mississippi State has claimed three titles at the event. Daniel Courcol won the singles crown in 1992 and teamed with Laurent Miquelard for the doubles title that same year. Bulldog Thomas Dupre took the singles championship in 1996.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/08/02
Men's Golf
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Mississippi State University men's golf team is in a tie for 13th place after two rounds of the Nestle' Purina Classic in St. Charles, Mo. State shot a team score of 599 (292-307) in 36 holes.

Bulldog Codie Mudd holds the team lead with a four-over par (73-73=146) after one day of action. Mudd is just two strokes off his two-round score from the 2001 tournament (144), where he finished in a tie for 28th place.

Sophomore Joe Deraney is in a four-way tie for 40th place after shooting a 75 in round one and a 73 in round two. He is just two strokes behind teammate Mudd.

The University of Illinois is leading the pack at nine-under par (281-278=559). The individual leader is Iowa State's Drew Dalziel. Dalziel shot two consecutive 67 rounds to finish at eight-under par.

MSU will wrap up the tourney Tuesday with a shotgun start set for 8:15 a.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The squad, coming off of a 10th-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational, moved up one place in the polls. Florida State ranks first in the region, with South Florida second and Tennessee in third. Other SEC schools in the polls include fifth-ranked Auburn, ninth-ranked Vanderbilt and 10th-ranked Florida.

"We feel really good about this ranking," head coach Al Schmidt said. "We've accomplished one of our goals for the season. Now it's time to work on our next goal, which is making it to the NCAAs."

The Bulldogs return to action on Sat., Oct. 19, at the Pre-National Meet in Terre Haute, Ind.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/07/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The LSU soccer team (10-1, 2-0 SEC) scored three goals in the last 20 minutes of action and held back any and all threats by Mississippi State (4-8, 1-1) down the stretch to defeat the Bulldogs, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.

Betty Ann Casey notched her second goal in as many games and mustered the only offense of the game for the Bulldogs who were held without a shot through the first 57 minutes of action. Mandy Heintz, who came into the game as the nation's leading scorer, added her 19th and 20th goals of the season to pace the Tigers. Mississippi State freshman Meghan Odom added her first collegiate point on the assist of Caseyıs goal.

"LSU is remarkably different than what they were last year," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire. "They are much more physical, are more organized and a lot fitter. We played very well for 87 minutes, but they got three opportunities and took them well. It is very rare that you give up three goals on three consecutive shots. All credit to them though. They worked very hard for this win."

The SEC's top scoring team did not take long to record their first quality shot as Elizabeth Marschall found space just more than three minutes in, but her shot was easily collected by MSU goalkeeper Krystal Werges. However, the Bulldogs held down the LSU offense most of the rest of the way as LSU was forced to settle for less than quality shots, most of which went either wide or high of the Maroon and White goal.

It was much of the same heading out of the break as the Fighting Tigers got an early quality shot from Marschall, but were then flustered as MSU took the visitors out of their game. Mississippi State encountered its first quality opportunity in the 57th minute (57:39), but Jessi Moore's shot to the far post was knocked off line by LSU keeper Robyn DesOrmeaux.

LSU broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute (71:44), however, as Kasey Dexter's perfect service found the head of Heintz who finished with a header past Werges for the 1-0 advantage. State's persistency paid off in the next five minutes however as an LSU foul set up Odom on a direct kick from just more than 45 yards away. Odom's service into the box was perfect as it found the head of Casey who finished the play with a flick on over the outstretched fingers of DesOrmeaux in the 79th tick (78:21) that knotted the score up at one apiece.

However, as if on cue, the Tigers took the momentum back, scoring 50 seconds later (79:11) on Heintz's second goal of the contest, then adding an insurance goal in the 88th minute (87:20) on Artie Brown's fourth goal of the campaign. State created a couple of opportunities in the final two minutes of the ballgame, none of which got closer than 20 yards of the Tiger nets.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Friday when the Maroon and White begin a four-game Southeastern Conference roadtrip, traveling to Auburn for a battle of the 2001 SEC West co-champions. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. under the lights of the 1,500-seat Auburn Soccer Complex. Following Friday's action, MSU will head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a Sunday afternoon date with SEC West rival Alabama. The start time for that contest is set for 1 p.m. at the Alabama Soccer Complex.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The Crimson Tide split the first two games, winning 30-25 before the Bulldogs evened the count with a 30-24 decision. But Alabama nipped State 30-28 in a closely-contested third game and then rode a .414 hitting percentage in the final frame for a match-clinching 30-22 win.

Hubenthal became only the seventh player in Mississippi State history to reach the 1,000-kill mark with her final point-scoring hit of the match. Hubenthal hit .382 for the match and just missed her 11th double-double with nine digs. The Bulldog team captain also registered her 100th career service ace in the match.

"We played Alabama pretty evenly for most of the afternoon, but critical mistakes were costly for us in game three," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We had our chances but weren't able to cash them in when we needed them. Misty has been our go-to player for much of her career, and it's great to see her get her 1,000th career kill on the home court."

Bowlin also noted the played of Hilary Chambers, who had 13 kills and a .565 hitting percentage.

Erin Heffner led a powerful Alabama attack with 23 kills, 14 digs and a .436 hitting percentage. Jennifer Bibber hit .485 with 17 kills and one hitting error and Erin Price totaled 10.

The Bulldogs and the Tide were tied four times in the opening game, but Alabama, riding an eight-kill showing by Bibber, pulled away from a 17-17 deadlock and a couple of two-point leads late to take the opener 30-25.

State raced to a 7-2 lead and never trailed in evening the match with a 30-24 win in game two. State hit at a match-best .281 and got four of freshman Rachel Cooperıs eight kills in the stanza. State was poised to take a lead in the match following the break, building a 22-18 lead. But Alabama, after trailing most of the third game, pulled even at 24-24, built up a 28-25 lead and fended off a Mississippi State rally for a 30-28 win.

It was Alabama that never trailed in the deciding fourth game when MSU had eight hitting errors and a match-lowest .167 hitting percentage.

The Bulldogs got a team-best 11 digs from junior libero Tanika Taylor and five blocks from Jennifer Rousey.

State now hits the road for seven of its next eight matches, beginning this weekend with matches at No. 3 Florida (Oct. 11) and at Georgia (Oct. 13). The Bulldogs' next home match is an Oct. 20 inter-divisional SEC battle with Tennessee. An Oct. 9 home match has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict by Birmingham-Southern.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Iyhia McMichael turned in a perfect day at the plate, hitting 4-for-4 with four RBI and a trifecta of runs scored to pace the Maroon and White, while Jennifer Jessup tallied a 2-for-3 clip with four runs scored. Jones' Demetrice Jones scored a run on a 2-for-3 clip to lead the arsenal for the visitors.

Maroon and White starter Jennifer Nelson struck out five and allowed two unearned runs in four innings of work to nab the win for the Bulldogs before giving way to Stephanie Owens in the fifth. Owens shut the Jones JC offense down for the remainder of the game, allowing no hits while striking out one, to get the save for State. Ashley Hernandez went the distance for Jones, allowing 11 earned runs on 11 hits and five walks, to take the loss.

After allowing Jones to score in the top half of the first inning, State put together a run in the bottom of the frame, scoring five runs on five hits and two errors to forge a four-run lead heading into the second. MSU took advantage of two more errors by Jones in the second to plate two more runs, before JCJC added another run in the fourth to cut the lead down to 9-2.

However, not to be outdone, MSU added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, then added two more in the fifth to provide the final.

In State's day two opener, the Maroon and White got single runs in the second and third innings, then put the game away with a two-run fifth, to clinch the championship of the 2002 MSU Softball Fall Fest with a 4-0 victory over feisty Delta State.

Jennifer Waterman turned in a pair of RBI on a 1-for-3 performance to pace a steadfast Bulldog offense and was joined by four other 'Dogs with single-hit performances. Delta State catcher Joy Long turned in a perfect day at the plate for the Lady Statesmen, hitting 2-for-2 after drawing a third inning walk.

MSU starter Melissa Massey struck out three and allowed just two hits in six innings of work, before giving way to Summer Delanueville in the seventh. Delaneuville struck out the first two batters she faced, but gave up two hits before retiring the side on a popup. Delta State starter Jenna Smart went the distance, allowing just two earned runs on five Mississippi State hits, but took the loss.

State took a second inning lead on a suicide squeeze bunt by Jennifer Jessup, then stretched the lead out to 2-0 in the third inning on an RBI groundout by Waterman. Consecutive RBI singles by Iyhia McMichael and Waterman in the fifth provided the final.

The Bulldogs will now begin individual work in preparation for the 2003 campaign. Individual work will stretch through the Fall semester, before team work begins again once the academic year resumes in early January. State will open its 2003 season on February 3, taking on Southern Miss in a single game at the Mississippi State Softball Field.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Participants include Arkansas State (#76), Baylor (#20), Charlotte (#94), Illinois (#12), Iowa State (#39), Kansas (#46), Kansas State (#29), Louisiana-Lafayette (#95), Mississippi State (#75), Missouri (#86), Rice, Texas Tech (#48), Tulsa (#85), and West Florida. [GolfWeek rankings as of October 1]

In the 2001 tournament, Arkansas State won the team title (857). Wixson Huffstetler of Arkansas State and Missouri's Mark McBride shared co-medalist honors (207). MSU finished in 15th place at last season's tournament. Codie Mudd lead State with a 220 to finish in a tie for 28th.

Mudd, Kellen Maurer, Joe Deraney, Jay Giannetto and Craig Horrocks will compete for MSU. Mudd is currently ranked third in the SEC and one spot behind him is teammate Maurer. The Bulldogs, as a team, lead the SEC with a 70.83 stroke average.

"I believe that everyone is ready for this tournament," said head coach Greg Martin. "It has been two weeks and we are ready. Joe and Craig have really improved during practice. We should play well at the Purina Classic."

Source: MSU Media Relations

Lady Bulldogs, Magdi Rekasi and Marcelle Hirt both finished in eighth place in their respective Flights. Rekasi fell 6-4, 6-1 to Jennifer Jassawalla of North Carolina State in Flight Two. In Flight Three, Hirt dropped her match to Loni Worsley, of North Carolina State, 6-0, 6-2.

The Lady Netters will be in action next at the ITA South Regional Tournament in Troy, Ala., the weekend October 25-28.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/06/02
Men's Tennis
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Mississippi State's Max Fomine fell in the fourth round of prequalifying at the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships Sunday. Fomine had posted three-straight wins in two days to reach that point. The All-American Championships are the first major collegiate event of the year.

The Teraspol, Moldavia, product was trying to advance to Tuesday's qualifying rounds by registering a pair of victories, but was upended 6-1, 6-3 by Texas' Jimmy Haney Sunday morning.

Despite Fomine's loss, State will still have representation in the qualifying draws. Senior Rene-Charles Combette, ranked 57th nationally in singles, was an automatic entry into the qualifies. He and Jerome Le Belicard are also in the qualifying doubles draw as a duo. They will be attempting to advance to the main draw of the tournament, which begins Thursday.

Source: MSU Media Relations

10/06/02
Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The MSU Lady Bulldogs concluded doubles action at the St. Mary's Fall Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday. Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda defeated Taylor Parker and Landis Strader of North Carolina State 8-4 to win the fifth-place match in Flight Three. State's duo of Marcelle Hirt and Madi Rekasi finished in sixth-place after falling 8-2 to Purdue's Lara Burgarello and Brittany Reitz.

In singles, Rekasi dropped 6-0, 7-6(6), to Sekita Grant of Georgia Tech in Flight Two. Rekasi and Jennifer Jassawalla of North Carolina State will compete for seventh-place Sunday morning.

Hirt lost her match to Danielle Peitisko of Kentucky in a 6-3, 6-0 decision. She will face Loni Worsley of North Carolina State in the seventh-place match of Flight Three.

Switala fell 6-4, 6-4 to Maria Nieto of Georgia Tech, and Ueda was defeated by Purdue's Missy Wright in a three set decision, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. After winning fifth-place together in doubles, Switala and Ueda will compete against each other for seventh-place in Singles Flight Five.

All MSU's singles matches will be played at 8 a.m. Sunday morning to end the 2002 St. Mary's Fall Classic.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

Iyhia McMichael turned in a 3-for-4 showing at the plate to accompany a pair of RBI and three runs scored, with four other Bulldogs recording multi-hit games. Freshman Callye Williams added a trio of RBI on a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Starkville native Brandi Watkins (0-for-1) plated the Blues' only run of the game on an RBI groundout in the seventh.

MSU starter Melissa Massey struck out five in four innings of hitless ball for the Bulldogs, before freshman reliever Summer Delanueville closed out the game, allowing a run on two hits in three innings of work. Stephanie Holmes allowed 10 runs on 11 hits in just one and one-thirds innings of work to take the loss for the Blues.

State used early-game jitters by the Blues to break the game wide open in the first, utilizing five hits and a pair of MUW errors to put a five spot up on the left field scoreboard. Despite the 5-0 lead, State continued the aggression and tacked on three more runs in the second, using a two-run single by Blaire Brown and a sac fly by Kate Jaspers to take an 8-0 lead into the third.

The Bulldogs sent nine more batters to the plate in the third, using six hits and a key MUW error to plate five more runs for a 13-0 lead heading into the top of the fourth. Williams' two-run single through the left side in the fifth inning, followed by McMichael's RBI single to shallow center, capped the Mississippi State scoring. MUW put together a surge in the seventh, getting Brandi Tynes to third base with one out showing, before Watkins' grounder to short spoiled the shutout victory for the Maroon and White.

In the mid-afternoon game for the Bulldogs, State sent 10 batters to the plate and took advantage of three errors in a seven-run fourth inning, then rode the shoulders of a dominating performance by a pair of its pitchers to blank Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, 13-0.

Tillman plated a pair of runs on a 2-for-3 showing with a pair of runs scored, with Brown (2-for-3) and Jennifer Waterman also adding multi-hit performances for the Maroon and White. Tillman and Starkville native Meagan O'Nan also scored a pair of runs for State. Sarah Colvin paced the MGCCC offense on a 2-for-3 clip.

Jennifer Nelson struck out six and allowed just two hits in five innings of work for the victors, with Stephanie Owens closing things out, striking out two and allowing three hits in two innings of work. Samantha Johnson took the loss for MGCCC, allowing eight runs on five MSU hits in three innings of work.

Nelson led off the first with a single, then moved around to third courtesy of State's short game, before scoring on an error by Gulf Coast shortstop Mashika Davis. The 1-0 lead would stand for two more innings, before the multi-run seventh by the hosts that put the game out of reach. State would tack on three more runs in the fifth on RBI hits by Tillman and Brown, before finishing off the scoring on MGCCC reliever Kaylea Brantley's wild pitch.

Mississippi State will return to action on Sunday afternoon when the Bulldogs close out the MSU Fall Fest against a pair of opponents. The Bulldogs will suit up to face Delta State at 3 p.m. and will take on Jones Junior College at 5 p.m. All Bulldog softball home games are played at the Mississippi State Softball Field and admission is free.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

Fomine pulled out a grueling 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Izak van der Merwe of Old Dominion just before midnight on Friday evening. On Saturday in the second round, Fomine downed LSU's Peter Richman with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 victory. He followed that triumph with a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory over Virginia's Rylan Rizza in the third round.

The Teraspol, Moldavia, native will meet Jimmy Haney of Texas Sunday morning in the fourth round. Fomine needs two more wins in the prequalifiers to advance to the qualifying round, which begins Tuesday.

"Max played very well today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Peter Richman played at No. 2 singles for LSU last season when we played them. And Rizza was a very tough opponent as well. Max did a good job today."

In first-round doubles play Saturday, Fomine teamed with Matt Armstrong, but the Bulldog tandem fell to Virginia's team of Michael Duquette and Rizza 8-3.

State already has one entry into the qualifying round in 57th-ranked senior Rene-Charles Combette. Combette and Jerome Le Belicard are also already in the qualifying doubles draw as a duo.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

10/05/02
Men's Tennis
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Rains for most of the day Friday at the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships forced much action indoors and pushed play well into the night in first-day action of the prequalifying rounds of the event. Due to the lateness of the matches, only one of the two scheduled rounds of singles play for Friday could be finished at Chattanooga's Champions Club. MSU fell in three of its scheduled matches while one other was being played very late due to the poor weather conditions.

Bulldog Matt Armstrong fought Minnesota's Eric Robertson to the wire before succumbing to the Golden Gopher 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4). State's Jerome Le Belicard dropped a 6-2, 6-4, decision to North Carolina's Nicholas Monroe, while MSU's Michael Hailey was a 6-0, 6-2 victim of Georgia Tech's West Nott.

In State's other contest, Bulldog Max Fomine was knotted 5-5 in the first set with Izak van der Merwe of Old Dominion in a match that did not start until 9 p.m. ET. Should Fomine have won that match, he would play again Saturday. Doubles action will also start Saturday.

These Bulldogs are trying to advance to next week's (Tuesday and Wednesday) qualifying rounds at the All-American, which is college's first major of the year. State already has one entry into the qualifying round in 57th-ranked senior Rene-Charles Combette. Combette and Le Belicard are also in the qualifying doubles draw as a duo.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

"Nicole Broome came off the bench and really gave us a spark that got our offense rolling tonight," said Brenda Bowlin. "It helped give us the balance when needed on offense. Maybe the best sign tonight is we had just one receiving error, and that allowed us to run our offense."

The Bulldogs continue their two-match SEC Western Division weekend set and wrap up their current home stand Sunday at 2 p.m., playing host to Alabama at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Senior Misty Hubenthal led the Bulldogs with a match-high 16 kills and with 12 digs registered her 10th double-double of the year. Broome, on a .348 hitting night, followed with 11 kills, Hilary Chambers hit .438 and added nine, Jennifer Rousey eight and Rachel Cooper six as State out-hit Auburn .283 to .132.

Chambers registered five kills and hit .833 in leading the Bulldogs to their 30-19 win in the opening game. State kept its momentum going in game two, racing to a 6-0 lead and riding a seven kill performance by Hubenthal to a 30-22 win. Auburn battled the Bulldogs closely in the third game, trailing 20-18. But Hubenthal delivered four kills down the stretch as State claimed the match-clincher 30-26.

Tanika Taylor led the Bulldogs' defensive efforts with a match-high 16 digs. Rachel Cooper also hit double digits with 10 digs. Mississippi State enjoyed success at the serving stripe, matching a season high with 11 aces, a career-best and team season-high five by junior setter Jennifer Hadden.

The Tigers were led by Negin Azarbehi's seven kills and a 12-dig effort by Bailey Veit.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

Sophomore Meggan Hodge finished eighth overall, running the 5K trek on the Burke Memorial Golf Course in 17:48, her fastest time as a collegiate and the 14th fastest time in MSU history. She has now led the Bulldogs in eight straight races and in nine of her ten races as a collegiate.

"There was a torrential downpour before the race today," said head coach Al Schmidt. "It made the course extremely tough, but as a team, we ran a great race. We are really pleased with our showing."

Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams placed 27th overall (18:17) after slipping towards the end of the race on the slick ground. This also ranked as the Red Bay, Ala., native's top time in her career as a Bulldog.

Freshman Zita Magloire (19:04) crossed the line next for MSU, ranking 98th overall. Senior Ronni Rudolphi (19:11), a Moss Point native, finished in 109th position. Freshman Jennifer McPherson (19:20) came in 119th place.

Sophomore Trina Hobyan (19:30) took 130th place, while freshmen Michelle Kinney (19:41) and Mina Thorstenson broke the finish line 147th and 148th, respectively. Sophomore Cassie Hanan (20:11) placed 179th overall.

Stanford, the nation's second-ranked team, took the team title with 21 points. Eighteenth-ranked Wisconsin finished in second, with the third-ranked host Notre Dame placing third. The Cardinal had the top three individuals, with sophomore Sara Bei winning that title in 16:48.

MSU has next weekend off before heading back to the state of Indiana for the Pre-National Meet in Terra Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

MSU's Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda fell 8-2 to Amy Walgenbach and Shawna Zuccarini of Purdue. Their first victory of the tournament came when they faced Erin Cohn and Claudia Farace of host Tennessee (8-2). Switala and Ueda will compete against Taylor Parker and Landis Strader of North Carolina State in the fifth place match of Doubles Flight Three Consolation.

Despite putting up a strong effort, the Lady Bulldogs were unsuccessful in the first round of singles competition. Rekasi fell 6-0, 6-1 to North Carolina's Aniela Mojzis in Flight Two action. In Flight Three, Hirt was defeated by Sabita Maharaj of Tennessee, 6-1, 6-0. Switala and Ueda both faced losses in Flight Five. Ueda fell 6-1, 6-1 to North Carolina State's Carmen Torress, and Switala dropped her match to Tennesseeıs Breanna Kray in a tough three set decision, 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-1.

The finals of doubles and the second rounds of singles action will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

The victory gave the Maroon and White its second in the series with Arkansas and stopped a five-game losing streak to the Lady 'Backs. Moore's three points brought the sophomore to within six of matching MSU's career scoring record and also assisted in giving head coach Neil McGuire his 25th career victory, all of which have come at the helm of the Bulldog program. Goalkeeper Krystal Werges saw her first action since Sept. 15 and performed fabulously, recording six saves en route to posting her second shutout of the season. Midfielder Megan McCool collected four shots to pace the Arkansas offense.

"We played very disciplined in the first half to withstand quality threats by Arkansas," McGuire said. "They moved very well and caused problems for us. In the second half, we implemented a more possession-style of play and brought the ball through our midfield and allowed us to be in better control of the game.

"While Iım not one for singling out players, Meghan Odom did a fantastic job in her first-ever collegiate start."

Although getting off a handful of shots, neither team got very good looks at the net in the opening half. Arkansas used its shot power from long distance to fire off a pair of good looks from the foot of McCool but, on both occasions, Werges was up to the task and tallied the save. After watching another pair of Arkansas shots go well wide of the goal, State got off its first shot in dramatic fashion when Ngum Suh served a perfect cross to Amber Meesey, but the redirected header was narrowly collected by Lady 'Back keeper Lindsay Haywood late in the first period.

Mississippi State took advantage of a very lethargic Arkansas defense in the opening moments of the second half as Jessica Kauffman moved her way through the UA defense with a couple of nifty moves before firing a shot that sailed just wide of the Arkansas nets. As the momentum shifted, State found itself with more quality chances and finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute (63:36) when Betty Ann Casey found a streaking Leslie Nickles down the near sideline. After finding space in which to get off a pass, Nickles fired across the goalmouth to Jessi Moore, who finished the play with a one-timer to the near post.

State held off a handful of Arkansas surges in the next 20 minutes, then put together a pair of insurance scores, both of which came on breakaways. Betty Ann Casey took her cue from a Kristin Peterson assist in the 85th tick (84:50), then Moore put in her second goal three minutes and 36 seconds later on an unassisted goal that provided the final.

Mississippi State will return to action on Sunday when the Bulldogs close out a three-game homestand by hosting SEC West rival LSU in a 1 p.m. afternoon tilt. Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State home games is free of charge.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

10/04/02
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Members of Mississippi State's men's tennis team will begin competition in the 2002 Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships Friday, as the prequalifying stages of the first collegiate major of the year begin.

Competing in the 256-player singles prequalifying field for MSU will be Matt Armstrong, Max Fomine, Michael Hailey and Jerome Le Belicard. Those players will be looking to win four matches over the next four days and advance to the 64-player qualifying round, which begins Tuesday. In prequalifying doubles (which begins Saturday), Fomine and Hailey will team for State.

State already has one player in the qualifying draw, 57th-ranked senior Rene-Charles Combette. Combette and Le Belicard are also an automatic entry into the 32-team doubles qualifying rounds. The main draw of the tournament, which also features 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams, will begin next Thursday, October 10.

The All-American Championships began in 1979. Mississippi State has claimed three titles at the event. Daniel Courcol won the singles crown in 1992 and teamed with Laurent Miquelard for the doubles title that same year. Bulldog Thomas Dupre took the singles championship in 1996.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

The field includes players from Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Purdue and Tennessee.

Magdolna Rekasi (Flight Two), Marcelle Hirt (Flight Three), Justyna Switala (Flight Five) and Yumi Ueda (Flight Five) will represent MSU on the courts. In doubles, Hirt and Rekasi will compete in Flight Two and Switala and Ueda in Flight Three.

"The main thing that we are working this fall are the negatives," said head coach Tracy Lane. "Last weekend we should have done some things better and we are working on them. And we know what we need to improve on. We are looking forward to this tournament for the great tennis competition."

The three day tournament will begin Friday at 8 a.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

The squad, coached by Al Schmidt, is coming off of a 17th-place finish in the Great American Classic last weekend. Tough competition awaits the Bulldogs at Notre Dame, as Stanford and Notre Dame, ranked second and third in the latest national polls, are both scheduled to compete in the Women's Blue Division race against MSU.

MSU will be led by sophomore standout Meggan Hodge. The Beaumont, Alberta, native has led the team in seven straight races, dating back to last year's Notre Dame Invite. Sophomore Tiffany McWilliams looks to contribute points again as well. She has finished second on the team in her last four races.

Also running for the 'Dogs this weekend will be senior Ronni Rudolphi. The lone senior running this weekend, she has been a steady contributor to the cross country team in her career.

Other competitors for the Bulldogs include sophomore Trina Hobyan and freshmen Michelle Kinney, Zita Magloire, Jennifer McPherson and Mina Thorstenson.

The Notre Dame Invitational begins on the Notre Dame Burke Golf Course Friday afternoon. The women's Blue Division race is slated to start at 4:15 p.m. CT.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

10/02/02
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State soccer team (3-7, 0-0 SEC) will look to put an end to a pair of losing skids on Friday afternoon as the Bulldogs suit up to begin its conference slate against SEC West rival Arkansas (4-7, 0-0) at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Game time is set for 3 p.m.

The two teams will post a near-mirror images of each other when the Maroon and White and the Lady 'Backs meet on the field Friday afternoon. Both have had their share of troubles in the non-conference portion of their respective schedules, with State riding a four-game skid into the contest. Mississippi State dropped a tough 2-1 contest to Samford on Sunday afternoon, despite posting a 24-6 shot advantage.

Arkansas, which dropped six of its first seven contests of the campaign, has rebounded to win three of its last four and will bring a two-game overall winning streak, as well as a six-game series winning streak, into Starkville. The Lady 'Backs posted their fourth win of the season on Wednesday evening against Louisiana-Monroe in Fayetteville and have not lost to the Bulldogs since a 1-0 overtime contest in 1996.

"Our team is anxious to get back on the field, and are very much looking forward to SEC competition," said Mississippi State head coach Neil McGuire, who will be looking for his 25th career victory Friday. "No game will be easy as every team will be as motivated for success as the next.

"Arkansas is one of the best true soccer playing teams in this conference, and possibly the country, and will prove very difficult opponents. They have excellent ball movement and always pose an offensive threat. It is a good matchup. Both teams will want to get off to a good start, and the action will be fun to watch. We look forward to a great crowd."

Arkansas will be led into the weekend by junior forward Julie Williford who, after leading the Lady 'Backs in scoring last season, continues to do so this season on the strength of two assists and a team-high seven goals. Williford has accounted for gamewinning goals in two of Arkansas' four victories. The Red and White have split time between a pair of netminders this season, with senior Megan Bals getting a majority of the action while posting 27 saves on a 2.83 goals against average.

On the flipside, State will be led into the contest by sophomores Amy Van Zandt (5 G, 2 A)and Jessi Moore (3 G, 6 A) who, together, have accounted for nearly half of MSU's total offensive output. However, the 'Dogs have gotten productive minutes from a variety of freshmen as well, including both Heather Ammann (3 G) and Betty Ann Casey (2 G). State has also had its share of defensive stars over the last three games, including freshman keeper Courtney Hubert (2.33 GAA, 9 saves), who has held her own inside the nets.

Following Friday's action, the Bulldogs will return home on Sunday to close out a three-game homestand against LSU at 1 p.m. Admission to all 2002 Mississippi State home games is free of charge.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

MSU is riding a series-longest three-match win streak against Auburn after notching a pair of 3-0 wins over the Tigers last fall. Friday's match is the only scheduled meeting between the two teams thanks to a revamped SEC scheduling format.

"This is an important weekend for our team," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We played one of our strongest overall matches of the year against third-ranked Florida in our last match, and we need to continue to play with that same level of effort and intensity this weekend."

Bulldog senior captain Misty Hubenthal, who leads Mississippi State and ranks second in the SEC with 257 kills, is nearing yet another milestone in her collegiate career. The Georgetown, Texas, product enters the weekend with 967 career kills, 33 shy of becoming the seventh player in Mississippi State history to reach 1,000 kills.

Junior middle blocker Jennifer Rousey ranks seventh in the SEC with a .338 hitting percentage, while Jennifer Hadden's 694 assists in second-most in the league and Hilary Chambers' 68 total blocks stands fifth.

Mississippi State will be looking to end a season-longest three-match losing skid while Auburn, coached by first-year Tiger mentor Laura Farina, is battling through an eight-match losing skid.

Following the weekend matches against Auburn and Alabama, the Bulldogs hit the road for seven of their next eight matches. MSU's only other home match in October is a Sunday afternoon match against Tennessee October 20.