09/22/04
Men's Golf
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Mississippi State's men's golf team finished day one of the 2004 Raising Cane Classic in sixth-place with rounds of 288 and 287 for a 36-hole score of 575. State sits just five shots out of a four-way tie for second.

The two-round score carded by the Maroon and White was the best 36-hole score since the 2000 Seminole Classic.

The best score of the day in the opening round came from senior Daniel Boles, who registered a one under-par 70. Joe Deraney opened the season with an even par 71 to pace the scoring in the opening 18 holes for the Bulldogs. Newcomer Josh Oller turned in a one under-par 70 in the afternoon round, followed by Tim Satow’s even par 71. Satow rebounded from a 76 in the first round.

Boles, Deraney and Oller are currently tied for 21st. Sophomore Greg Huxman posted two rounds of 73 and sits in a tie for 35th. Competing as an individual, Jared Jimenez fired rounds of 74 and 75.

Mississippi is the clubhouse leader with a two-round total of 557. UM's Kyle Ellis enters Tuesday’s final round with a one-stroke advantage over D. Donald Jefferson of Sam Houston State. Ellis recorded rounds of 70 and 65 to take the top spot.

Sam Houston State, South Florida, Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulane are all tied for second at 570 thru 36 holes of play.

The Classic will conclude on Tuesday with an 18 hole finish.

Source: MSU Media Relations

"Beth played very well today and was steady throughout her round," said women's golf head coach Christi Sanders. "She got up and down every single time she missed the green, which was really fine playing. The team is only 11 shots back after making a lot of mistakes out there. I feel that if we regroup a little bit this afternoon and have a good practice that we will be ready to go out there tomorrow and fight our way back in it. We are behind a very good Tulane team."

Junior Stephanie Godare is in a tie for 12th place with a 77 after 18 holes. Picayune, Miss. native, Amanda Mathis shot a 79, finishing tied for 19th place, and Janet Dyer of Aberystwyth, Wales, is in a tie for 26th, after shooting an 80. Lady Bulldog Ashley Korzack sits tied in the 60th spot with an 86.

The final round of competition begins Tuesday morning with the Maroon and White teeing off in a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/21/04
Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs make their season debut at the Newell-Grissom Building and wrap up a four-match homestand Tuesday with a 7 p.m. battle with the UAB Blazers. It's the first midweek competition of the year for Mississippi State, which launches SEC competition this weekend at South Carolina and No. 24 Tennessee.

State raised its season record to 6-5 last weekend with a 2-1 showing in the 2004 MSU/Microtel Classic in Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs handed Eastern Kentucky its second loss of the campaign, hitting at a season-best .312 clip and shutting out the Colonels 3-0 (30-21, 30-25, 30-26) in the Classic's opening round. MSU then turned back a determined Louisiana Tech 3-2 (16-30, 33-31, 30-19, 30-32, 18-16) before dropping a 3-1 decision to Memphis (18-30, 26-30, 30-26, 19-30) in the tournament's championship match.

Junior outside hitter Rachel Cooper totaled a team-high 49 kills on the weekend with a .226 hitting percentage to earn a berth on the all-tournament team. Senior libero Ashley Sledge had 26 digs and joined Cooper on the all-tournament team. It was the second all-tournament team selection this year for Cooper and the first career all-tournament team honor for Sledge, the lone senior on the 2004 MSU team.

UAB, blanked in its first seven matches, gave Auburn a scare last weekend, taking the Tigers to five games before bowing. Sophomore Cassi Ociesa, younger sister of former MSU pitcher Jacob Ociesa, led UAB at Auburn with 13 kills.

The Blazers own a 16-9 lead in the all-time series, including a 3-1 win last year at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.

Mississippi State has already doubled the season win total of the 2003 MSU edition which finished with a 3-23 worksheet.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/20/04
Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Miami registered wins in five of seven tennis matches contested with Mississippi State during the final day of action at the Gator Invitational Sunday, the Bulldogs notching two singles wins.

Highlighting the day for MSU was junior Florent Girod. The Belfort, France, native registered the highest ranked win of Bulldog career, fighting to upset 78th-ranked Hurricane Eric Hechtman in a three-set battle 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(0). It was only the second win over a ranked foe in 56 career matches for Girod. State's other victory Sunday came from senior Luiz Carvalho, who downed UM's Ryan Waits 6-4, 6-2.

Carvalho and Girod ended the weekend, which pitted MSU's squad against players from host Florida, South Florida and Miami, at 2-1 in singles play. Carvalho's lone loss came to the country's 102nd-ranked player, while Girod's setback came when he was forced to retire due to leg pains on Friday after splitting sets.

Miami took both doubles matches between the teams Sunday. The 59th-ranked Hurricane duo of Josh Cohen and Hechtman upset MSU's 13th-ranked duo of Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto in a tiebreaker 9-8(2), marking the only loss of the weekend for the State tandem. UM's team of Tim Krebs and Vivek Subramanian downed State's pair of Girod and Josh Irey 8-4.

Other singles contests saw Miami's 76th-ranked Cohen down MSU's Pinto, ranked 110th, 6-4, 6-3. Hurricane Tim Krebs was a 6-0, 6-1 winner over the MSU true freshman Irey 6-0, 6-1, while UM's Subramanian won 6-2, 6-2 over Bulldog newcomer Jordan Jones 6-2, 6-2.

"We had a pretty solid weekend overall," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We had some good wins and some positive things emerge. We want to build on those things as we continue the fall schedule."

The Bulldog netters will continue fall competition next week (Sept. 24-27) at the Southern Collegiate Invitational in Athens, Ga.

Source: MSU Media Relations

"I was happy to learn the tournament was only shortened due to Hurricane Ivan and not totally cancelled," said head coach Christi Sanders. "I feel like the delay in starting the season would have hurt us. The team is prepared and ready for competition. They are playing well right now, so it will be exciting to get the season underway."

Sanders is sending five veterans to compete for the Lady Bulldogs on the links - seniors Janet Dyer and Beth Irwin, juniors Stephanie Godare and Ashleigh Korzack and sophomore Amanda Mathis.

The field of 14 teams includes host Alabama, Augusta State, Belmont, Birmingham-Southern, Jacksonville State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Murray State, Samford, Troy, Tulane and UAB.

Last season, the Lady Bulldogs opened the season with the same tournament, finishing runner-up with a score of 616. Ironically, the 2003 tournament was also shortened due to inclement weather. Then-freshman Amanda Mathis finished runner-up in her first collegiate tournament, shooting a 73 in the first round and a 74 in the second. Florida State took top team honors, firing a two-round total of 610, and Darby Sligh of Alabama won individual medallist honors with a 144.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/19/04
Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State topped Louisiana Tech 3-2 but dropped a 3-1 decision in the championship match to Memphis in Saturday's final day of competition in the 2004 MSU/Microtel Classic held at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs (6-5) went 2-1 for the weekend while Memphis (9-5) claimed all three of its matches in winning the team title.

"We made some steps ahead this weekend," said MSU head coach Tina Seals. "Rachel played well throughout the tournament and I liked the way our middle blockers improved their play. It was disappointing to lose to a fine Memphis team in the championship match, but we're making the steps we need to make to become a stronger and more competitive volleyball team."

The Bulldogs had to rally to get past feisty Louisiana Tech, which breezed to a 30-16 win in the opening game and raced to a 6-1 lead to start the second game. But MSU roared back to life to even the match with a 33-31 win. State and Tech split the next two games, with the Bulldogs posting a 30-19 win and the Lady Techsters rallying to keep the match alive with a 32-30 win. State served for match point four times in a closely-contested game five, nailing down the win on a Tech hitting error, 18-16.

Rachel Cooper notched her fifth double-double of the year with a match-high 21 kills and 11 digs. Junior Orshi Kriegel registered her first career double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs. Kriegel , who had five of MSU's 12 service aces, shared team honors with freshman Megan Lukasek, while Andrea Mead had 12 digs.

Megan Rush paced Tech with 19 kills while Heather Anderson led LTU on defense with 22 digs.

In the nightcap, Memphis used a solid offensive showing to down State 30-18, 30-26, 26-30, 30-19 and claim the tournament title. Four Tigers reached double figures in kills, led by Nancy Nellans with 19. Nellans also helped Memphis mount a 77-58 advantage in digs with a match-high 19.

Cooper hit double-double status with 13 kills and 13 digs, while Kelly Willinger had a season-high 10 kills.

Cooper and senior libero Ashley Sledge represented Mississippi State on the six-player MSU/Microtel Classic's all-tournament team. Also earning all-tournament team honors were Megan Rush of Louisiana Tech, Brittany Nobilio of Eastern kentucky, and Tiara Gilkey and Nancy Nellans of Memphis. Gilkey was tabbed for tournament MVP honors.

MSU continues its 2004 home schedule Tuesday, hosting UAB in a 7 p.m. match at the Newell-Grissom Building.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, LOUISIANA TECH 2

MSU (6-4) 30 31 19 32 16
LTU (3-7) 16 33 30 30 18

MEMPHIS 3, MISSISSIPPI STATE 1

MEM (9-5) 30 30 26 30
MSU (6-5) 18 26 30 19

The teams traded doubles wins to start the day. MSU's 13th-ranked duo of Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto moved to 2-0 on the young fall season, downing Bulls Marc Jager and Andreas Maroldt 8-6. State's pair of Florent Girod and Jordan Jones fell 8-2 to USF's tandem of Federico Barton and Dillon Brozyna.

In singles, MSU would take three of the five matches staged on the day, winning at the top three flighted positions.

State's Pinto, ranked 110th in the country, won a close first set with USF's Maroldt and went on to a 7-6, 6-2 triumph. Bulldogs Carvalho and Girod both overcame one-set deficits to claim their respective matches. The senior Carvalho came back to down Barton 1-6, 6-3, 6-0. Girod, a junior, rallied for a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jager.

State newcomers Joshua Irey and Jones both dropped straight-set contests in the lower flights. Irey lost 6-1, 6-2 to USF's Juan Carlos Gomez while Jones was defeated by Matias Sigal 6-1, 6-0.

"We had better results today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We didn't play all that badly yesterday against Florida. They are just a very, very talented team. But South Florida is no slouch. They have top 25 talent this season and we held our own against them today. I was pleased with our effort overall. Tomorrow will be another tough round of matches against Miami."

State will conclude tournament play Sunday morning, meeting the Hurricanes at 8 a.m. ET.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The Bulldogs will be making their second-consecutive appearance in the two-day tournament. Last season the Maroon and White finished tied for fifth with South Alabama with a three-round total of 865.

State posted a season-best 279 in the second round of the classic. MSU carded rounds of 68, 69, 71 and 71 to register the lowest round played since the 1990 Barnett Bank Invitational.

Second-year head coach Clay Homan, will start three seniors and two sophomores in the MSU lineup. The Maroon and White will be led by senior Joe Deraney where he led the squad last season in scoring and was State's top-finisher at six of the 11 tournaments in 2003-04. Senior Daniel Boles, who placed third in the same event in 2003, will be in the lineup followed by senior Tim Satow. Newcomer to the squad Josh Oller will make his Bulldog debut. Oller, a transfer from Hinds Community College is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Division II NJCAA Championship. Rounding out the lineup for MSU will be sophomore Greg Huxman. Senior Jared Jimenez will compete as an individual at the Classic.

"I am proud of my seniors that have prepared themselves for the tournament," said Homan. "We have had two extra weeks to prepare."

Canebrake Golf Course was designed by Jerry Pate and is located in one of the premier residential communities in the Southeast. The 6,964 yard, par 71 course is a very young facility that has earned state, regional and national accolades.

Austin Peay State University won the Raising Cane title last season, while Jacksonville State's Matias Anselmo took individual honors.

The first round will get underway on Monday morning, followed by the second round in the afternoon.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/18/04
Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs won their 2004 season home opener Friday night, blanking Eastern Kentucky 3-0 in the opening round of the MSU/Microtel Classic under way at Humphrey Coliseum.

Junior outside hitter Rachel Cooper delivered 15 kills, seven in game two, to lead the Bulldogs. MSU hit at a match-best .394 in winning the opening game 30-21, topped EKU 30-25 in game two and fought off a determined challenge by the Colonels in taking the deciding third game 30-26.

"This was a good win for our team tonight," said first-year head coach Tina Seals. "The girls were excited about finally getting to play at home, and we had so many step up and contribute.

"I was particularly pleased that we got so much production from our bench. It was instrumental in our success tonight. And I was also impressed with Eastern Kentucky. They kept battling and wouldn't give up. That's a sign of a well-coached and disciplined team."

The Bulldogs hit at a season-best .312 clip, leading 51-39 in kills.

State pulled away from an 18-18 deadlock and out-pointed EKU 12-3 in the opening stanza and recovered from a 2-6 start to post a win in game two. Opposite hitter Kelly Willinger drew a start in game two and sparked the surge with five of her six kills on the night. She also contributed three blocks.

The Colonels and the Bulldogs scrapped to a 24-24 tie in the third game before MSU put the game and match away with a 6-2 run. Freshman Erin Seago sparkled for the Bulldogs with five kills in six attempts and an .833 hitting percentage in the final game. The Rockford, Ill., rookie finished the night with 11 kills, a .474 hitting mark and a match-leading four blocks.

Junior setter Andrea Mead paced a MSU balanced defensive effort with 11 digs. Cooper had eight, as did senior libero Ashley Sledge.

The Colonels, who lost for just the second time this season, got a match-high 19 kills from Lesley Aldridge while Jessica Sabath took match honors with 15 digs.

In the tournament opener, Tiara Gilkey had 16 kills and 16 digs and Ashley Liford added 12 kills to lead Memphis (8-4) to a 3-0 win (30-24, 30-23, 30-28) over Louisiana Tech (3-6). The Tigers had to fend off a late Tech rally in the third game to preserve the shutout win. The Lady Techsters were led by Megan Rush's 10-kill effort.

State continues play in the MSU/Microtel Classic Saturday, taking on Louisiana Tech at 9 a.m. and Memphis, a 3-0 winner over LTU, at 3 p.m.

There is no charge for admission to the tournament, being contested in Humphrey Coliseum.

MSU/MICROTEL CLASSIC

MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0

MSU (5-4) 30 30 30
EKU (8-2) 21 25 26

MEMPHIS 3, LOUISIANA TECH 0
MEM (8-4) 30 30 30
LTU (3-6) 24 23 28

Source: MSU Media Relations

Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In the opening day of competition at the Gator Invitational Friday, host Florida notched six wins in seven matches against Mississippi State, the Bulldogs' lone win coming in doubles.

The teams split two doubles matches to open the day. Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto, ranked 13th nationally in last week's preseason poll, defended that rating with an 8-2 win over Gators Vlad Obradovic and Ryan Sherry. State's pair of Florent Girod and Jordan Jones fell 8-0 to UF's pair of Martin Stiegwardt and Stefan Tell. The third doubles match was not played due to an injury to MSU sophomore Arnaud Roussel who suffered a mild hamstring ailment.

The Bulldogs did not fare well in singles, enduring losses in all five matches contested, four in straight-set fashion.

Pinto, ranked 110th in the country, dropped a close 7-5, 7-5 result to UF's Chris Brandi. Carvalho fell 6-1, 6-4 to Gator newcomer Nestor Briceno, ranked 102nd nationally in the preseason. After splitting sets with Stiegwardt, State's Girod retired at 6-4, 1-6 due to pains in his lower leg muscles. State newcomers Joshua Irey and Jones, playing in their first matches as Bulldogs, both fell in straight sets. Irey was a 6-1, 6-0 victim of Florida rookie Grego Ouellette while Jones dropped a 6-1, 6-4 decision to Tell.

Play continues in the event Saturday, with MSU taking on the South Florida Bulls at 2 p.m. ET. State wraps up weekend action Sunday at 9 a.m. ET, facing Miami. This weekend's event is structured similar to normal dual matches, but no team scores are being recorded, only individual results.

MSU RESULTS AT THE GATOR INVITATIONAL Gainesville, Fla. - 9/17/04

MSU VS. FLORIDA

DOUBLES

#13 Luiz Carvalho/Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) def. Vlad Obradovic/Ryan Sherry (UF) 8-2; Martin Stiegwardt/Stefan Tell (UF) def. Florent Girod/Jordan Jones (MSU) 8-0; Josh Irey/Arnaud Roussel (MSU) vs. Jordan Dolberg/Grego Ouellette (UF) - not contested.

SINGLES

Brandi (UF) def. #110 Pinto (MSU) 7-5, 7-5; #102 Nestor Briceno (UF) def. Carvalho (MSU) 6-1, 6-4; Stiegwardt (UF) def. Girod (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, ret.; Ouellette (UF) def. Irey (MSU) 6-1, 6-0; Tell (UF) def. Jones (MSU) 6-1, 6-4.

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)

Source: MSU Media Relations

The game was postponed due to heavy rain and winds brought forth by Hurricane Ivan on Thursday and Friday. The game marks the final non-conference contest for the Bulldogs until the season finale on October 31 against Georgia State at home.

Mississippi State (3-3-1) will open the conference portion of its 2004 schedule on Friday evening when the Bulldogs welcome defending SEC Champion and No. 7 ranked Tennessee (2-2-2) to the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Kickoff has been set for 7 p.m. and admission to all 2004 MSU Soccer home games is free.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/17/04
Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State's men's tennis team will open its 2004 fall season this weekend, as the Bulldogs travel to Gainesville, Fla., to compete in the Gator Invitational. State will join Miami, South Florida and host Florida in the event, which will be held at UF's Ring Tennis Complex.

State's schedule will begin with a battle against host Florida on Friday at 2 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs will then take on the Bulls of USF Saturday at the same time. MSU will conclude competition Sunday at 9 a.m. ET, meeting the Hurricanes of Miami.

The weekend's action will be structured similar to normal dual matches, but no team scores will be recorded, only individual results.

Competing for MSU will be returning lettermen Luiz Carvalho (senior), Florent Girod (junior), Jose-Carlos Pinto (junior) and Arnaud Roussel (sophomore). They will be joined by newcomers Jordan Jones (junior transfer) and Josh Irey (freshman).

"We're excited to be starting the 2004-05 season," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We ended last season on a positive note and want to carry that momentum into this year."

Following this weekend's action, State's next event will next weekend (Sept. 24-27) at the Southern Collegiate Invitational in Athens, Ga.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/16/04
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Due to heavy rains and winds expected to make their way through the state of Alabama courtesy of Hurricane Ivan, Friday evening's regularly scheduled soccer match between Mississippi State and Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala., has been postponed. Although expected in the near future, no makeup date has been announced as of yet.

Mississippi State evened up its record at 3-3-1 with a 2-0 blanking of visiting Memphis Tuesday evening at the MSU Soccer Field, with senior Karen Sandrik and freshman Kevyn Shelledy scoring one goal apiece. Rookie netminder Stephanie Dallas picked up her first collegiate shutout and picked up six saves in the process.

The Bulldogs will take a nine-day break from competition before beginning a scheduled four-game homestand on September 24 when State welcomes defending SEC Champion and No. 7 Tennessee (2-1-2) to Starkville in a 7 p.m. contest at the MSU Soccer Field. Admission to all 2004 MSU Soccer home games is free.

Source: MSU Media Relations

The University of Memphis (7-4) meets Louisiana Tech (3-5) in Friday's 4:30 p.m. tourney opener while the Bulldogs (4-4) take on Eastern Kentucky (8-1) in a 7 p.m. match.

"After eight straight matches on the road, our players are looking forward to playing on the home court," said first-year State coach Tina Seals. "The teams in this year¹s Classic appear to be evenly matched, which should make this a highly competitive tournament."

Prior to playing its first home match, State has already topped its 2003 season win total, winning four of its first five matches.

Junior outside hitter Rachel Cooper of Roscoe, Ill., leads the Bulldogs with 109 kills (3.76 KPG), reaching double-figure totals in kills in seven of eight matches. Cooper, who paced State with 306 kills last year, enters the weekend with 725 career kills and 603 career digs.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Jaspers was one of 52 student-athletes selected across the country as state honorees, representing all 50 US states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The 2004 state winners come from 12 sports. Division I schools claimed thirty winners, while Division II and Division III each produced 11 representatives. Jaspers was one of five softball student-athletes selected as state winners and one of just seven individuals that posted perfect 4.0 GPAs during their respective academic careers.

A committee composed of representatives from member institutions chose the state honorees and the same committee will choose the finalists. The Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the national winner with 10 finalists being announced in the September 27 issue of The NCAA News. The national winner will be announced during the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner October 31 in Indianapolis.

A 63-game starter during Mississippi State's 2004 run to their fourth NCAA Regional bid in five years, Jaspers hit .390 (73-for-187) with 13 extra-base hits, 47 RBI and 38 runs scored. One of two first team all-SEC selections from Mississippi State, Jaspers was also the co-recipient of the SEC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor as well.

A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, Jaspers was named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2004 after completing an unblemished academic career at MSU. A three-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, she also added a trio of NFCA Academic All-American awards to her resumé as well.

A member of MSU's Society of Scholars, which recognizes the top one percent of graduating seniors, Jaspers was also a Psychology scholar and was one of four top graduating seniors in that department. A recipient of an MSU undergraduate research scholarship, she was also named a President's Scholar following all eight semesters at Mississippi State.

A regular in community service as well, Jaspers served as secretary of MSU's M-Club as a junior and was vice-president of the organization as a senior. A four-year representative on the student-athlete advisory committee (president as a senior), she was also a member of the Psi Chi academic fraternity, as well as an appointed student member to both the Arts and Sciences and Psychology Department's advisory committee.

The daughter of Kendall and Amy Jaspers of Prescott, Kate has an older brother Ben. She is one of just five Mississippi State athletes in school history and the first softball player to finish her academic career with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Both MSU squads return to action Oct. 1 at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/14/04
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Fresh off a dogfight with the number one team in the country, the Mississippi State Soccer team will return home for the first time since late August Tuesday evening when the Maroon and White suits up to host regional rival Memphis at 7 p.m. inside the friendly confines of the MSU Soccer Field.

Although showing signs of life against perennial powerhouses North Carolina and Southern Cal, State (2-3-1) dropped contests to both the Women of Troy and the 18-time national champion Tar Heels this past weekend, but showed promising signs of progression to head coach Neil Macdonald. With their first half goal against the Tar Heels, State became just the second team to score on the Chapel Hill school this season, as well as the final six games of last season.

"We played two of the best quality teams that you'll see in college soccer this past weekend," said Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald. "We now know what kind of effort it takes to get results at the highest level. Because of the type of competition we played in Tennessee, we should be better prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead for us."

In a series comprised of very close battles, Mississippi State holds a 4-3-2 upperhand in its nine-game old series with the Tigers (4-1-0) after last season's 3-1 victory in Starkville. However, Memphis returned 17 letterwinners from its 2003 club that concluded the season with a 5-10-3 record. Having won 80 percent of its outings this season, including a road victory at Ole Miss, the Tigers' only blemish this season has come at the hands of Middle Tennessee (2-1), whom State defeated in its home opener on August 27.

The Tigers are led by a new cast of suspects in freshmen Carla Scanniello and Carolina Barrett, as well as sophomore Madison Cheek. Together, the trio have accounted for 70 percent of Memphis' total goal output this season, including all three gamewinning goals (own goal won game at Ole Miss). Defensively, the Tigers are sound as well with freshman Natalie Haerens minding the nets. The Lake Mary, Fla., native has turned in a paltry 0.60 goals against average so far this season while recording 27 saves and a .900 save percentage.

Unbeaten in 10 of its last 13 home outings, State will bring a high powered attack into the game as well, led by the antics of strikers Betty Ann Casey and Heidi Ondra who have combined to post nearly half of State's total offensive output in 2004. The Bulldogs have also enjoyed the contributions of rookie midfielder Jennifer Turpin (1 G, 2 A), as well as senior April Berry, who matched her career season high with an assist on State's lone goal against North Carolina on Sunday.

"We played two really tough games this weekend and that might prove to be our biggest challenge against Memphis," Macdonald said. "We're going to be tired, but we need to motivate ourselves for this game. We can't afford to come out flat against a team like Memphis. They are a quality program that is well-coached and their players are technically strong. We'll have to play our best to get a good result against them Tuesday night."

Following Tuesday evening's action at home, Mississippi State will head north for its first road contest of the campaign, traveling to Jacksonville, Ala., to take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at the JSU Soccer Field. Kickoff for that contest has also been slated with a 7 p.m. start time.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/12/04
Volleyball
[Saturday] COLUMBIA, Mo. - First-time foes Creighton and Missouri proved to be too tall of an order for Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs Saturday in the final day of competition at the Quality Inn Tiger Invitational. The Bluejays (4-1) blanked the Bulldogs 3-0 (30-20, 30-22, 30-15) Saturday morning while host Missouri (3-2) stopped State by the same 3-0 count (30-23, 30-15, 30-18), evening MSU's season record at 4-4.

MVC power Creighton took advantage of poor passing by the Bulldogs to cruise to a quick win. The Bluejays out-hit State .315 to .127, commanding early leads that were never threatened in all three games. Ashley Williams and Leah Ratzlaff combined for 25 of CU's 53 kills and committed just two errors between them to lead Creighton. The Bulldogs were paced by Rachel Cooper's 10 kills. Orshi Kriegel added nine on a team-best .233 hitting effort. Libero Ashley Sledge topped the MSU defense with 12 digs while Cooper, Kriegel and freshman Megan Lukasek added nine each.

Missouri hit a sizzling .430 and trailed only briefly in the opening game in shutting out State 3-0. The Bulldogs stayed close to the host Tigers through much of the opening stanza. But UM pulled away with a 6-0 run midway in the set, with Lindsey Hunter serving up four consecutive aces.

The host Tigers raced to a 7-1 lead and never looked back in taking game two 30-15 and built up an 8-2 edge on the way to a match-clinching 30-18 win in the final game.

Nicole Wilson had 13 kills with but one hitting error and Na Yang added 10 kills.

Orshi Kriegel and Rachel Cooper shared team honors with 11 kills apiece. St. Louis native Megan Lukasek, making her debut as the MSU libero, totaled 11 digs.

For the match Missouri out-hit State .430 to .135.

Mississippi State returns to action and opens its 13-match home schedule this weekend when the Bulldogs entertain Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana Tech and Memphis in the MSU/Microtel Classic. State tangles with EKU Friday at 7 p.m. and on Saturday meets Louisiana Tech at 9 a.m. and Memphis at 3 p.m.

Creighton 3, MSU 0
MSU (4-3) 20 22 15
Creighton (4-1) 30 30 30

Missouri 3, MSU 0
MSU (4-4) 23 15 18
Missouri (3-2) 30 30 30

Mississippi State continues tournament play in the Hearnes Center Saturday, meeting first-time opponents Creighton at 9 a.m. and tourney host Missouri at 2 p.m.

"We got off to a great start with the win over a good Arkansas State team," said first-year MSU coach Tina Seals. "Rachel Cooper and Jamie Joyner came up with some big plays for us, combining for 32 kills. And our freshman middles continued to play well at the net. I'm not sure what happened to us against Idaho. We had momentum and were in position to get the win, leading 2-1 in the match before Idaho made their comeback."

The Bulldogs hit at a match-best .375 and committed but one hitting error in the opening game. ASU held the upper hand for most of the contest, twice leading by as many as four points down the stretch before the Bulldogs, on their third serve at game-point, complete the comeback. The Lady Indians were charged with 12 hitting errors in the opening stanza, the final two leading to the go-ahead and winning MSU points.

Arkansas State raced to a 10-4 advantage in game two and led by as much as eight before evening the match with a 30-24 win in game two. Giedre Tarnauskaite had five of her team-best 18 kills in the second stanza and made it a triple-double with 15 digs and 10 assists.

State turned in a solid offensive performance and fended off an ASU surge to take game three 30-25. Cooper nailed six kills, two in the late-going as MSU overcame a 24-22 deficit for the win. State out-scored ASU 7-2 down the stretch to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the deciding fourth game, a give by Orsolya Kriegel and consecutive ASU hitting errors lifted MSU to a 30-25 win.

MSU's newcomers played key roles in the Bulldog win. Freshman Jamie Joyner from St. Louis, Mo., had a season-high 12 kills in her second start of the young season. Middle Christa Fulenwider, with three block solos and five block assists, helped MSU build a 13-6 lead in total team blocks. MSU's middle, Erin Seago, had eight kills, hit .438 and chipped in a season-best five total blocks. Kriegel, a transfer from Hungary, had a productive nine-kill, .500 hitting performance.

Senior Ashley Sledge paced MSU's defense with a career-matching 20 digs, while junior setter Andrea Mead contributed four kills and registered her second career double-double with 41 assists and 13 digs.

Caitlyn Mitchell reached double-double status for ASU with 15 kills and 15 digs, while Phillipa Soulsby had 11 kills on a team-best .259 hitting performance.

The Bulldogs, who entered the weekend with an SEC-leading 45 service aces, had to overcome 16 serving errors to registered their fourth win in five matches this season.

After dropping the opening game of the nightcap to Idaho 30-24, the Bulldogs rode an eight-kill game by Orshi Kriegel to even the match with a 30-28 verdict. Junior setter Andrea Mead helped the Bulldogs take command of the match, serving State to a 6-0 lead in a run that included four of her match-high eight aces. MSU never trailed in rolling to a 30-26 win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

But Idaho rebounded in impressive fashion, piling up 15 kills en route to a lopsided match-evening 30-17 win in the fourth set and rolling to a 15-9 win in the match deciding fifth game.

Kriegel paced the Bulldogs with a season-best 17 kills, while Rachel Cooper reached double-double status with 14 kills and 12 digs. Ashley Sledge led the Bulldogs on defense with a match-high 19 digs.

Idaho out-hit State .227 to .164. Kati Tikker hit .308 and piled up a match-high 20 kills, seven in the deciding fifth game.

MSU (4-1) 32 24 30 30
ASU (5-1) 30 30 25 25

Idaho (4-0) 30 28 26 30 15
MSU (4-2) 24 30 30 17 9

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/12/04
Cross Country
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Mississippi State University women's cross country team opened its 2004 campaign in fine fashion on Saturday evening. The Lady Bulldogs placed three of its eight runners in the top ten to capture the second annual Memphis Twilight Cross Country Meet at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

State won the women's three-mile race by an overall score of 58 points. UAB finished second with 61.

"This was a good victory," said MSU women's head coach Al Schmidt. "It was a tough race compared to last year. We ran good times."

Junior Zita Magloire was the Lady Bulldogs' top runner. Magliore posted a time of 17:27.44, which placed her fifth overall. Magloire’s finish marked the first time in her career in which she has led the team standings. It was also her third best career finish at MSU.

Senior Meggan Hodge (17:29.88) followed Magloire with a sixth place finish. It was Hodge's first meet since a back injury sidelined her during the latter part of last year. Jennifer McPherson was the other Lady Bulldog to finish in the top ten. McPherson’s time of 17:34.27 was good enough for ninth.

"Both freshmen ran well," Schmidt said. "Jacqui (Aubert) had a great day, and Annie (Falor) did well for this to be only her fifth full week of running following an injury."

In her first collegiate meet, Aubert of Crystal Lake, Ill. posted a time of 18:00.02 to finish in 15th place. Flagstaff, Ariz. native Falor finished in 30th place with a time of 18:32.22.

"It’s still early in the season," he noted. "The team was happy to win as a group."

On the men's side, the Bulldogs posted 86 points, just one shy of second place. Division II national champion Harding University captured the meet title with 42 points. Southern Illinois finished second.

"Our depth has improved over last year," Dudley said. "We have also gotten better up front."

MSU’s top finisher was senior Gedamu Ege. Ege’s time of 20:19.53 on the four-mile course came in as the 12th best of the meet.

A total of five Bulldogs placed in the top 25, including sophomore Dustin Flier, whose time of 20:22.52 was four seconds faster than last year's. He finished 14th.

Travis McKay (20:25.62) notched a 16th place finish in his first Twilight Classic. Brandon Smith also placed 23th with a time of 20:52.18. Two freshmen, John Brigham (20:41.33) and Robert Scribner (20:53.24) finished 21rd and 24th, respectively.

MSU’s next meet will be in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Friday, Sept. 17 at the Crimson Classic.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/10/04
Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State continues its early-season volleyball tournament competition on the road this weekend when the Bulldogs make a first-ever trip to Missouri for the third annual Quality Inn Tiger Invitational.

State opens the two-day, five-team event Friday taking on unbeaten Arkansas State (5-0) at 11:30 a.m. before meeting first-time opponent Idaho (3-0) in a 4:30 p.m. match. MSU resumes tournament play at the Hearnes Center Saturday, testing Creighton (3-1) at 9 a.m. and host Missouri (1-1) at 2 p.m.

"I was pleased with the team's overall performance last weekend in Lafayette," said first-year Bulldog coach Tina Seals. "But the level of competition gets a little tougher this weekend in Missouri, and we'll need to step up our level of play to be successful this weekend."

The Bulldogs blanked Northwestern State 3-0, topped host UL-Lafayette 3-1, and, after a 3-0 loss to tourney champ Tulsa, bested Air Force 3-1 to earn a runner-up finish in the Hibernia Bank Classic hosted last weekend by UL-Lafayette.

Junior outside hitters Rachel Cooper and Jami Hester earned all-tournament team honors on opening weekend. Cooper, from Roscoe, Ill., led MSU with 54 kills en route to her third career all-tournament team selection. Hester, from Davenport, Iowa, was second on the team with 42 kills and hit at a .233 clip to earn her first all-tournament team distinction.

Junior Andrea Mead of Washington Court House, Ohio, making her starting debut, totaled 153 assists. She also contributed 13 of Mississippi State's SEC-leading 45 service aces. On defense, State's lone senior, Ashley Sledge, led the way with 60 digs from her libero position. The Arnaudville, La., product had 15 or more digs in three of MSU's four matches, more than doubling her previous three-year career total.

The weekend marked the MSU debuts of head coach Tina Seals, assistant coaches Jozsef Forman and Jason Skoch, and six of the seven newcomers on the Mississippi State roster.

Freshman middle blockers Erin Seago of Rockford, Ill., and Christa Fulenwider of Raleigh, N.C., drew starts at the net in all four matches, while rookies Jamie Joyner and Megan Lukasek of St. Louis, Mo., and Madison Hill of Houston, Texas also tasted their first collegiate competition. Junior outside hitter Orsolya Kriegel, a transfer from Jaszbereny, Hungary, also took the court for State. Seago leads MSU regulars with a .368 hitting percentage, seventh-best this week in the SEC, while Fulenwider delivered a team-leading 15 total blocks.

After this weekend's competition, the Bulldogs open a 13-match home schedule, beginning Sept. 17-18 with the MSU/Microtel Classic in Humphrey Coliseum. Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana Tech and Memphis join MSU in the two-day event.

Live in-game statistics for all games of the Quality Inn Tiger Invitational will be available at www.MUTigers.com.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/09/04
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ The Mississippi State Soccer team will face quite possibly its biggest challenge in program history this weekend as the Bulldogs pack up their show for the second-straight weekend and head to Knoxville, Tenn., for the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic where it will face Southern Cal and 18-time national champion North Carolina at the 1,200-seat Tennessee Soccer Complex.

The Bulldogs (2-1-1) will face the Women of Troy (2-2-0) out of the Pac-10 at 5:30 p.m. to kick off the tournament on Friday afternoon before No. 1 North Carolina (4-0-0) faces No. 11 Tennessee (1-1-1) at 8 p.m. in the marquee matchup of the tournament. State will face the defending national champion on Sunday at noon before the Lady Vols battle USC at 2:30. For ticket information, call the University of Tennessee Ticket Office at (865) 656-4667.

Coming off a 0-1-1 showing at the KUStore.com Invitational hosted by the University of Kansas this past weekend, State showed signs of brilliance in a loss to Saint Louis, as well as a 2-2 draw with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Maroon and White surrendered a goal on a direct kick in the loss to the Billikens and battled back from one-goal deficits twice before being forced to settle with a tie against the Panthers, despite being on the better end of an overwhelming shot disparity.

Last year's 1-2 scoring tandem of junior Betty Ann Casey and sophomore Heidi Ondra have settled into those roles again this year, with Casey currently leading the points column with 13 points, logging an assist while sharing the team goals lead (3) with Ondra. Rookie netminder Stephanie Dallas has been solid in goal for the Bulldogs thus far, yielding 1.18 goals per game and recording 12 saves behind a bend-but-don't-break back line.

"I think we are doing a very good job of keeping our shape, both offensively and defensively and I am very pleased about that," said MState head coach Neil Macdonald. "We are creating chances, but we aren't being as clinical in front of goal as I would like us to be. But, it's early in the year and hopefully that will fall into place."

With the return of eight starters off of last season's 9-8-4 squad that advanced to NCAA Tournament play, USC has churned out a .500 record through four games and is coming off a 1-1-0 home weekend that saw the Women of Troy drop their home opener to Hawaii (2-1) on Friday evening, before slipping by Rutgers (3-2, OT) on Sunday afternoon. Leading returning point scorer Rosa Anna Tantillo has picked up where she left off last season and is currently leading the Cardinal and Gold with seven points on three goals and an assist.

Having outscored their 2003 NCAA Women's College Cup opponents 32-0 en route to a 27-0 record and an 18th national title, North Carolina is off to a perfect start this season after dispelling both Florida (3-0) and Kennesaw State (1-0) this past weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Tar Heels have been paced by a freshman through four games, as rookie Jaime Gilbert has posted a team-leading four goals and one assist, including a hat trick against Cal-Berkeley. The UNC roster currently boasts a pair of players that helped the US capture gold in Athens, Greece, in sophomore forwards Heather O'Reilly and Lindsay Tarpley.

"North Carolina deserves all of the respect they have, but we need to go out on that field and play our game, regardless of the opponent," Macdonald said. "We need to have belief in the system that we play and belief in ourselves and the people around us. If everyone does their job and half of the person next to them¹s job as well, we¹ll do fine. We need to fight and battle for every single loose ball and try and learn something about ourselves from the experience.

"At the end of the day, we need to come out of it a stronger team."

Following this weekend's matchups, State will return home again on Tuesday evening when it welcomes the Memphis Tigers (2-1-0) to the Mississippi State Soccer Field. Game time for that contest has been slated for 7 p.m. and admission to all 2004 MSU Soccer home games is free.

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/08/04
Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ After a weekend that saw it show signs of dominance, the Mississippi State Soccer team checked into the Soccer Buzz Central Region rankings Tuesday morning, making their 2004 debut in the poll at No. 15. There are 68 teams in the region.

The Bulldogs (2-1-1) are among three Southeastern Conference teams in the weekly ranking and are joined by five other conference squads in the Southeast Region top 15. The ranking marks the first of its kind for a Mississippi State team since cracking the NSCAA Central Region Top 10 following a 1-0 victory over then-No. 25 Missouri last season.

Mississippi State will return to action this weekend when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic. The Bulldogs will open up tournament play at 5:30 p.m. EST on Friday afternoon against the USC Women of Troy (2-2-0) and close out their portion of tournament play on Sunday against 18-time national champion North Carolina (4-0-0) at noon.

All four matches of the tournament will be played at the Tennessee Soccer Complex and ticket information can be obtained by calling (865) 656-4667.

Source: MSU Media Relations

Cooper, of Roscoe, Ill., piled up a team-high 54 kills and registered a pair of double-doubles while Hester, from Davenport, Iowa, totaled 42 kills and a .233 hitting percentage in leading Mississippi State to a trio of wins on opening weekend. The all-tournament team selection was the third such career honor for Cooper and the first for Hester.

State blanked Northwestern State 3-0 (31-29, 30-24, 30-26) and turned back host UL-Lafayette 3-1 (30-22, 30-17, 25-30, 30-19) on opening day, and closed out the tournament with a 3-1 win over Air Force (30-17, 30-9, 28-30, 30-23). MSU's lone loss on the weekend was a 3-0 loss (26-30, 19-30, 28-30) to unbeaten tournament champ Tulsa.

With Saturday's win, State matched its 2003 season win total and capped a successful opening weekend for first-year Bulldog head coach Tina Seals.

The Bulldogs hit the tournament trail again this weekend, traveling to Columbia, Mo., to take on host Missouri, Arkansas State, Creighton and Idaho in the Quality Inn/Tiger Invitational. The two-day event begins Friday at Missouri's Hearns Arena.

Source: MSU Media Relations

MSU will host two meets this season. The Bulldogs welcome high school squads from across the state on Sept. 25 as MSU hosts the Bulldog High School Invitational. Collegiate action resumes at the Short Course Invite on Oct. 22.

The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville will host the Southeastern Conference Championships on Oct. 30. Should MSU qualify, NCAA Regionals are slated for Nov. 13 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Indiana State University in Terre Haute will host the 2004 NCAA Championships on Nov. 22.

After revitalizing its men's cross country program just one year ago, men's head coach Steve Dudley returns to anchor the men's squad once again this season. Returning for his 17th season in Starkville, is head women's cross country coach Al Schmidt. Schmidt also serves as head coach for the MSU track and field program.

Joining Schmidt and Dudley this year is the addition of Houston Franks to the coaching staff. Franks, a 1998 Mississippi State graduate, comes to MSU after five seasons at Southwest Missouri State. While at SMS, Franks served as head cross country coach for the Bears.

On the men's side, Dudley seeks to improve on last year's eighth place finish at the SEC Championships and 10th place showing at NCAA Regionals. He hopes to see the beginnings of what may become one of the top teams in the country. The lone senior for the Bulldogs this season will be Geadmu Ege.

"Coach (Houston) Franks and I look forward to the 2004 season," Dudley said. "The addition of the talented freshman class as well as the addition of Coach Franks has strengthened our cross country team immensely."

State's men face a challenge this season, welcoming five freshmen to an already young squad.

"We are a very young team with five freshmen, nine sophomores, and just one senior. The work ethic of this group makes up for any inexperience. Our team goal is to be better than we were last year and continue this tradition until we are one of the top teams in the country," Dudley added.

The Lady Bulldogs face a tough challenge this season in replacing first team all-SEC selection Tiffany McWilliams, who signed a professional contract during the off-season. The squad is coming off a seventh place finish at the SEC Championships and sixth place finish at the NCAA Regional.

Teamwork is the goal for Schmidt's group this year. His team is preparing to have a successful run at the SEC Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

"The women's team is going to be very good," Schmidt said. "We will be very strong as a group of five to seven runners. Our first four should be able to penetrate the top 10 to 15 places at the SEC Championships. If we can do that then we will be able to be in the top five teams at the SEC."

Schmidt's confidence in his team's ability carries over not only from the conference championships but into regional action as well. If his squad performs as expected, he sees his team finishing in the top five at the NCAA South Regional.

Schmidt is counting on four runners to step up during the season. Meggan Hodge returns from a serious back injury that sidelined her during track season. Joining Hodge this season will be Joy Griffith, Jennifer McPherson, and Zita Magloire.

"I am looking forward to seeing Meggan in top form again," Schmidt said. "Joy was on the All-Region team last year and Jennifer became a national runner at 1500-meters last spring. Both should make a huge impact at the SEC and NCAA level. Zita Magloire also made a breakthrough at the regional level in track, and I hope it will continue during cross country season. We are looking for help from a solid freshman class and some of the other returnees."

Source: MSU Media Relations

09/04/04
Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. ­ Mississippi State women's tennis head coach Tracy Lane announced Friday the hiring of René Vidal as the new women's assistant tennis coach. This hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.

"I truly feel that Mississippi State and the women's tennis program is extremely fortunate to have René join us," said head coach Tracy Lane. "He brings with him a really solid background with years of coaching experience. More than that, he is truly a remarkable individual."

A member of the USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program, Vidal recently spent the past two and a half years serving as a developmental coach at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., under the legendary Andy Brandi, former head women's tennis coach at the University of Florida.

At the Academy, Vidal trained and developed nationally ranked junior players, co-directed the prestigious summer camp, served as Technical Advisor for Venus and Serena Williams' new book "How To Play Tennis" and authored several articles for Florida Tennis Magazine. Prior to his tenure at the Evert Academy, he served as the assistant women's tennis coach from 2001-02 at his alma mater, Florida International University in Miami, Fla. There he helped guide the Lady Panthers to the NCAA Regional Tournament and a final ITA team national ranking of 32nd.

Vidal holds a master's degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, Fla. He and his wife, Lissette, have been married for six years and have two sons, Angelo, 4, and Andrés, 2.

Source: MSU Media Relations