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09/30/99
OXFORD, Miss. -- Mississippi State (3-9, 1-4 SEC) kept within striking distance of knocking off SEC West-leading Mississippi (9-2, 4-1), but a late goal by the Rebels iced the match and sent the Bulldogs packing with a 3-1 heartbreak.
Katie York led Mississippi State offensively, recording her first career goal with a single shot in the first half of play. Bulldog goalkeeper Kirstin Olson continued on her school record-setting save pace, recording 10 on 21 Mississippi shots to raise her season total to 89. The junior goalkeeper now needs just 21 to tie the current MSU school record.
"We just never got into a good rhythm in the first half," said assistant coach Katie Anderson. "They came at us hard. We withstood the pressure for much of the first half, but a few defensive breakdowns led to their goals."
The Rebels got on the scoreboard first when Bridget Brooks took a double assist from Regan Scanlon and Jennifer Soileau and finished with a goal in the 19th minute (18:37) to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Brooks added a second score a little more than five minutes later, taking an assist from Scanlon and Sarah Wong and rifling a shot past Olson to give Mississippi a 2-0 lead.
Despite being held to a lone first half shot, the Bulldogs got on the board late in the first stanza when Annemarie Pimentel found an open York, who skipped a ball past Rebel goalkeeper Melinda Smith in the 44th minute (44:00) to cut the MSU deficit to one, 2-1, going into the break.
"Putting one in right before the half turned the momentum in our favor," Anderson said. "We played hard the second half, but the first half left a bit to be desired for."
The Bulldogs kept Mississippi at bay for much of the second half, leaving the visitors a fighting chance to knot the score, but Scanlon put the match away in the 86th minute (85:35) when she hit a chip shot over the head of Olson for the 3-1 lead.
Mississippi State will now get a week off before stepping out of conference on October 7 when it hosts Jacksonville State. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/29/99 (1:00 p.m.)
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs (7-5, 0-2 SEC) face their most daunting challenge of the 1999 season Friday night, playing host to the nation's fourth-ranked team, the Florida Gators (11-2, 2-0). First serve in the Newell-Grissom Building is set for 7 p.m. and there is no charge for admission.
"It's a huge challenge for us just as it is for anyone else that takes the court against Florida," said third-year Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "(Florida coach) Mary Wise has put together another strong team that appears to have few weaknesses. Our players have had a good week of preparation and are looking forward to meeting a very fine Florida team. It's is the only game in town Friday and we need our fans to come out and support the Bulldogs in a big way."
The Friday night match with Florida is the Bulldogs only competition this weekend and their lone home appearance until hosting SEC Eastern Division rival Tennessee October 15. State embarks on a three-match road trip Oct. 6, visiting Samford in Birmingham, Ala., before playing league matches at Georgia October 8 and South Carolina October 10.
Port Charlotte, Fla., senior Melanie DiMuzio, following a career-best 24-kill performance Sunday at Alabama, has taken over the team lead with 148 kills and paces the club with 156 digs. Junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley of Arlington, Texas, owns the club's top hitting percentage (.278) and leads MSU at the net with 11 solos and 40 total blocks.
The Gators, riding an eight-match winning streak, have shut out seven of their 13 opponents this year, including No. 21 Arkansas and Louisiana State last weekend and Florida State Tuesday night in Tallahassee. Senior right side hitter Jenny Manz, the 1998 SEC Player of the year, leads the powerful Gators with 192 kills and 148 digs.
Florida has reeled off wins in all 19 of the previous Bulldog-Gator volleyball battles and will be playing its first match in Starkville since 1996.
Friday's match marks the 1999 debut of the Bulldogs' serving contest. Fans will have an opportunity to test their volleyball serving skills and compete for prizes during the five-minute promotion conducted between the second and third games of each remaining Bulldog volleyball match.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/27/99
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --- Alabama rallied from a 2-1 deficit Sunday afternoon to claim a hard-fought 3-2 SEC volleyball win over Mississippi State at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide (8-6, 2-0) used a pair of service aces to pull away from a tight battle in the rally-scored fifth game and claimed the match 13-15, 15-5, 4-15, 15-8, 15-11. It snapped a run of four consecutive Bulldog wins in the series.
Mississippi State (7-5, 0-2) overcame a 10-3 Alabama lead to win the opening game and rode a nine-kill performance by Melanie DiMuzio for a solid 15-4 win in game three and a 2-1 lead in the match. But the Bulldogs were unable to overcome a dozen hitting errors in dropping game four 15-8 and Alabama rode the momentum on to its second league win of the weekend.
DiMuzio registered a career-high 24 kills and with 15 digs turned in her fifth consecutive double-double outing of the year. Brianne Smedley had 10 kills while Jennifer Shupe and Christine Owen hit double figures in digs with 12 and 11 respectively.
Alabama placed four players in double figures in kills, 17 by Michelle Green. Shelly Adamcik added 12 kills on a .476 hitting outing.
"This was one of those matches that we were capable of winning, but we just couldn't could find any consistency on offense," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "Mel (DiMuzio) had a great game, playing like a senior should. She carried us. But we needed some other players to help with the offensive load, and we didn't get it today. I was proud of the way we fought back to win the first game after getting so far behind. After going ahead 2-1, it was our match to win, and we didn't get it done."
The Bulldogs return to action on campus Friday at the Newell-Grissom Building, playing host to the sixth-ranked Florida Gators. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and there is no charge for admission.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/27/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - It had become almost a curse for Mississippi State.
The string had run itself to 15 matches since the Bulldogs tasted the thrill of a victory inside the Southeastern Conference while MSU had run its scoreless skid to 18 halves of play inside the conference.
But, on Sunday afternoon against Auburn at the MSU Soccer Field, the Bulldogs just finally had enough.
Senior Casey Newman scored her first career goal more than 30 minutes into the first half and watched as her teammates stymied the Auburn offense, giving Mississippi State (3-8, 1-3 SEC) a 1-0 victory over Auburn (3-5, 0-4) and finally putting an end to the Bulldogs' 15-match conference losing streak.
The SEC victory was the first for Mississippi State since a 1-0 win over LSU on September 12, 1997. The goal was the first for the Bulldogs in a conference match since a 2-1 loss to LSU on September 13, 1998.
Freshman Katie McVie pounded out a match-high two shots, but it was Newman who proved to be the hero for Mississippi State with her first-half goal. SEC-saves leader Kirstin Olson turned in a six-save performance on 12 Auburn shots to run her season total to 75.
"We feel like the monkey is finally off of our back," said Mississippi State assistant coach Katie Anderson. "This is our first SEC win in two years. That's awesome. This is something that our team really needed."
After getting the better hand of the attack time in the first half of play, the Bulldogs took advantage of a transition when freshman Jessica Kauffman hit a wide-open Newman at the top of the box. Less than two seconds later, the scoreless hex was ended when Newman drilled a shot to the far post and into the back of the net in the 33rd minute (32:14).
"This was a total team effort on our part," Anderson said. "We played with a lot more intensity today. We were more enthusiastic and more ready to play than we ever have been. Hopefully, we are finally turning the corner."
Mississippi State will now ride its emotions into Wednesday night when it travels to Oxford, Miss., to battle in-state foe Mississippi. Game time is set for 7 p.m. under the lights of the Ole Miss Soccer Complex.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/26/99
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - For the second consecutive week, the Mississippi State cross country squad was paced by a freshman, as Katie Longmire grabbed MSU team honors at Saturday's Roy Griak Invitational.
Longmire, in only her second collegiate race, was able to complete the 5,000-meter race in a time of 19:42 to place 128th overall and lead MSU's squad to a 22nd-place team finish. After leading the Bulldogs at last week's Crimson Classic, fellow freshman Joey Hansen finished 132nd with a time of 19:47.
"Once again I'm real pleased with our freshmen," noted MSU Coach Al Schmidt. "We just need some help from our more experienced runners. I was pleased to beat Kansas, and we were right there with South Carolina."
Finishing in the No. 3 and No. 4 slots for the MSU team were senior twins Karin (152nd; 20:02) and Monika Haber (158th; 20:11). Rounding out MSU's team scoring was freshman Ronni Watjus (162nd; 20:17). Also competing for the Bulldogs were junior Elizabeth Davis (206th; 21:20) along with freshman Martha Hudsonpillar (207th; 21:24) and sophomore LeeAnn Ripstra (214th; 21:59).
Upsetting the No.1 ranked BYU Cougars to win the University of Minnesota-hosted meet were the Arizona State Sun Devils with 53 points. Winning the individual title was Sheela Agrawal from Duke with a time of 17:31.
State will take a week off from cross country action before resuming the season Friday, Oct. 8, at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station, Texas.
ROY GRIAK INVITATIONAL
TEAM FINISHES - 1. Arizona State 53; 2. BYU 73; 3. Minnesota 165; 4. Missouri 178; 5. Nebraska 190; 6. UCLA 206; 7. Northern Arizona 226; 8. Duke 247; 9. Providence 271; 10. Colorado State 274; 11. Boston College 275; 12. Marquette 281; 13. Iowa State 305; 14. Butler 352; 15. Toledo 392; 16. N. Carolina Charlotte 393; 17. Miami (Ohio) 419; 18. Penn State 466; 19. Drake 482; 20. Iowa 497; 21. South Carolina 514; 22. MISSISSIPPI STATE 649; 23. Wyoming 659; 24. Kansas 699; 25. Wisconsin Green Bay.
MSU FINISHERS - 128. Katie Longmire 19:42; 132. Joey Hansen 19:47; 152. Karin Haber 20:02; 158. Monika Haber 20:11; 162. Ronni Watjus 20:17; 206. Elizabeth Davis 21:20; 207. Martha Hudsonpillar 21:24; 214. LeeAnn Ripstra 21:59.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/25/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - For a majority of the match, Mississippi State left everything it had on the field. All the doubters, all the cynics and all the fans began to take notice. For 90 minutes, it was the Bulldogs that were the intimidators.
Mississippi State (2-8, 0-3 SEC) gave defending SEC West Champion Alabama (4-4, 1-2) all it could handle, but a set play early in the second half proved to be the backbreaker as the Crimson Tide squeaked by the host Bulldogs, 1-0, Friday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field.
Freshman Jessica Kauffman led Mississippi State offensively with three shots, but it was the Bulldog defense that shined through, stifling numerous Alabama scoring chances to keep the hosts in the match. Kirstin Olson extended her SEC leading save total to 69 with a four-save performance on 22 Alabama shots.
The 1-0 loss marked the fourth time in the five-game series between the two schools that the result had been decided by one goal or less.
"We played as well as we have all season long," said assistant coach Katie Anderson. "Lauren Hall and our defense did tremendous job. We also created our own chances which hasn't happened in some time. We had our chances. If we had come through on just one of them, it would have been a different story."
After a scoreless first half, Alabama got on the scoreboard first after a hand ball in front of the box by a Bulldog defender. Laura Reddin rifled a the 20-yard direct kick past a diving Olson in the 55th minute (54:03) to give Alabama the 1-0 lead.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/24/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The results have varied over the past couple of years, but the fact remains that, when Mississippi State and Alabama tangle on the soccer field, the match is anything but a sleeper.
The fact may be overshadowed when looking at the series record which, incredibly, is owned by Alabama, 4-0. However, with the Bulldogs drawing first blood in all but one of the four meetings, coming through Mississippi State has not been an easy task for the Crimson Tide.
The series has been anything but dominant for the three-time SEC Western Division Champions. With the exception of one and only one match between the two squads, the Bulldogs have held the lead and have played effective enough to steal the win, only to have their hearts broken with late goals by the Crimson Tide. Three times the score has been decided by a 2-1 margin and, four times, the Bulldogs have gone away with the same hunger for a victory over Alabama.
"This is going to be a huge weekend for us," said Mississippi State assistant coach Katie Anderson. "Alabama is a very tough team that we have at home as opposed to facing them on the road. It will be very nice to play at home again after playing four games on the road."
Mississippi State (2-7, 0-2 SEC) will get another chance at redemption on Friday as it opens up the home conference season by hosting Alabama (3-4, 0-2). Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field.
The Bulldogs, who captured their second victory of the season Sunday at Centenary, come into the match fresh off a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Memphis Tigers Wednesday night in Memphis, Tenn. Alabama, two weeks removed from top 20 rankings in every major national soccer poll, come into Starkville riding a four-match losing streak, recently extended with a 2-1 overtime loss to Texas at home on Sunday.
"This game is another chance for us to turn things around," Anderson said. "We've had our struggles, now we need to start pulling everything together that we have learned this season. We are still in the conference race."
Following the Alabama match, Mississippi State will get a day off before suiting up to host the Auburn Tigers on Sunday at the MSU Soccer Field. Kickoff for that match is set for 1 p.m. Admission to all 1999 MSU home soccer matches are free of charge.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/24/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State will hold its second scrimmage in as many weeks Saturday morning when the squad splits up into Maroon and White teams to face each other in its second intra-squad scrimmage. First pitch is set for 10:00 a.m. at Bulldog Diamond.
The game will mark the second scrimmage in as many weeks for the Bulldog softball team. MSU White took advantage of costly errors to defeat MSU Maroon 4-2 on Saturday. Like its predecessor, Saturday's scrimmage will consist of live hitting and pitching in a six-inning game format.
"We are fighting through injury and illness right now," said head coach Kathy Arendsen. "We've had some unfortunate injuries. But, practice has gone really well so far. We have been able to identify our strengths and weaknesses and worked on both in practice."
The scrimmage will mark the final tuneup for the team prior to the Oct. 2 Fall Fest which will feature Mississippi State, Delta State, Belmont and Mississippi University for Women playing in a round-robin format at Bulldog Diamond.
Arendsen believes that, although the muscle soreness might be cause for concern during the spring season, there is no reason to be alarmed heading into Saturday's scrimmage.
"It's just a matter of getting used to the softball work load again after a long summer," Arendsen said. "This weekend's scrimmage will give us our final tuneup before the tournament next weekend. It will give us a chance to see where each one will fit into our lineup."
Freshman Jennifer Nelson, who surrendered just one hit in three innings of relief Saturday to get the save for MSU White, will get the starting nod in the circle for the White squad. Redshirt freshman Courtney Frank, who pitched three innings of relief for MSU Maroon on Saturday, will get the start for the Maroon squad.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/23/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Riding a modest five-match home streak and with two early-season tournament championships under their belts, Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs hit the road this weekend to open a 15-match SEC schedule.
MSU (7-3) takes on the Auburn Tigers (9-3) in a 7 p.m. match Friday at Auburn, Ala., before traveling on to Tuscaloosa for a 2 p.m. Sunday match with the Alabama Crimson Tide (6-6).
"Except for the tournament at Marquette, we've had a very productive pre-conference season this fall," said third-year Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "Our team is playing with a great deal of confidence, which is something you like to see heading into tough conference competition."
After claiming all three matches in winning last weekend's MSU Invitational, Mississippi State launched its nine-match schedule at the Newell-Grissom Building Tuesday night with a 3-0 blanking of Southern Mississippi.
Senior Melanie DiMuzio registered her fifth double-double of the year and the Bulldogs out-hit the Golden Eagles .275 to .088 to notch their fifth consecutive win. The win streak is the program's longest since 1996 and brings the Bulldogs to within two wins of matching their 1998 season win total.
MSU split its four matches with Auburn and Alabama last fall, dropping a pair to the Tigers and extending a win streak to four straight with two wins over Alabama.
Junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley paces the Bulldogs with a .276 hitting percentage and 37 total blocks. Her 116 kills is one off the pace-setting total of senior outside hitter Jennifer Shupe. DiMuzio has 113 kills and a team-leading 130 digs.
Following this weekend's volleyball border wars with Auburn and Alabama, Mississippi State returns to the Newell-Grissom Building to host the sixth-ranked Florida Gators. Next Friday's 7 p.m. match marks Florida's the first trip to Starkville since 1996 and their first competition at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
ALABAMA Crimson Tide
Alabama's Michelle Green and Monica Morales were both named to the all-tournament team at the Crimson Tide Classic. The Crimson Tide snapped an eight match losing streak in five-game matches with their 3-2 victory over Winthrop. Bama completes their current eight-match home stand with three matches this week including their SEC opening weekend against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Alabama is 3-7 all-time in SEC openers. The Tide's last conference opening victory was a 3-0 win over Tennessee in 1994.
AUBURN Tigers
When the Cal-Santa Barbara Gauchos defeated Auburn last week, they ended several win streaks for the Tigers. First, the Tigers longest home winstreak ended at eight matches. The streak began on Oct. 25, 1998 against Tennessee and carried over to this year, falling Sept. 14. This streak also marked the longest home win streak for second year head coach Kris Grunwald. After losing the first match of the season to FSU, Auburn went on a seven match win streak, making that the longest consecutive win streak that Grunwald has had. The Tigers also have the longest winning streak in the conference so far this season with the seven wins.
Source: SEC Sports
09/23/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs reeled off their fifth consecutive win of the young season Tuesday night, blanking Southern Mississippi 3-0 before an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 250 at the Newell-Grissom Building.
MSU (7-3) raced into the lead with a 15-8 win in the opening game, pulled away from a tight struggle for a 15-11 verdict in game two, and hit at a sizzling .375 clip in posting a match-clinching 15-3 win in the third stanza.
"This was by far our best and most complete game of the year," beamed third-year Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "Offensively and defensively we got it going early and played aggressively from start to finish."
State, now two wins shy of matching its 1998 season win total, sparkled on offense, hitting .375 and registering nine service aces. "We're playing with a lot of confidence," said Bowlin. "It helps to be playing at home and to have our fans support us the way they did tonight."
Junior Christine Owen paced the Bulldogs with 11 kills on a season-best .526 hitting night. The Katy, Texas, native committed but one hitting error in 19 attempts. Senior Jennifer Shupe totaled 10 kills and nine digs while senior Melanie DiMuzio, the MVP of last weekend's MSU Invitational, carded a double-double with 10 kills and a match-high 13 digs.
State got strong play at the net from its middle blockers, with Brianne Smedley registering six kills and three solo blocks and Michele Gordon turning in a nine-kill performance.
USM (9-5), held to a .088 hitting mark, got double-digit kills from Lindsey Westendorf with 11 and Tosha Barnicoat with 10.
The Bulldogs begin 1999 SEC competition in neighboring Alabama this weekend, taking on Western Division rivals Auburn Friday night and Alabama Sunday afternoon. Mississippi State's next home volleyball competition is October 1 when the Bulldogs host sixth-ranked Florida at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/19/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State defeated Louisiana-Lafayette and the University of Memphis Saturday to win the championship of the 1999 MSU Volleyball Invitational. MSU (6-3) went unbeaten in the two-day, four-team tournament held in Humphrey Coliseum.
"I'm very happy with the way our team responded after last weekend's showing at Marquette," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "Even though we had three on the all-tournament team, it was definitely a team effort. So many players stepped up for us. I was especially pleased with the play of Melanie DiMuzio. She had an outstanding weekend and contributed in just about every way."
DiMuzio, who registered a match-high 20 kills against UL-Lafayette and another match-high 18 against Memphis, was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Two other MSU players, senior Jennifer Shupe and junior Brianne Smedley, were also named to the all-tournament team.
The Bulldogs, down 2-1 after the first three games, rallied for a five-game win over the Ragin Cajuns(15-7, 10-15, 14-16, 16-14, 15-12), and after spotting the Memphis Tigers an early lead, turned up the intensity in clinching the tournament title with a 3-1 win (7-15, 15-3, 15-6, 15-4).
The Bulldogs, who blanked Samford 3-0 in Friday's tournament-opener, finished the weekend with a .285 hitting mark. State's Michele Gordon led all players int he tournament, hitting at a .393 clip, while sophomore Katie Carraro carded nine of MSU's tourney-leading 28 service aces.
With the 12th of her 14 kills in the win over UL-Lafayette, junior Christine Owen became the sixth player in MSU volleyball history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone. Teammate Jennifer Shupe hit the 1,000 mark in Friday night's 3-0 tournament-opening win over Samford.
"It's unusual for a team to have two players reach 1,000 career kills at the same time," said Bowlin. "We're all proud to have been her to see them reach those marks and to have it happen on our home court."
The Bulldogs return to action on campus Tuesday night, hosting the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in the Newell-Grissom Building. Match time is 7 p.m. and there is no charge for admission.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/19/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - If there is one place that has not been friendly to the Mississippi State Bulldogs seven matches into the 1999 schedule, it would be the road. The Bulldogs own a 0-4 mark away from the confines of the MSU Soccer Field and have been outscored 14-0 in the process.
With that in mind, Mississippi State (1-6) will continue their four-game roadswing Sunday afternoon when they head to Shreveport, La., to do battle with the Centenary Ladies. Gametime is set for 1 p.m. at the Centenary Soccer Complex.
Mississippi State will attempt to record its first road victory since a 2-1 overtime win over Southwest Missouri State on October 4 of last season. Although Centenary own a 1-0 edge in the series, the Bulldogs will have just that in mind as they head south to avenge last season*s 4-1 loss at the hands of the Ladies.
"We need to start turning this season around," said Mississippi State assistant coach Katie Anderson. "They beat us 4-1 last year, so we will have that on our side. We should match up very well with Centenary. They have had some early-season struggles as well, so it should be a great game."
The Bulldogs, who enter the match on a three-game skid, will look to score their first goal since a 2-0 home victory over Drury on September 3. However, the Ladies have not gotten much goal production, either, and will look to score just their fourth goal of the season in the match with Mississippi State.
Following the contest in Shreveport, Mississippi State will conclude their four-game road swing on Wednesday when they travel to Memphis, Tenn., to go head-to-head with the Tigersat before stepping back into conference play on Friday when they host Alabama at the MSU Soccer Field.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/18/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State successfully opened its 1999 home volleyball schedule Friday night, blanking Samford 3-0 in the opening round of the MSU Volleyball Invitational at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs hit a sizzling .513 in winning 15-5, 15-6 and 15-2 and improving to 4-3 for the year.
"It feels good to get that first home win under our belts," said third-year MSU coach Brenda Bowlin. "We played well as a team and hopefully have built up some momentum that will carry us on through the tournament."
Mississippi State meets Louisiana-Lafayette at 11 a.m. and Memphis at 4 p.m. in Saturday's competition. Louisiana-Lafayette upended Memphis 3-0 (15-11, 15-8, 16-14) in Friday's other first-round tournament competition.
MSU senior Jennifer Shupe carded match-highs with 11 kills and nine digs and became the fifth player in MSU volleyball history to eclipse the 1,000-mark in kills. The Allen, Texas, native, who hit .588 for the match, now has 1,003.
"We're so proud of Jennifer and what she has accomplished in her career at Mississippi State," said Bowlin. "I'm glad she was able to get her 1,000th kill in front of the home crowd. She's got her senior season off to a great start."
Teammate Christine Owen added nine kills, raising her three-year career kill total to 978, while junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley had nine kills and hit at a .667 clip with a team-best five blocks.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/16/99
RUSTON, La. --- Mississippi State successfully capped a season-opening run of six road volleyball matches Tuesday night, besting Louisiana Tech 3-1 at the LTU's Thomas Assembly Center.
Christine Owen had a match-high 17 kills and a team-leading 14 digs to pace the Bulldogs (3-3). Jennifer Shupe also added a double-double performance for MSU with 15 kills and 13 digs. She raised her career kills total to 992 and is positioned to become the fifth player in MSU volleyball history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone. Brianne Smedley chipped in 12 kills and Katie Carraro 11 digs.
State came out on fire. hitting at a .450 clip en route to a 15-3 win in the opening game. Louisiana Tech (2-7) rebounded to tie the match with a 15-4 verdict in game two. After the break, however, State forged ahead with a 15-8 win in game three and erased an 11-7 deficit to post a match-clinching 15-11 win in game four.
Mandy Arnold led the Lady Techsters with 12 kills and 12 digs.
"We came out and dominated early," said MSU coach Brenda Bowlin. "In game two we relaxed and Tech got some momentum going. But we came on strong down the stretch and staged a nice rally at the end to win the match. It was a nice road win for us, but it will be nicer to be back at home this weekend after playing our first six on the road."
Mississippi State hosts Samford Friday at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the 1999 MSU Invitational, to be played in Humphrey Coliseum. The two-day round-robin tournament also sends MSU into action Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette at 11 a.m. and Memphis at 4 p.m. There is no charge for admission to the tournament.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/14/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State closes out a season-opening run of six matches away from home with a Tuesday night volleyball match at Louisiana Tech.
The Bulldogs (2-3) are smarting from a disappointing 0-for-3 weekend showing in Milwaukee at the Marquette Challenge. State is looking for renewed punch on offense after hitting a frosty .111 against Bowling Green State, Providence and Marquette.
Senior outside hitter Melanie DiMuzio, shifted to the rightside slot, totaled 21 kills and 32 digs in three matches, earning a spot on the six-player all-tournament team. Jennifer Shupe added 30 kills over the weekend, raising her career kills total to 977. The senior outside hitter, who leads MSU with 77 digs, is poised to become the fifth player in MSU's 25 season of volleyball to reach the 1,000-kill milestone. Junior Brianne Smedley currently paces the MSU squad with 68 kills, a .277 hitting percentage and 21 total blocks.
Mississippi State opens its 12-match 1999 home schedule this weekend, entertaining Samford Friday ( 7 p.m.), University of Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday (11 a.m.) and Memphis Saturday (4 p.m.) in the MSU Invitational. The two-day, round-robin event will be held in Humphrey Coliseum with no charge for admission.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/13/99
MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- The Marquette Golden Eagles topped Mississippi State 3-0 (15-12, 15-6, 15-6) Saturday night to claim the championship of the Marquette Challenge. The Bulldogs (2-3), who dropped their tournament opener to Bowling Green 3-0 (18-16, 15-7, 15-12) Friday night, also dropped a 3-0 decision (15-7, 15-2, 15-10) to Providence College earlier on Saturday.
State struggled offensively in the tournament, managing but 39 kills in Saturday's loss to Providence while hitting .115 in the tournament finale against Marquette.
"Naturally this was a very disappointing tournament trip for us," said Bulldog head coach Brenda Bowlin. "This was a very evenly-matched tournament and we had our chances to do some things, but we just didn't take advantage of those situations. Our inability to pass and serve hurt our execution on offense, and against some scrappy teams that run quick offenses, we weren't able to get much done."
The Bulldogs, held to an .098 hitting percentage in Friday's tournament-opener by Bowling Green State, were limited to a season-low 35 kills by Marquette and hit .111 for the weekend.
Senior Melanie DiMuzio, who moved to rightside hitter, finished as the Bulldogs' statistical leader with 34 kills and 43 digs in three matches, earning a berth on the six-player all-tournament team.
"I was pleased with the play of Melanie," said Bowlin. "She and Christine Owen adjusted nicely to the move. We'll have to see if we want that to be a permanent move."
Brianne Smedley hit a season-best .455 with 11 kills to lead the Bulldogs against Providence and Christine Owen carded her second double-double of the year with 10 kills and 11 digs against Marquette.
MSU sophomore middle blocker Stacey Westfall, still recovering from last year's sidelining knee injury, made her 1999 debut, collecting four kills and playing in two of MSU's six Saturday games.
Mississippi State wraps up a run of six consecutive road matches Tuesday night at Louisiana Tech before hosting Samford, Memphis and University of Louisiana-Lafayette Sept. 17-18 in the MSU Invitational. The two-day weekend tournament will be held in Humphrey Coliseum with no charge for admission.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/13/99
MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- The Providence Lady Friars turned in one of their better offensive performances of the year Saturday, hitting at a .286 clip en route to a 3-0 win over Mississippi State in second-round volleyball action at the Marquette Challenge.
Providence (2-3) claimed the opening game 15-7 and had but one hitting error and hit .529 in blitzing to a 15-2 win in game two. Mississippi State (2-2) staged a rally in the third game, whittling a 13-4 deficit down to 13-10 before falling 15-10 in the match-clincher.
Middle blocker Brianne Smedley hit at a season-best .455 with 11 kills and one hitting error to lead the Bulldogs. Jennifer Shupe added eight kills and while Melanie DiMuzio and Christine Owen totaled seven each. DiMuzio paced MSU on defense with 15 digs and Owen had 10, but the Friars, with a 70-49 edge, became the first team to out-dig the Bulldogs this season.
Sarah Kattinger had 17 kills and 17 digs and Annie Cella 11 kills and 17 digs to lead Providence.
Sophomore middle blocker Stacey Westfall, a medical redshirt after sustaining a knee injury in MSU'S 1998 season-opener, saw her first playing time of the season in the third game, recording three kills.
The Bulldogs were to close out the weekend tournament against host Marquette in a 7 p.m. match Friday night.
Following a Tuesday night match at Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State returns to Starkville for its first home competition of the 1999 campaign Sept. 17-18, hosting the MSU Invitational in Humphrey Coliseum.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/10/99 (9:15 p.m.)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- A sluggish performance on offense proved costly for Mississippi State Friday night as the Bulldogs dropped their first match of the year and the tournament opener in the Marquette Challenge 3-0 to Bowling Green State University.
State hit a coolish .098 in bowing to the Falcons 18-16, 15-7 and 15-12.
"It was a disappointing night for our team," said Mississippi State coach Brenda Bowlin. "There are certain things that you have to do if you want to be successful --- passing, serving and attacking among them. We didn't do those things well and it showed in the results. Still, we had our chances to turn it around in the first and third games, and just couldn't make it happen."
After falling behind 7-0 and 11-2, the Bulldogs rallied to even the score at 14-14 and 16-16 before falling 18-16.
BGSU (4-1) took advantage of 14 Bulldog hitting errors to claim a 15-7 win in game two, and erased a 10-3 deficit to clinch the match in game three 15-12. Falcon coach Denise Van De Walle registered her 300th career coaching victory with the win.
For the third time in as many matches, senior Jennifer Shupe set the pace for MSU. Shupe claimed match-honors with 18 kills and 16 digs while hitting .310. Christine Owen aided MSU's 58-55 edge in digs with 10. Brianne Smedley had eight kills and six total blocks and Michele Goron seven kills.
The Falcons got double-doubles from Melissa Lewis (17 kills, 13 digs) and Lori Kemerer (12 kills and 11 digs). The Falcons, who hit .216 for the night, survived 19 service errors.
"We'll learn from these mistakes and be ready to play tomorrow," said Bowlin. State meets Providence College at 10 a.m. and host Marquette at 7 p.m. to conclude play in the two-day tournament.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/09/99 (1:00 p.m.) -
STARKVILLE, Miss. - It has been nearly 25 months since the last time that the Mississippi State soccer team has tasted the thrill of a victory inside the Southeastern Conference.
The date was September 28, 1997. A very successful 5-2-1 Bulldog team was in great shape to make a run at an appearance in the 1997 SEC Tournament.
But, the victory over Auburn that Sunday was much more sweeter. It turned out to be the last conference victory for Mississippi State in the next 12 tries - a monkey that the Bulldogs hope to shake this weekend.
"Our luck hasn't been very good in the SEC," said Mississippi State assistant coach Katie Anderson. "The ball just doesn't seem to bounce our way. We are in every game but we just don't seem to finish our chances that we get."
Following a three-match homestand which ended with a loss on Sunday against SW Missouri State, Mississippi State takes to the road Friday evening when the Bulldogs travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a date with the LSU Tigers (1-3). Gametime is set for 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex and the match will mark the SEC opener for both teams.
With LSU leading the series 3-1, the Bulldogs will venture into Cajun Country attempting to avenge a 2-1 loss to the Tigers last season in Starkville. In that match, LSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead and, after a goal by MSU in the 32nd minute, stymied the Bulldog charge to steal the road victory.
"We'll match up well with them," Anderson said. "They are running into early-season jitters as well. The last time that we went down to Baton Rouge, we beat them 1-0 so we are excited that we are opening up our SEC season at LSU. We think it will mark our first SEC victory of the season."
Reeling after suffering through a 5-0 loss to SMS on Sunday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field, Mississippi State will venture into its first SEC weekend without head coach William B. Findley II, who is undergoing tests for fatigue and will take medical leave for at least the next two weeks.
Mississippi State senior women's administrator Samye Johnson will take responsibility for, and oversee the operation of, the soccer program in Findley's absence. The team will be coached on the field by assistant coach Tony Tommasi and Anderson.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/09/99 -
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State takes aim on a second consecutive tournament championship this weekend when the Bulldog volleyball team travels to Milwaukee, Wis., for the two-day Marquette Challenge.
MSU, 2-0 after notching a pair of wins in winning last weekend's season-opening UNC Charlotte Invitational, takes on Bowling Green State University Friday (5 p.m.) before testing Providence College (10 a.m.) and host Marquette University (7 p.m.) Saturday.
"This is an important weekend for our team," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "We had a good team effort last weekend in winning the tournament at UNC Charlotte. Now we need to see if we can sustain and build on that success."
Paced by junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley, the Bulldogs hit at a .241 rate last weekend. Smedley hit .384 and totaled a team-high 42 kills in the UNCC Tournament, including a career-best 22 against the host 49ers. She also leads the team with 10 blocks.
Senior outside hitter Jennifer Shupe, fully recovered from last year's shoulder ailment, registered a pair of double-doubles en route to a 36-kill, 51-dig weekend. Shupe is 53 kills away from becoming the fifth player in MSU volleyball history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone in a career.
Another senior, setter Jenny Hazelwood, set a pair of records in MSU˘s first-ever tournament trip to North Carolina. With her 11th assist in MSU's 3-2 win over UNC Charlotte, Hazelwood set the Mississippi State career assist record. She ended the match with an MSU-record 83 assists and enters this weekend's competition with a school-best 4,318 career scoring passes.
"Last weekend we got a good indication of our strengths and weaknesses and areas that need the most work in practice," said Bowlin. "This weekend in Milwaukee we'll get a chance to shore up those areas against some good competition."
Mississippi State opens its 12-match home schedule next week, hosting Memphis, Samford and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Sept. 17-18 in the MSU Invitational. The matches will be played in Humphrey Coliseum with no charge for admission.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/06/99 -
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Southwest Missouri State (4-1) erupted for four second half goals to pace the Bears to a 5-0 victory over Mississippi State (1-4) and bring the Bulldogs back down from an emotional high Sunday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field.
The Bears outshot the Bulldogs 28-3, paced by Debbie Stark who scored SMS's fourth goal and tied an MSU Soccer Field record with eight shots. Lauren Hall, Annemarie Pimentel and Christy Russell recorded one shot apiece for MSU while goalkeeper Kirstin Olson turned in an eight-save performance to run her season total to 34 in just five matches.
"We have to give Southwest Missouri State credit," said assistant coach Katie Anderson. "They showed up to play today. We could not get 11 people at one time to work together."
Mississippi State held the Bears scoreless until the 36th minute (35:18) when Sarah Houska took a goalmouth assist from Jennifer Eickmeier and rifled a shot past Olson to give SMS a 1-0 lead going into the half.
Alina Alaimo continued the Bears' scoring less than two minutes into the second half when, on a scramble in front of the net, the midfielder got possession and hit a shot in the back of the net in the 47th minute (46:53). Alaimo scored again in the 51st minute (50:27) after several deflections in the goalmouth to extend the SMS lead to 3-0 before Stark (72:06) and Houska (88:08) capped off the scoring with goals 16 minutes apart late in the match.
"We went back with the starters in the second half because we hoped that they would get it done for us," Anderson said. "Four or five gave it their all and every Southwest Missouri State player played with all they had. We just didn't get things done."
Mississippi State will again be in action on Friday when they pack up their show to begin its Southeastern Conference schedule in Baton Rouge, La., against the LSU Tigers. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
SMS 1 4 5
MSU 0 0 0
Shots: MSU 3 (Hall, Pimentel, Russell), SMS 28 (Stark 8). Corner Kicks: MSU 0, SMS 9. Keeper Saves: MSU 10 (Olson 8), SMS 0. Fouls: MSU 10, SMS 9. Offsides: MSU 5, SMS 1. Att. - 265.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/05/99 -
CARBONDALE, Ill. - With their top runner on the sidelines with an injury, the Mississippi State cross country team placed fifth Saturday at the Saluki Season Opener, hosted by Southern Illinois University.
"We came into the race limping with Christine (Zawaski), our leader, out and with our three freshmen all battling upper respiratory infections," said MSU head coach Al Schmidt.
A reigning all-South Region performer as a freshman, Zawaski has been unable to run since returning to campus this fall due to a groin injury. MSU's top finisher in each event last season, Zawaski hopes to be ready to participate in the Crimson Classic on Sept. 18.
"I'm concerned about our team's health more than anything right now, but we'll continue fighting to get ready to run well in November," Schmidt continued.
Sophomore LeeAnn Ripstra led the MSU squad by finishing 16th with a time of 19:18.50, marking collegiate highs for the Houston, Texas native. With her third top-20 performance of her career, senior Monika Haber was the 19th- best finisher overall with a time of l9:28.20. Also having a collegiate-best day was junior Elizabeth Davis, a Starkville native, who finished 20th with a time identical to that of Haber's.
Pacing MSU's freshman trio at SIU was Jolene Hansen, who crossed the line in 19:33.30 for a 21st-place finish, while fellow freshman Ronni Watjus finished in 26th place with a 19:49.50 mark. Senior Karin Haber followed with a 30th-place finish with a time of 20:00.10. Freshman Martha Hudsonpillar (20:04.60) and sophomore Kristin Tallent (21:47.40) finished 32nd and 49th, respectively.
Pacing the 51-member individual field on her home course was Southern Illinois senior Erin Leahy, who crossed the line in 18:14.20. Leahy helped lead SIU to the team win in the five-team field.
MSU will return to action Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
SIU SEASON OPENER
Carbondale, Ill. (Sept. 4, 1999)
WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS: 1. Southern Illinois 22; 2. Southeast Missouri State 35; 3. Kansas 90; 4. Southern Indiana 91; 5. Mississippi State 102.
MSU INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS: 16. LeeAnn Ripstra, 19:18.50; 19. Monika Haber, 19:28.20; 20. Elizabeth Davis, 19:28.20; 21. Jolene Hanson, 19:33.30; 26. Ronni Watjus, 19:49.50; 30. Karin Haber, 20:00.10; 32. Martha Hudsonpillar, 20:04.60; 49. Kristin Tallent, 21:47.40
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/05/99 -
CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- Mississippi State capped a successful season-opening weekend with a 3-1 win over Liberty University Saturday afternoon, claiming the championship of the UNC Charlotte Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The Bulldogs (2-0) raced to a 13-2 lead and held on to win the opening game 15-12. Liberty bounced back to even the match with a 16-14 win in the second stanza before the Bulldogs salted away their second win in as many starts with 15-4 and 15-7 decisions in games three and four.
"We came out strong in the opening game and had a letdown that carried over to the next game," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "But the players came out strong and dominated the final two games. We saw another good team effort, and that might be the most pleasing aspect of the weekend for us."
Junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley hit at a .386 clip and a match-high 20-kills, her second consecutive 20-=kill performance. Melanie DiMuzio (16 kills and 17 digs) and Jennifer Shupe (12 kills and a match-high 23 digs) posted double-doubles for the second time in the tournament. Smedley paced MSU at the net with a career-best three solo blocks and three block assists.
Athonia Akpama paced the Liberty Flames (0-1) with 17 kills and 16 digs.
"It's great to have Jennifer Shupe back at full strength," said Bowlin. "She's played well on defense with 51 digs in two matches."
Mississippi State resumes September tournament competition next weekend in Milwaukee, Wis., taking on Bowling Green State, Providence and host Marquette University in the Marquette Challenge.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/04/99 -
STARKVILLE, Miss. - After failing to score a goal in its first three matches of the 1999 season, the Mississippi State (1-3) offense came alive Friday afternoon, scoring a goal in each half to turn back visiting Drury College (1-1), 2-0 at the MSU Soccer Field.
The goals ended a scoring drought by MSU which had extended to seven halves of play after Wednesday afternoon's 3-0 loss to visiting Tulane.
Junior Sam Corker and freshmen Jessica Kauffman scored State's first two goals of the 1999 season, respectively, while freshman Melanie Langley tallied the game-winning assist for her first career point. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson turned in a three-save performance against a very sporadic Drury offense.
"The kids played extremely hard today," said Mississippi State head coach William B. Findley II. "I thought that Coach (Tony) Tommasi had a great gameplan and the kids executed it very well. It was great to see the smiles back on their faces again after the match was over with."
After 22 minutes of scoreless play, Corker put the Bulldogs on the board for the first time this season when she headed a service from Langley into the back of the net in the 23rd minute to give MSU a 1-0 lead. Kauffman assumed the second half scoring duty in the 79th minute (78:30) when she took a deflection off a Drury defender and put it past Drury goalkeeper Sarah Reichert to give MSU the 2-0 victory.
"We came close to scoring a goal a bunch of times in the first three matches of the season but were never able to put them away," Findley said. "It was great to get a goal and a win all in the same match. We just have to build on this momentum and take it into Sunday's game."
Mississippi State will again be in action on Sunday when they conclude a three-match homestand by hosting Southwest Missouri State at the MSU Soccer Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m. Admission to all 1999 MSU home matches is free of charge.
MSU 1 1 2
DC 0 0 0
MSU - 22:13 Corker header (Langley)
MSU - 78:30 Kauffman putback (unassisted)
Shots: MSU 18, DC 11. Corner Kicks: MSU 6, DC 2. Keeper Saves: MSU 3, DC 2. Fouls: MSU 8, DC 10. Offsides: MSU 4, DC 0. Cautions: MSU (Dreher, 35:00) Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Att. - 225.
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/04/99 -
CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- Mississippi State successfully opened its 25th season of volleyball Friday night, topping the UNC Charlotte 49ers 3-2 (13-15, 15-12, 8-15, 17-15, 19-17) in a marathon match that lasted more than 2-1/2 hours. The Bulldogs take on Liberty University Saturday at 11 a.m. CDT to close out play in the two-day, three-team tournament.
Senior outside hitter Jennifer Shupe led the way for MSU, posting match highs with 24 kills and 28 digs. Shupe, who recorded her first double-double since the 1997 season, put State broke a 17-17 deadlock with her 24th kill of the night and sealed the win with her second service of the match.
"The experience of our team showed tonight," said third-year Bulldog head coach Brenda Bowlin. "We overcame the usual opening-night jitters and didn't lose our concentration when the match was on the line in games four and five. It was a solid team effort and I'm proud of our players' effort tonight."
Shupe was one of three Bulldogs to register double-doubles. Senior Melanie DiMuzio had 17 kills and 26 digs while junior Christine Owen had 18 kills and 10 digs. Brianne Smedley had a career-high 22 kills and hit at a team-leading .396 clip while Michele Gordon added a career-best 12 kills. Senior setter Jenny Hazelwood etched her name in the Mississippi State record book. The Pearland, Texas, native recorded a career-high 83 assists, raising her career assists total to a school-record 4,269. Hazelwood moved ahead of Amy Penrose, who totaled 4,196 career assists from 1989 to 1992.
"I'm very proud of the record, but it's not really my record," said Hazelwood. "This is a team sport and the record wasn't possible without my teammates."
UNCC (0-2) took the hard-fought opening game 15-13, which lasted 35 minutes. State raced to a 6-0 lead and rode a six-kill, 10-dig performance by Shupe with a match-evening 15-12 win in game two. UNCC took command early and never trailed in game three, winning 15-8. But the Bulldogs battled back from an 11-7 deficit and scored the final three points of game four to even the match with a 16-14 win. In the rally-scored fifth game State pulled away from an 8-8 deadlock and on a fifth match point service locked up the victory.
"It feels great to get this first one under our belts," said Bowlin. "We have a good idea about some of the things we need to work on and areas where we need to improve."
The Bulldogs hit at a .251 clip and registered 117 digs but trailed 13-6 in total team blocks. "That's an area that we definitely need to work on," said Bowlin. "But we're going to enjoy this first win."
Source: MSU Media Relations.
09/02/99 - Soccer info from Todd Anderson of the MSU Media Relations Department.
STARKVILLE - Although the two teams went into halftime in a 0-0 deadlock, Tulane (2-0) erupted for three second half goals en route to spoiling the 1999 home opener for Mississippi State (0-3) with a 3-0 defeat Wednesday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field.
Bulldog goalkeeper Kirstin Olson turned in a 11-save performance but could not jump-start the Mississippi State offense. Lauren Hall and Melanie Langley tallied two shots apiece for the MSU offense.
"There are some things that we are going to have to sort through as a team," said Mississippi State head coach William B. Findley II. "As a coaching staff, we are going to have to try and solve the puzzle. As a player, we are going to have to start executing better.
"This is not a time to lose any heart. We are just going to have to try and refocus and rededicate ourselves with 17 matches left in the season. We are going to have to try and put our best foot forward and start scoring some goals. I believe that will start on Friday against Drury."
After 61 minutes of scoreless play, the visiting Green Wave started the scoring in the 62nd minute (61:17) when freshman Colleen Lake hit a shot to the far post past an outstretched Olson to give Tulane the 1-0 lead. Nearly 20 minutes later, Tulane continued the scoring when Alycia Wanat fired a pass to Jaclyn Scalzo who hit a shot from 16-yards out past Olson in the 81st minute (80:41).
The Green Wave capped the match scoring in the 89th minute (88:32) when Leslie McCombs hit the back of the net from 20 yards out to give the visitors the 3-0 victory.
"We need to start getting more defensive pressure on the ball," Findley said. "We need to quit diving in and overcommitting. We had opportunities to score today but we did not put them away."
Mississippi State will again be in action on Friday when they continue a three-match homestand in a 5 p.m. match with Drury College. Admission to all 1999 MSU home matches are free of charge.
(Gene Swindoll - I, along with the IBBC's Andy Kalinowski, will be a guest coach for Friday's game. Hope you can make it.)
09/02/99 - Here is some MSU volleyball info courtesy of Joe Dier of the MSU Media Relations Department.
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University lifts the curtain on its Silver Anniversary season of volleyball this weekend in Charlotte, N.C., meeting the host UNCC 49ers and the Liberty University Flames in the North Carolina Charlotte Invitational. In the program's first venture into the Tar heel State, Mississippi State takes on UNCC Friday at 7 p.m. (ET) and tangles with Liberty University Saturday at Noon at UNCC's Halton Arena.
This weekend's journey to the UNCC Invitational marks the first of three September tournaments for Mississippi State. The Bulldog entourage treks northward to Milwaukee, Wis., next weekend (Sept. 10-11) for the Marquette Invitational. State then opens its 12-match home schedule, hosting the MSU Invitational Sept. 17-18 at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.
"We're anxious to get the new season underway," said third-year MSU volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "I've been pleased with the way our players have been preparing for the season. Now it's time to see how that preparation is put to use against some quality opposition."
Mississippi State's 25th volleyball edition is one of its more experienced groups, with the Bulldogs returning all but one senior starter from last year's team.
Outside hitters Jennifer Shupe, a senior from Allen, Texas, and Christine Owen, a junior from Katy, Texas, enter the season less than 100 kills away from the 1,000-kill milestone in their careers. Senior setter Jenny Hazlewood from Pearland, Texas, is 11 assists away from setting the MSU career record for scoring passes, while senior outside hitter Melanie DiMuzio of Port Charlotte, Fla., returns after leading the SEC in digs as a junior. MSU is also expected to start junior Brianne Smedley of Arlington, Texas, and sophomore Michele Gordon of Littleton, Col., at the middle blocker positions.
State will be looking to notch its fourth season-opening win in five years with Friday night's tournament-opener against host UNCC.
SEPTEMBER IS TOURNAMENT TIME: This weekend's journey to the UNCC Invitational marks the first of three September tournaments for Mississippi State. Next weekend (Sept. 10-11) the Bulldog entourage treks northward to Milwaukee, Wis., for the Marquette Invitational. State then opens its 12-match home schedule, hosting the MSU Invitational Sept. 17-18 at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.
The three seniors on this year's squad - Melanie DiMuzio, Jenny Hazlewood and Jennifer Shupe - have enjoyed plenty of travel opportunities with early-season tournaments during their MSU careers. The past three seasons Mississippi State has played in tournaments in Huntington, W.V., Waco, Texas, Jacksonville, Fla., Tallahassee, Fla., Kent, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, Tampa, Fla., Flagstaff, Ariz., and Houston, Texas.
MSU VS. UNCC TOURNAMENT FIELD: Mississippi State has not previously squared off against Liberty University of Lynchburg, Va., but the Bulldogs have met the host 49ers twice on the volleyball court, splitting the two matches. UNCC downed State 2-0 in the first meeting in the 1982 South Carolina Invitational in Columbia, S.C., while the Bulldogs claimed a 3-1 win over the 49ers in the opening round of the 1989 Jacksonville Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla.
Coach Brenda Bowlin owns a career 1-0 mark against UNCC and has not previously coached against Liberty University.
ABOUT COACH BRENDA BOWLIN: Brenda Bowlin is in her third season as head volleyball coach at Mississippi State University. In July, 1997 she became the eighth coach to guide the MSU volleyball program, and in two seasons has compiled a 21-42 mark. Bowlin, a 1989 graduate of Salisbury (Md.) State and a native of Sykesville, Md., previously coached at Murray State University, posting a 91-73 record over five seasons (1992-1996). She owns a seven-year 112-115 career mark.
Bowlin's 1998 Mississippi State team established a school single-season record with five Southeastern Conference wins, and with her next SEC coaching victory (her 10th) she will set the school career mark in that category.
CLOSING IN ON THE 1,000-KILL MILESTONE: A pair of Bulldog veterans, one a senior and the other a junior, are closing in on major career milestones at MSU. Senior outside hitter Jennifer Shupe from Allen, Texas, a second-team all-conference selection as a freshman, enters her senior campaign with 911 career kills. Teammate Christine Owen, a junior from Katy, Texas, is right on Shupe's heels with 907 kills in two seasons. Owen, a second-team All-SEC selection the past two seasons, set the school single-season kills record her freshman year (1997), piling up 513 kills.
MSU CAREER ASSIST RECORD IN JEOPARDY: It shouldn't take long for Mississippi State to notch its first entry in the school record book in 1999. Senior Bulldog setter Jenny Hazlewood of Pearland, Texas, is a mere 11 assists away from setting the school career mark for scoring passes. She enters the season with 4,186 assists in three seasons, including a school single-season record 1,541 as a freshman in 1996. With a fourth consecutive four-digit assist season Hazlewood would become only the fifth player in SEC volleyball history to eclipse the 5,000-assist mark.
SEASON OPENERS: Mississippi State has opened the season with a win in three of its past four years and six times this decade. The Bulldogs topped Western Illinois in the opening round of the South Florida Invitational a year ago.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Mississippi State's opening match starting lineup is expected to include three seniors (setter Jenny Hazlewood, and outside hitters Melanie DiMuzio and Jennifer Shupe), two juniors (rightside hitter Christine Owen and middle blocker Brianne Smedley) and a sophomore (middle blocker Michelle Gordon).
FOX ROCKS AT MSU: For the second consecutive season, Mississippi State volleyball will be showcased in a home match by FOX Sports Net South. The Atlanta-based regional cable television sports network, the nation's largest with six million viewers, will carry the telecast of the MSU-Auburn volleyball match October 31 from the Newell-Grissom Building. First serve is set for 12:15 p.m. CST.
Last fall, FOX Sports Net South televised the MSU-Mississippi volleyball match from the MSU campus, marking the first television event from the Newell-Grissom Building and the first televised match for Mississippi State volleyball.
TEXAS FLAVOR: If a Texas accent or two is detected on the Mississippi State volleyball team, there's good reason. Six of the 11 rostered Bulldog players hail from the Lone Star State: Jenny Hazlewood (Pearland), Misty Hubenthal (Georgetown), Christine Owen (Katy), Jennifer Shupe (Allen), Brianne Smedley (Arlington), and Stacey Westfall (Allen).
NEW NAMES AND FACES: The 1999 Bulldog volleyball team is predominately a veteran team featuring three seniors, two juniors and five sophomores. The roster includes two newcomers - freshman signee Misty Hubenthal, an outside hitter from Georgetown, Texas, and sophomore walkon Emily Mounger, who joined the team during spring practice. There's also a familiar face with a new name on the MSU team. Setter Jenny Head Hazlewood, poised to become the school record-holder for career assists, married former Mississippi State football standout Brian Hazlewood earlier this year.
09/01/99 - Soccer info from Todd Anderson of the MSU Media Relations Department.
The butterflies are now a thing of the past for the Mississippi State soccer team. The Bulldogs are now two matches into the 1999 campaign and all the nervousness of the first kickoff are now all but forgotten.
The Bulldogs (0-2) will open their home schedule Wednesday as the Green Wave of Tulane University (1-0)rolls into Starkville in hopes of keeping Mississippi State from recording its first win of the new season. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field.
"We are all excited about playing in the confines of the MSU Soccer Field and in front of the home fans," said Bulldogs' head coach William B. Findley II. "We learned a lot of good lessons in our opening weekend that we hope to take into our next match."
Mississippi State rides into its home schedule on a two-match skid following 2-0 losses at UAB on Friday and at Mercer on Sunday. In those two contests, the Bulldogs possessed the ball for a majority of the match, but were unable to put the ball into the back of the net - a problem that Findley hopes has been corrected since returning from the long road trip Sunday evening.
"In three out of the four halves, we felt strongly that we were the better of the two teams," he said. "The thing that was lacking is us being able to score a goal. We worked on that aspect of the game in Monday and Tuesday's practice, so hopefully it will be corrected on Wednesday.
"A lot of the scoring problem stems from the fact that we have a very young team this season. Right now, we are playing a very attractive brand of soccer and, in time, we will start to look very good."
Tulane ventures into Starkville fresh off a 3-0 defeat of McNeese State on Saturday in New Orleans, La. In that season-opening contest for the Green Wave, freshmen Colleen Lake and Alycia Wanat accounted for all three goals in the victory. And, although the Bulldogs hold a 2-0 lead in the series between the two schools, Findley is very leery of a young Tulane squad.
"The non-conference schedule we will play this first two weeks will help us prepare for the strong SEC competition down the road," Findley said. "Tulane is a very formidable foe. When our kids step out onto that field tomorrow (Wednesday), they better have their boots laced up ready to go. Tulane is an extremely tough opponent but we are looking forward to the challenge."
09/01/99 - For your viewing pleasure, here is a little MSU softball info courtesy of Todd Anderson of the MSU Media Relations Department.
From the time they first pick up a ball, it is every aspiring softball player's dream to get to the point where Mississippi State senior catcher Keri McCallum is at right now.
For most of her softball playing career, McCallum has trained for this chance to prove herself to the country that she is one of the best and that she should be given the chance to prove that on the World's stage.
"We are very proud of her and she is very deserving of these honors that she is getting," said Mississippi State head softball coach Kathy Arendsen. "I know that she will be very competitive against these outstanding players this weekend."
So, ticket in hand, McCallum will board a flight Wednesday destined for Midland, Mich., where her, along with 38 of the best softball players in the country will set out to prove their worth for the 2000 Olympic Game in Sydney, Australia at the Olympic Trials which will be held Thursday through Sunday. It is an exciting time, but one that is as nerve wracking for the player as anything else in their life.
"For the players who ar favored, it is pretty nervous," said Arendsen, a former pitcher and member of the ASA Softball Hall of Fame. "You have a lot of pressure on you to do what you expect yourself to do. Kids like Keri, they feel like they are the Davids going against the Goliaths and that they can go out there and do their best and, if they get cut, 'O.k., I did my best.'
'That's the most important thing is that I had an opportunity. I'm competing for a spot on the Olympic team.'
Just 11 days ago at the ASA National Women's Major Fast Pitch Tournament, the most elite tournament in the United States, McCallum took home the Erv Lind award as the Most Valuable Defensive Player. She was named Second Team All-Southeastern Conference following the conclusion of the 1999 collegiate season and was named to the 1999 SEC All-Tournament team as the Bulldogs made it to the semifinals of the before falling 2-0 to eventual SEC Champion LSU.
McCallum played and started in all 67 games for the Bulldogs, finishing second on the team with a .374 batting average. She led the SEC in doubles and triples and appeared in the top five of four other conference offensive statistical categories. In 235 at bats for Mississippi State, she struck out just five times, ranking nationally as the eighth-toughest player to strike out.
"Keri is a once-in-a-lifetime type player," Arendsen said. "What she can do in the position that she plays is remarkable. I am so pleased and proud of her that she is getting some of these great opportunities that she very well deserves.
"She has gotten the nerves out of the way. She now realizes that she is one of the big girls. If she makes the team, I wouldn't be any more proud of her than if she doesn't make the team because she has done so well."
All 39 players at the tournament will begin meeting on Thursday in order to formulate lineups for each team, as well as the compilation of offensive signals before playing games that evening. Friday, the athletes will undergo drill work before playing in games again. The Olympic Team Selection Committee will choose the 15-member team, along with alternates, on Saturday evening before a press conference is held on Sunday to announce the selections.