10/31/99 (5:45 p.m.)

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- After a run of near-misses and close calls this season, Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs fought through to the close in SEC competition, downing Auburn 3-2 in a 2-1/2 hour match televised regional by FOX Sports Net South from the Newell-Grissom Building. Sunday's win was the Bulldogs' first since last year's season finale against Mississippi, also televised by FOX Sports Net.

Auburn (15-9, 5-6) emerged at the break with a hard-fought 2-0 lead, jumping out to 16-14 and 15-11 wins. But State (10-1-10) refused to fold, staying alive with 15-11 and 15-10 decisions and claiming its first league win with a 15-12 victory in the rally-scored fifth game.

The win put third-year Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin in the MSU record books with a school-record 10th coaching victory against SEC competition.

"This is a great win for our kids," said Bowlin. "They've worked hard and have come so close to breaking through this season. And gets discouraging to come up just short time after time. But today we got some leadership from our veteran players who stepped up when their backs were to the wall."

State, after committing 25 hitting errors in the first two games, rebounded to out-hit the Tigers .221 to .154 in the final three games.

"We were able to spread our offense around and have a lot of players contribute today," said Bowlin. "Melanie DiMuzio struggled early but came back to give us a spark down the stretch. And Brianne Smedley had another solid performance at the net."

DiMuzio carded her 13th double-double with 19 kills and 10 digs while Smedley, on a team-leading .275 hitting outing, registered 15 kills and six blocks. Jennifer Shupe and Christine Owen also hit double-double status. Shupe had 14 kills and 15 digs and Owen 11 kills and 12 digs. State also got a team-leading 20 digs and three critical service aces from sophomore defensive specialist Katie Carraro.

Brooke McCarley paced Auburn with 20 kills and hit at a .264 clip while teammates Jaunelle Hamilton and Stephanie Jackson pounded out 18 kills each.

"We also got great support from our fans," continued Bowlin. "They stuck with us when we were down 2-0 and played a key role in our success today. They weren't great in numbers (185) but both teams on the court knew our fans were there."

Mississippi State resumes SEC play on the road this weekend, traveling to Arkansas (Nov. 5) and LSU (Nov. 7). State then returns to the Newell-Grissom Building for one final match, hosting in-state SEC rival Mississippi (Nov. 12).

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/31/99

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Freshmen were once again at the front of the Mississippi State pack at the SEC Women's Cross Country Championships, as the Bulldogs finished in 10th place Saturday.

Joey Hansen led coach Al Schmidt's squad for the third consecutive race and for the fourth time in the last five outings. Hansen finished Vanderbilt's Vaughan Creek Course in 19:25.7 to place 40th overall. Fellow freshman Ronni Watjus finished just behind Hansen in 41st place in 19:25.9. This marks the third consecutive meet that the Hansen-Watjus duo has finished in the No. 1 and No. 2 slots for the Bulldogs.

"I'm pleased with the way we raced today and I'm happy with the progress we've made," remarked Schmidt. "I'm very much looking forward to the future with these freshmen and Christine (Zawaski) coming back for three more years."

In their final Southeastern Conference Championship outing, senior twins Karin (47th; 19:40.7) and Monika Haber (51st; (19:51.5) had team finishes of No. 3 and No. 4 in the Vanderbilt-hosted meet.

In the final scoring spot for MSU was freshman Martha Hudsonpillar (72nd; 21:08.1). Also competing were sophomores LeeAnn Ripstra (81st; 22:10.4) and Kristin Tallent (84th; 22:27.1), whlie junior Elizabeth Davis had to withdraw with a hamstring injury.

The Lady 'Backs from Arkansas dominated the 12-team field taking the top-five finishes for a perfect score of 15. Mississippi State scored 248 points in the meet. The individual champion of the 85 participants was Amy Yoder of Arkansas.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Nov. 13, at the NCAA South Regionals hosted by Auburn in Auburn, Ala.

SEC Championships, Nashville, Tenn.

TEAM STANDINGS – 1. Arkansas 15; 2. Florida 96; 3. Georgia 112; 4. Louisiana State 118; 5. South Carolina 133; 6. Alabama 169; 7. Auburn 174; 8. Vanderbilt 186; 9. Tennessee 191; 10. MISSISSIPPI STATE 248; 11. Mississippi 305; 12. Kentucky 311.

MSU Individual Finishers:
40. Joey Hansen, 19:25.7; 41. Ronni Watjus, 19:25.9; 47. Karin Haber, 19:40.7; 51. Monika Haber, 19:51.5; 72. Martha Hudsonpillar, 21:08.1; 81. LeeAnn Ripstra, 22:10.4; 84. Kristin Tallent, 22:27.1.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/30/99 (2:15 p.m.)

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Alabama overcame an impressive Mississippi State start Friday night and went on to register a 3-1 SEC volleyball win over the Bulldogs at the Newell-Grissom Building.

The Crimson Tide (14-11, 5-5) reeled off its fourth consecutive win and completed the series sweep of MSU, winning 15-13, 15-4, 11-15, 15-6. The Bulldogs (9-13, 0-10) continue their search for that elusive first SEC win Sunday in a 12:15 p.m. match with Auburn (15-8, 5-5), a 3-1 winner at Mississippi Friday night.

Playing at season-best form, Mississippi State bolted to an 11-5 in the opening game. But Alabama stole the Bulldogs' thunder, roaring back to life to win the opening game 15-13. Bama then completed a 20-6 scoring burst with a 15-4 win in game two to take a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.

"It's been feast or famine for us," said Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "We played maybe our best volleyball of the year in the early stretch of that opening game. But for some reason when we get to within striking distance of a win, we lose our edge. Give Alabama a lot of credit for turning what seemed like a loss into a momentum-building win."

Alabama's Michelle Green, this week's SEC Player of the Week, lived up to her billing with a 20-20 performance, hurting the Bulldogs with 21 kills and adding 20 digs, both match-highs. Monica Morales also hit the double-double mark with 13 kills and 18 gigs.

Jennifer Shupe had a team-high 15 kills and 11 digs and Melanie DiMuzio 13 kills and a team-leading 17 digs. MSU's senior salute night was spoiled by 33 hitting that led to a .151 team hitting performance. Brianne Smedley had 13 kills on a .367 hitting night and added six blocks while Katie Carraro added 10 digs.

Sundays match with Auburn will be televised live regionally as the SEC Game of the Week of FOX Sports Net South, with first serve set for 12:15 p.m. CST.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/30/99 (2:15 p.m.)

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State hopes to treats its fans and a regional television audience to a season-first SEC win by the Bulldogs Sunday when the Volleyball Bulldogs play host to Auburn on the SEC TV Game of the Week. First serve for the match, televised from the Newell-Grissom Building by FOX Sports Net South, is 12:15 p.m. CST.

MSU dropped a 3-1 decision to SEC Western Division foe Alabama Friday night (13-15, 4-15, 15-11, 6-15) to slip to 9-13 overall and 0-10 in the SEC. Auburn upped its record to 15-8 overall and 5-5 in the SEC with a 3-1 win Friday night at Mississippi (15-13, 10-15, 15-7, 15-10).

Junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley totaled 13 kills and six blocks and enters Sunday's match against Auburn with a team-leading 270 kills, a .298 hitting percentage and 71 total blocks.

Auburn standout Jaunelle Hamilton recorded 25 kills with just one hitting error on an amazing .750 hitting outing to lead the Tigers in their win at Mississippi.

The Volleyball Bulldogs continue SEC play on the road next weekend (Nov. 5-7), traveling to Arkansas Friday and LSU Sunday before closing out their home schedule Nov. 14 against in-state SEC rival Mississippi.

SEC Standings:
Team SEC Pct. All Pct.
No. 4 Florida 11-0 1.000 20-2 .909
No. 21 Arkansas 9-1 .900 19-5 .792
Tennessee 6-4 .600 16-10 .615
South Carolina 6-3 .667 12-8 .600
LSU 5-5 .500 14-11 .560
Kentucky 5-5 .500 12-10 .545
Auburn 5-5 .500 15-8 .652
Alabama 5-5 .500 14-11 .560
Georgia 3-7 .300 7-12 .336
MSU 0-10 .000 9-13 .409
Mississippi 0-10 .000 9-15 .375

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/30/99 (2:15 p.m.)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Freshman Katie McVie scored a first half goal and tallied the game-winning assist late in the second half as the Mississippi State soccer team (4-16) sent its five seniors out in style with a 2-1 victory over Samford (9-8-2) in Birmingham Friday afternoon at the Samford Soccer Field.

McVie's three points marked a single-game high for the Bulldogs this season as she helped Mississippi State put an end to a school-record nine-game skid. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson tallied four saves on 14 Samford shots in the nets for Mississippi State to bring her school-record, single-season save total to 130. The single-season total is also the fourth-highest all-time in the Southeastern Conference.

The match marked the end of the 1999 season for both teams and brought Mississippi State's record to 5-0 in regular season finales.

"It is great that we got to send our seniors out with a victory," said Mississippi State assistant coach Katie Anderson. "We came out of the gates ready to play and dictated the tempo with a goal five minutes into the match. This team showed its true colors today."

McVie put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard first early in the match when she took advantage of a defensive mistake and capitalized, hitting a shot past Samford goalkeeper Carrie Ollum in the 6th minute (5:18). A questionable yellow card offense just more than 20 minutes later allowed Samford to tie the score on a direct kick when Elizabeth Kent hit a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar into the goal in the 28th minute (27:58).

After stymieing each other's scoring chances for much of the second half, McVie found Melanie Langley open in front of the net late in the match and the freshman found the back of the net with the gamewinner in the 84th minute (83:17).

"It's been a tough season for everyone," Anderson said. "Coach Tommasi and I are very proud of the effort today and are happy with the way this team responded to the adversity this season. We're glad it ended on a positive not and are looking forward to the future."

MSU 1 1 2
SAMFORD 1 0 1

Shots: MSU 15 (McVie, Newman 3), SAMFORD 14 (Graessle, Kent, Mahan 2). Corner Kicks: MSU 5, SAMFORD 2. Goalkeeper Saves: MSU 4 (Olson), SAMFORD 6 (Ollum). Fouls: MSU 17, SAMFORD 7. Offsides: MSU 1, SAMFORD 0. Att. - 210.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/29/99 (2:15 p.m.)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State cross country team returns to action Saturday at the SEC Championships in Nashville, Tenn.

Head coach Al Schmidt's MSU squad will be part of the 12-team SEC field that is led by second-ranked Arkansas. The Lady Razorbacks are looking to win thier second straight SEC Cross Country Championship and seventh overall.

MSU freshman Joey Hansen will look to again lead the Mississippi State contingent into this weekend's competition at Vanderbilt's Vaughan's Creek Course. Hansen has led the Bulldogs in three of their last four meets. In those last four meets freshmen have taken three of the top-five team spots for State. The last time four freshmen scored for MSU in the same SEC meet was in 1994 (Tina Bridgeman, Claris Fernandez, Sara Jakel and Ashley Sandberg).

Fellow freshmen Katie Longmire, Ronni Watjus and Martha Hudsonpillar will also be making their respective debuts in SEC cross country championship. Making their final appearance in SEC cross country championship competition will be senior twins Karin and Monika Haber. Junior Elizabeth Davis and sophomores LeeAnn Ripstra and Kristin Tallent will round out the Mississippi State squad travelling to the Music City this weekend.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/29/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. - In the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Poll, Mississippi State is ranked No. 8 nationally. The Lady Bulldogs have won all three of their tournaments this fall.

MSU is the only Southeastern Conference team with all five starters in the top 150, and one of three to sport three golfers in the top 100. Senior Pia Josefsson is 53rd, junior Lina Thoren is 67th and sophomore Anna Gertsson is 84th. All three have won tournaments this fall.

The Lady Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in the South District, behind conference foe Georgia.

State's next action is Nov. 8-9 at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Women's Intercollegiate.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/29/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The Volleyball Bulldogs take aim on their first conference win of the season and pay tribute to this year's senior class when MSU entertains SEC Western Division rival Alabama in league volleyball competition Friday night at the Newell-Grissom Building. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and there is no charge for admission.

The Friday night match is the first of two home battles this weekend for Mississippi State (9-12, 0-9), which hosts Auburn Sunday at 12:15 p.m. in a match regionally televised by FOX Sports Net South.

"We're excited about having the FOX television crew back on campus this weekend and an opportunity to showcase Mississippi State volleyball," said third-year MSU volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "It's an important weekend for us, beginning with Friday night's match against an improving Alabama team. We've had trouble putting together a complete team effort from start to finish in a match lately. That's what we'll need to have a chance for success this weekend."

Mississippi State enters the weekend leading the Southeastern Conference in digs (16.58 digs per game), with Melanie DiMuzio, tops on the team with 272 digs, ranking second in the league with a 3.44 dpg average. Also ranking near the top in the latest conference statistics is setter Jenny Hazelwood with the league's second-best assists average, 12.95 apg.

Alabama (13-11, 4-5) is paced by junior outside hitter Michelle Green, this week's SEC Player of the Week who averages an SEC-leading 4.62 kills and 3.21 digs per game.

DiMuzio, Hazelwood and Jennifer Shupe will be the subject of a senior salute prior to the start of Friday's MSU-Alabama match. All three are four-year veterans and rank in the top 10 among MSU's all-time career leaders in various statistical categories.

Sunday's match with Auburn (14-8, 4-5) closes out a three-weekend SEC homestand for Mississippi State and is the second television appearance for the Bulldogs in 25 years of MSU volleyball. The Bulldogs topped in-state SEC rival Mississippi 3-1 last November in the first live television event from the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/26/99

The men's soccer team got back on track Sunday with a 6-1 victory over Auburn. Auburn was last years SCSL champion and is currently in second place in the SCSL Western Conference. It was by far the most physical match that they have been involved in this year. MSU built a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Rob Fike and Patrick Stone. They came out flat in the second half and gave up an early goal to allow Auburn to cut the lead to 2-1, but Matt Martin responded with a goal for some breathing room, then MSU poured it on with goals from Emilio Castillo, Diego Escandon and Greg Giallourskis to secure the victory. This moves MSU's totals to 66-10 (goals for, goals against) and their record to 11-1-1. They will play Samford Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Murray State at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday on the girls' field to wrap up the regular season.

10/25/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. - An early second-half goal by Mississippi State (3-16, 1-8 SEC) forced visiting Tennessee (7-9-1, 5-4) into a comeback role, but the Lady Vols scored two unanswered, including one in the 89th minute to give the Lady Vols the 2-1 win and mar Senior Day Sunday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field.

The Bulldogs were paced offensively by freshman Katie McVie who scored Mississippi State's only goal on two shots, while junior Beth Dreher chipped in with two shots of her own for the hosts. Goalkeeper Kirstin Olson checked in at the halftime break and recorded eight saves on 14 Tennessee shots for the Bulldog defense.

The match marked the 1999 SEC regular season finale for both teams.

"We gave them a game today, but it just wasn't in the cards for us at the end," said assistant coach Katie Anderson. "I am very proud of our seniors for all the hard work they have given us over the past four years and I am very proud of our whole team for the way that they played today."

After exiting the halftime break in a scoreless tie, McVie put Mississippi State on the scoreboard first when she dribbled through a handful of Lady Vol defenders and laced a shot past Tennessee goalkeeper Ellen Dean in the 50th minute (49:11). Tennessee knotted the score back up just more than two minutes later when Megan Chismark took a cross from Jen Laughridge and hit a shot past Olson in the 52nd minute (51:25) to even the score at one.

Both teams created a handful of scoring opportunities for itself in the next 37 minutes, with the game-winning goal being set up on a defensive play. Following a Mississippi State corner kick, Tennessee's Jen Laughridge squirmed free on a breakaway and Lynda Henry ran her down in front of the box, but pulled Laughridge's jersey, warranting a red card for Henry and a direct kick for the Lady Vols. On the ensuing set play, Kendyl Michner connected on a shot far post in the 89th minute (88:30) to give the visitors the lead for good.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Friday when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., and Samford to close out the 1999 campaign. Gametime is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Samford Soccer Field. The Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0 all time in season finales.

MSU 0 1 1
UT 0 2 2

MSU (49:11) - McVie goal (Unassisted)
UT (51:25) - Chismark goal (Handel, Laughridge)
UT (88:30) - Michner goal (Unassisted)

Shots: MSU 10 (McVie, Dreher 2), UT 25 (Campbell 7). Corner Kicks: MSU 4, UT 7. Goalkeeper Saves: MSU 9 (Olson 8), UT 2 (Dean). Fouls: MSU 3, UT 11. Offsides: MSU 1, UT 3. Att. - 238.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/25/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The 22nd-ranked Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (18-4, 8-1) overcame early Mississippi State leads in all three games Sunday afternoon en route to a 3-0 SEC volleyball win at the Newell-Grissom Building. Arkansas topped Mississippi State (9-12, 0-9) 15-8, 15-10, 15-10 to earn its eighth consecutive win of the 1999 campaign.

"Once again, we played very well at times and against a very talented Arkansas team," said MSU volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "But it seemed like every time we get to a push-through point in a match, we make mistakes and the other team takes advantage of them."

State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening game before the Lady Razorbacks used a trio of MSU hitting errors to pull even. The Bulldogs finished the opening game with 14 hitting miscues and fell 15-8.

In game two MSU owned a 6-4 advantage after the first run through the serving order. But UA All-SEC performer Yarleen Santiago nailed six kills to lead the Lady Razorbacks to a 15-10 win. Melanie DiMuzio had six of her eight kills in the second period.

Mississippi State made its biggest run at Arkansas in game three, bolting ahead 6-2 and building it out to 10-5. But UA, the SEC's top blocking team, registered five team blocks and scored the final 10 points of the game to clinch the match 15-10.

"Dawn Steinhauser did a good job for us defensively, but we didn't get much done on offense," said Bowlin. Steinhauser finished with a team-leading 10 digs. Junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley totaled 11 kills, marking her eighth double-digit kills showing in nine SEC matches.

Santiago had 13 kills and Amanda Rudolph 11 digs for Arkansas.

Mississippi State wraps up a run of three consecutive SEC weekends at home and the October portion of the 1999 schedule, hosting Alabama Friday (Oct. 29) at 7 p.m. and Auburn Sunday (Oct. 31) in a 12:15 p.m. match at the Newell-Grissom Building. The Halloween afternoon match with Auburn will be televised live regionally on FOX Sports Net South.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/24/99

Starkville, Miss. --- Mississippi State plays host to its second nationally-ranked opponent in women's volleyball Sunday when the Bulldogs entertain No. 22 Arkansas at the Newell-Grissom Building. Match time is 2 p.m. and area high school students are special guests of MSU at the match.

MSU (9-11, 0-8) fought gamely but came up short in a bid for its first conference win of the campaign Friday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to Louisiana State. State jumped ahead in the match with a 15-11 decision in the opening game and led 11-9 in game two before the Tigers (13-10, 4-4) reeled off three consecutive wins to claim the match.

Arkansas (17-4, 7-1), currently leading the SEC West, blanked Mississippi 15-5, 15-1, and 15-8 friday night in Oxford to register its eighth consecutive win.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/23/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Georgia (10-5-1, 4-4 SEC) scored two first-half goals on a 20-0 first-half shot advantage, as the visitors used a very aggressive offense and a stingy defense to key a 3-0 victory and send Mississippi State (3-15, 1-7) tumbling to its seventh-straight loss Friday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field.

Four different players recorded second-half shots to provide the Mississippi State offense, while goalkeepers Stephanie Lyon (12) and Kirstin Olson (4) teamed up to record 16 saves on 29 Georgia shots to pace the Bulldog defense.

The loss officially ends the Bulldogs' bid for their first SEC Tournament appearance. Mississippi State needed to record both victories this weekend and hope for some help from Mississippi in order to advance to the conference tournament next month in Nashville, Tenn.

"They came at us hard for the first 25 minutes and we just weren't ready for them," said Mississippi State assistant coach Katie Anderson. "By the time we got into our rhythm, we were already behind a goal." The two teams went nip and tuck for the first 23 minutes of play until Gina Forte ended the scoreless tie when she took an assist from Amy Berbary and Shannon Murray and fired a shot past Lyon in the 24th minute (23:20) for the 1-0 lead. Just more than two minutes later, Georgia would add to its lead on a corner kick opportunity when Catherine Holder sent a serve to Kristy Peavy who redirected the ball into the back of the net to give the visitors a 2-0 cushion in the 26th minute (25:54).

"We played a lot better in the second half," Anderson said. "We came out strong and took it to them pretty good. We have to give credit to them though. They came here ready to play."

Mississippi State attempted to take advantage of a bewildered Nicole Williams in the second half, but its comeback attempt was thwarted by two shots hitting the woodwork while another rolled a foot wide of the near post. Georgia iced the match in the 62nd minute (61:49) when Marcelle Colleti took a deflection from a Mississippi State defender and hit a slow roller past a diving Olson.

Mississippi State will again be in action on Sunday when they close out their 1999 home season with a key Southeastern Conference match against Tennessee. Game time is set for 1 p.m. Mississippi State will honor its 1999 senior class in a ceremony preceding Sunday's match.

MSU 0 0 0
UGA 2 1 3

UGA (23:20) - Forte goal (Berbary, Murray)
UGA (25:54) - Peavy goal (Holder)
UGA (61:49) - Colleti goal (Unassisted)

Shots: MSU 4 (McVie, Dreher, Pimentel, Langley), UGA 29 (Forte, Peavy 6). Corner Kicks: MSU 4, UGA 10. Goalkeeper Saves: MSU 16 (Lyon 12), UGA 1 (Williams). Fouls: MSU 9, UGA 18. Offsides: MSU 0, UGA 4. Yellow Cards: MSU - Brandi White, 69:37 (Unsportsmanlike), Katie York , 71:35 (Unsportsmanlike) UGA - Head Coach Bill Barker (Unsportsmanlike). Att. - 189.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/23/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- For a while the Volleyball Bulldogs appeared headed for their first victory in Southeastern Conference play in 1999. Mississippi State jumped ahead of LSU with a 15-12 win in the opening game and held an 11-9 advantage in game two. But LSU (13-10, 4-4) roared back to tie the match with a 15-11 decision and went on to win the final two games 15-9 and 15-7 to complete the comeback.

State fell to 9-11 overall and is still looking for their first league win after eight matches.

"This is really a puzzling team," said Bulldog head coach Brenda Bowlin. "For some reason after we've been playing well, we tend to sit back and wait for something to happen. We haven't learned how to finish a match. Their scoring the last six points of game two seemed to swing momentum away from us."

The two teams posted identical numbers in kills (63) and digs (66). But piled up a season-high 39 hitting errors, 18 more than LSU, who turned in a remarkable 14.5 to 6.0 edge at the net in total team blocks.

LSU*s Kelly Thompson turned in a career-night with four solo stops and seven assists.

State placed four players in double figures in kills, with Brianne Smedley leading the way with 17. She also recorded four block assists. Melanie DiMuzio had 16 kills and added 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the year. Christine Owen added 15 kills and Jennifer Shupe 11, whose off night also included 13 hitting errors.

Bowlin praised the defensive play of sophomore Katie Carraro, who totaled a match-high 16 digs. "Katie had a nice defensive night for us. She came up with some key digs during the match."

But the Bulldogs couldn't find an answer for LSU's Jennifer Hampton, who took match honors with 20 kills. Teammate Meagan Davis registered 15 kills and one error on a .424 hitting night.

A season-best crowd of 675 watched the Friday night match.

MSU concludes its Homecoming Weekend homestand Sunday, playing host to No. 22 Arkansas (17-4, 7-1) a 3-0 winner over Mississippi Friday night in Oxford.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/22/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The first of this weekend's two MSU-LSU athletic contests unfolds Friday night at the Newell-Grissom Building where the Volleyball Bulldogs play host to SEC Western Division rival LSU. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and there is no charge for admission.

The 11th-ranked and undefeated football Bulldogs tangle with LSU Saturday at Scott Field in the weekend's other MSU-LSU battle.

Mississippi State opens the second half of the 14-match 1999 SEC volleyball campaign in search of its first league win. The Bulldogs dropped a pair of 3-1 decisions at home to SEC East foes Tennessee and Kentucky last weekend and are in a race to make the eight-team field of the SEC Volleyball Tournament.

"All eight of our remaining matches are against tough SEC opponents," said State volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "We need to step up our level of play down the stretch to give ourselves a shot at making the tournament. We've got a way to go to get to the tournament in Knoxville next month, but a lot can happen if we get some consistent play."

MSU junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley and senior outside hitter Melanie DiMuzio have been two of the team's most consistent performers and rate among the SEC's best.

Smedley delivered 20 kills and raised her hitting percentage to .306 in MSU's 3-2 win at Chattanooga Wednesday night. The Arlington, Texas, native ranks ninth in the SEC in hitting and leads MSU at the net with 15 solos and 61 total blocks.

DiMuzio, from Port Charlotte, Fla., owns the league's second-highest digs-per-game average (3.51) and paces the Bulldogs in both kills (232) and digs (253). Mississippi State leads the SEC on defense, averaging 16.6 digs per game.

LSU owns a 28-4 series lead with Mississippi State, but the three of those four Bulldog wins have come in the past two seasons.

State wraps up Homecoming weekend volleyball action Sunday, entertaining 22nd-ranked Arkansas at 2 p.m.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/21/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. -Mississippi State is ranked fifth in the nation according to the latest GOLFSTAT national rankings. The Lady Bulldogs have won their first three tournaments of the fall. Individually, all six Lady Bulldogs are ranked in the top 100.

Senior Pia Josefsson is No. 15 in the nation and No. 2 in the South District. Josefsson won the first tournament of the fall, the Memphis Women's Intercollegiate, and tied for first at the Lady Seminole Invitational. Josefsson lost in a playoff at the Lady Seminole to teammate Lina Thoren, a junior who is ranked 43rd in the nation and seventh in the South District.

Senior Kelli McClarren is 54th, and is the third Lady Bulldog in the top10 in the district. Sophomore Anna Gertsson is ranked 95th nationally, but is certain to move up after her victory at the USF-Beacon Woods Invitational this past weekend.

"I think we're very deserving of this ranking," head coach Christi Sanders said. "The team has worked hard and they have earned everything that they are getting. We've gone out and won three tournaments and have blown out the opposition. I feel the reason for the high ranking is the considerably low scores that we are firing."

This is the first time that Mississippi State has ever had six golfers ranked in the top 100 nationally.

"When three different players win the first three events, it shows the depth of this team," Sanders said. "To have all of our players in the top 100 is tremendous. And I know that some of our rankings will go up because of last weekend's victory."

These rankings were determined before the Lady Bulldogs won the USF-Beacon Woods Invitational last weekend. Anna Gertsson claimed the individual title, shooting even-par all three rounds.

GOLFSTAT TOP 25:
1. Arizona
2. Southern California
3. Duke
4. Arizona
5. Mississippi State
6. Georgia
7. Oklahoma State
8. New Mexico State
9. Stanford
10. Indiana
11. Purdue
12. New Mexico
13. Tennessee
14. Oregon
15. San Jose State
16. UCLA
17. Northwestern
18. Oklahoma
19. Nebraska
20. Texas
21. Auburn
22. TCU
23. Missouri
24. LSU
25. Charleston Southern

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/21/99

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Mississippi State picked up its ninth win of the campaign and snapped a four-match losing skid Wednesday night with a 3-2 win over the Chattanooga Lady Mocs. The Bulldog win ended UTC's school-record 11-match win streak and matched State's 1998 win total.

State (9-10) claimed the opening game 15-9 and raced to a 9-4 advantage in game two. But the Lady Mocs (17-4), sparked by solid defense play, rallied for a 17-15 win in game two and after the break toasted the Bulldogs 15-3.

"Our kids really stepped up at that point," said MSU coach Brenda Bowlin. "We got great play from our middles --- Brianne Smedley and Michelle Gordon, and started playing aggressively and with confidence."

MSU hit .355 and committed but two hitting errors in winning game four 15-5, and bolted to a 5-1 lead en route to a match-clinching 15-8 verdict in the rally-scored fifth game.

Smedley delivered 20 kills and five blocks, Melanie DiMuzio 16 kills and 24 digs, and Christine Owen 14 kills and 11 digs. Freshman Misty Hubenthal, making her first collegiate start, registered eight kills in MSU's match-opening first-game win. She finished the night with a career-best 16 kills and 15 digs.

"Misty did a good job under pressure," said Bowlin. "She was forced into a starting role and did an outstanding job."

UTC got a match-high 21 kills from Carol Reedus and 26 digs from Georgetta Bracy. The Lady Mocs out-dug the Bulldogs 102-91, but State held a 78-73 lead in kills and a 14-9 edge in blocks.

"This was a good win for us and against a pretty good team," continued Bolwin. "UTC has won its conference title the last three years and were on an impressive win streak. We played with a lot of confidence and hopefully that will carry over into this weekend's SEC matches."

The Bulldogs resume Southeastern Conference competition this weekend, playing host to Louisiana State University Friday at 7 p.m. Immediately following Friday's MSU-LSU volleyball match the MSU Basketball Bulldogs will conduct their first public scrimmage of the season. Both events are open to the public with no charge for admission.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/20/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Eager to snap a pesky four-match mid-season losing streak, the Mississippi State Volleyball Bulldogs travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., Wednesday night to take on the streaking University of Chattanooga Lady Mocs. First serve at UTC's Maclellan Gym is set for 7 p.m. ET.

The Bulldogs (8-10, 0-7) own a 3-0 lead in the series with the Lady Mocs (17-3, 11-1), who enter Wednesday night's competition riding an eight-match win streak. State claimed a 3-2 win in last year's battle at the Newell-Grissom Building.

MSU had its moments on the home court last weekend but came up short in bids to break into the SEC win column. Eastern Division foes Tennessee and Kentucky claimed 3-1 league wins in their first visits to MSU's Newell-Grissom Building.

The Lady Vols overcame a 14-9 MSU lead for a tone-setting 16-14 opening game win and went on to top State 15-8, 4-15, 15-12. Brianne Smedley took match honors with 18 kills and Melanie DiMuzio recorded her team-leading ninth double-double of the campaign with 17 kills and 22 digs. MSU also got a 65-assist performance from senior setter Jenny Hazelwood, who became the seventh SEC player to record 5,000 assists in a career.

State and Kentucky split the first two games in Sunday's match, but the UKats came on strong down the stretch to earn a 3-1 win (15-8, 12-15, 15-2, 15-9). The Bulldogs were plagued by miscues, committing eight service errors, eight receiving errors and a season-high nine ball handling errors. Brianne Smedley and Christine Owen shared MSU honors with 11 kills each.

Following Wednesday's regular-season non-conference finale, MSU returns to SEC action at the Newell-Grissom Building for a pair of Homecoming Weekend battles. State takes on LSU Friday at 7 p.m. and challenges No. 21 Arkansas Sunday at 2 p.m.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/19/99 - Latest update on the MSU men's club soccer team.

The men's soccer team received their first loss of the season this past weekend at the hands of Alabama. It was a very windy match that was dead locked at 1 at the half with a goal from Patrick Stone playing against the wind. In second half, MSU gave up the winning goal with 15 minutes left in the game. MSU had eight shots during the final 15 minutes after the goal, but just couldn't get one to drop. MSU has a very, very important match with defending SCSL champ Auburn, Sunday at 3:30 p.m. after the girl's game on the girl's field. Show your support for both of these teams by attending their matches if at all possible.

10/19/99

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - For the third consecutive tournament, Mississippi State's women's golf team claimed both the team and individual titles. With a team score of 886 at the USF-Beacon Woods Invitational, MSU defeated host South Florida by 22 strokes. MSU has now won all three tournaments that it has competed in this fall.

Sophomore Anna Gertsson became the third different Lady Bulldog to win individual honors this season. Gertsson fired a final round 72 to claim a four-stroke victory over Fany Schaeffer of South Alabama.

Gertsson's 54-hole score of 216 ties for fourth lowest in school history. She is only the second Lady Bulldog to ever post three consecutive rounds at even-par or over. Kathe Kingston did it in 1985.

Junior Lina Thoren, who was victorious at the Lady Seminole Invitational earlier this fall, shot a third-round 73 to finish in a tie for third. Senior Pia Josefsson carded a one-under 71 on Sunday to claim seventh place. Josefsson, who won the Memphis Women's Intercollegiate in September, was one of only two golfers to break par during the tournament.

Freshman Christina Clausen, with a final-round 74, finished in a tie for 10. She has finished in the top-10 in each tournament of her career. Senior Kelli McClarren bettered her second-round total by five strokes, firing a 76 on Sunday.

Mississippi State has had at least four golfers finish in the top 10 in each of its tournaments this fall. The 886 team score is the second lowest 54-hole tally in school history.

"This team is clicking on all cylinders right now," head coach Christi Sanders said. "We're learning how to win right now. That's the best three days Anna has put together. We're a team to watch this year. This team is making history and I'm enthusiastic about what we've done and what we're going to do."

The Lady Bulldogs are not in action again until November 8-9, when they travel to Charleston, S. C. to compete in the Palmetto Women's Intercollegiate.

TEAM RESULTS, Par 72, 6015 yards:
1. Mississippi State 301-295-290=886
2. South Florida 299-299-310=908
3. Central Florida 308-303-304=915
4. Southern Mississippi 315-308-305=928
5. Louisville 309-310-310=929
6. Tulane 314-306-310=930
7. South Alabama 315-316-301=932
8. Miami (Fla.) 310-318-309=937
9. Florida State 320-323-309=952
10. Iowa State 318-315-324=957
11. Rollins College 323-317-326=966
12. Toledo 327-330-331=988

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS, Par 72, 6015 yards:
1. Anna Gertsson 72-72-72=216
t3. Lina Thoren 74-75-73=222
7. Pia Josefsson 78-74-71=223
t10. Christina Clausen 80-74-74=228
t23. Kelli McClarren 77-81-76=234

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/18/99 (9:25 a.m.)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- For the second consecutive week and the third time in the last four meets, Mississippi State freshman Joey Hansen took top team honors in Saturday's Clemson Invitational.

Hansen finished the race with a collegiate-best time of 18:57 and a collegiate best finish of 18th. Finishing second was freshman Ronni Watjus, who finished 20th in a time of 18:59 breaking her personal bests at MSU, that she set at last week's Texas A&M Invitational.

Also finishing in her best time as a Bulldog was senior Karin Haber, who finished the 5,000-meter race in 19:00 and placed 21st. In the No. 4 and No. 5 slots for MSU were senior Monika Haber (24th; 19:06) and freshman Katie Longmire (31st; 19:50).

Others competing for Mississippi State were junior Elizabeth Davis (34th; 20:10), sophomores Kristin Tallent (38th; 20:30) and LeeAnn Ripstra (42nd; 20:54) and freshman Martha Hudsonpillar (46th; 21:41).

Bringing in first-place team honors was host Clemson finishing with 40 points. State placed fourth in the six-team field with 91 points. Valerie Young of the Atlanta Track Club claimed the individual honors with a time of 17:34.

Coach Al Schmidt's squad will continue cross country action on Oct. 30, at the SEC Championships in Nashville, Tenn.

CLEMSON INVITATIONAL; Clemson, S.C.

TEAM STANDINGS -- 1. Clemson 40; 2. Georgia Tech 41; 3. UNC-Charlotte 56; 4. MISSISSIPPI STATE 91; 5. Mercer 147; 6. Georgia Southern

MSU INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS - 18. Joey Hansen, 18:57; 20. Ronni Watjus, 18:59; 21. Karin Haber, 19:00; 24. Monika Haber, 19:06; 31. Katie Longmire, 19:50; 34. Elizabeth Davis, 20:10; 38. Kristin Tallent, 20:30; 42. LeeAnn Ripstra, 20:54; 46. Martha Hudsonpillar, 21:41.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/18/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The Kentucky Wildcats completed a weekend SEC volleyball sweep in Mississippi Sunday, carving out a 3-1 win over Mississippi State (8-10, 0-7) at the Newell-Grissom Building. UK (11-8, 4-4) set up the sweep with a 3-2 win at Mississippi Friday night.

Kentucky bolted to an 8-0 lead in the opening game and held off a Bulldog rally for a 15-8 win. State rebounded with a matching-tying 15-12 verdict in game two before the UKats blitzed to a 15-2 win in game three and a 15-9 score in the match-clinching finale.

"This was a very disappointing performance for us," said MSU volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "I don't want to take anything away from Kentucky, because they played well and did the things they had to do to win. But we were our own worst enemy today." State committed eight service errors, eight receiving errors and were whistled for nine ball handling errors.

Brianne Smedley and Christine Owen had 11 kills each to pace the Bulldogs, accounting for more than half of the MSU offense. Jenny Hazelwood and Melanie DiMuzio led MSU on defense with nine digs each.

Kentucky got a 13-kill showing from Katie Eiserman while Megan Weiskircher had a match-high 10 digs and four total blocks.

Mississippi State steps away from SEC competition for the last time in 1999 Wednesday night, taking on the Chattanooga Lady Mocs at 7 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs resume home SEC action on Homecoming weekend, hosting LSU Friday at 7 p.m. and division-leading Arkansas Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/17/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State takes aim on its first Southeastern Conference win of the 1999 campaign today when the Bulldogs (8-9, 0-6) play host to the Kentucky Wildcats (10-8, 3-4) in SEC volleyball action. First serve at the Newell-Grissom Building is set for 1 p.m., and there is no charge for admission. Area Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts will be special guests of the Volleyball Bulldogs for today's match.

In Friday night's match, Tennessee rallied for a 16-14 win in the opening game and went on to register a hard-fought 3-1 win over Mississippi State in a two-hour match.

The Volleyball Bulldogs were poised to claim the early advantage in the match, jumping out to a 14-9 lead. But the Vols took advantage of 10 Bulldog hitting errors down the stretch to claim the opener and went on to earn their fifth conference win 15-8, 4-15, 15-12.

MSU senior setter Jenny Hazelwood totaled 65 assists Friday against Tennessee, becoming the seventh player in SEC volleyball history to reach the 5,000-assist mark in a career. The Pearland, Texas, product enters today's match with 5,001 kill-producing passes in four seasons at MSU.

"I'm very proud of Jenny's performance," said Bowlin. "She's been steady for us all season long and did a great job of moving the ball around for us tonight."

Elsewhere in the SEC Friday night, No. 4 Florida blanked South Carolina 3-0 in Gainesville, No. 21 Arkansas rallied for a 3-2 win at home against Alabama, Auburn claimed a 3-1 win at LSU, and Kentucky posted a 3-2 win at Mississippi.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/16/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Tennessee rallied for a 16-14 win in the opening game Friday night and went on to register a 3-1 win over Mississippi State at the Newell-Grissom Building.

The Volleyball Bulldogs (8-9, 0-6) were poised to claim the early advantage in the match, jumping out to a 14-9 lead. But the Vols took advantage of 10 Bulldog hitting errors down the stretch to claim the opener and went on to earn their fifth conference win 15-8, 4-15, 15-12.

"It was another case of our team playing well and the other team pushing through at crunch time," said Bulldog volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "It might be hard to believe, but we are a much improved team this year, and I'm very proud of the way we're competing. Losing that first game was tough, but we came back and made a dog fight of it."

The Bulldogs led Tennessee in kills 74-56, but 31 hitting errors, 13 of them in the opening game, proved costly. Brianne Smedley posted a match-leading 18 kills and four blocks, while a pair of Bulldogs recorded double-doubles --- Melanie DiMuzio with 17 kills and 22 digs and Christine Owen with 12 kills and 12 digs. Katie Carraro also hit double digits with 11 digs.

Tennessee got 14 kills from Erika Brez, 13 kills and 16 digs from Stephanie Knight and 11 kills from Jennifer Elliot.

Bulldog senior setter Jenny Hazelwood piled up 65 more assists and reached another career milestone. The Pearland, Texas, native has delivered 5,001 kill-producing passes, becoming just the seventh player in Southeastern Conference volleyball history to eclipse the 5,000-assist mark.

"I'm very proud of Jenny's performance," said Bowlin. "She's been steady for us all season long and did a great job of moving the ball around for us tonight."

Mississippi State resumes its weekend homestand Sunday, playing host to the Kentucky Wildcats at 1 p.m. in the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/15/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- After playing four of their first five league outings on the road, the Bulldogs return to the friendly confines of the Newell-Grissom Building tonight, hosting the Tennessee Vols (12-8, 4-2) in interdivisional SEC volleyball competition. State, with three consecutive weekends of home competition in SEC play, hosts SEC East foe Kentucky (9-8, 2-4) Sunday at 1 p.m.

There is no charge for admission and Sunday's MSU-UK match has been designated Boy Scout and Girl Scout Day. MSU players will be on hand to meet the scouts and sign autographs following the match.

Mississippi State (8-8, 0-5) came up short in its bid to break into the SEC win column last weekend in Athens, Ga., and Columbia, S.C., bowing to Georgia 3-0 (15-8, 15-13, 15-3) and battling South Carolina in a two-hour match before falling 3-1 (15-5, 15-6, 13-15, 15-11).

The Bulldogs turned in one of their better offensive performances of the season at Georgia, hitting at a .266 clip with four players reaching double-digit totals in kills. Melanie DiMuzio and Jennifer Shupe turned in their team-leading eighth double-doubles in the match.

At South Carolina the Bulldogs showed season-best strength at the net. State piled up 24 block assists and owned a 12-8 edge in team blocking. But the Bulldogs hurt themselves on offense, committing 37 hitting errors on a season-low .083 hitting performance. Freshman Misty Hubenthal came off the bench to spark the Bulldogs at USC, totaling nine kills and three service aces in two games, her most extensive duty in conference play.

"We've been playing some of our best volleyball lately, but it seems in each match we've had one part of our game missing," said coach Brenda Bowlin. "It's difficult to be successful in the SEC, especially on the road, with a different piece of the puzzle missing. We need to start putting together some complete games this weekend and make our run for the SEC Tournament."

The top eight teams in league competition will qualify for this year's single-elimination SEC Volleyball Tournament, set Nov. 18-20 in Knoxville, Tenn.

Source: MSU Athletic Media Relations

10/14/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State cross country team travels to Clemson, S.C., to compete in Saturday's Clemson Invitational.

Joining the Bulldogs in the 5,000-meter women's race will be host Clemson, Cumberland, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Mercer, UNC Charlotte and the Atlanta Track Club.

MSU freshman Jolene Hansen has paced the Bulldogs in two of the last three meets including, last weekend's Texas A&M Invitational and last month's Crimson Classic.

Also making the trip to the Palmetto State this weekend for Mississippi State are seniors Karin and Monika Haber, junior Elizabeth Davis, sophomores LeeAnn Ripstra and Kristin Tallent, and freshmen Martha Hudsonpillar, Katie Longmire and Ronni Watjus.

Coach Al Schmidt's Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the SEC Championships.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/13/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs have ranked among the SEC;s defensive leaders over the past five seasons. And midway through the 1999 campaign, coach Brenda Bowlin's MSU squad has climbed to the top of the conference charts in digs.

MSU, paced by a pair of senior standouts, averages an SEC-best 16.71 digs per game. Melanie DiMuzio, with a team-best 198 digs, ranks second in the SEC, averaging 3.36 digs per game. Jennifer Shupe ranks third with a 3.35 DPG average.

After playing four of their first five league matches away from home, the Bulldogs (8-8, 0-5) return to action at the Newell-Grissom Building this weekend. State opens a run of six consecutive home league battles with a Friday ( 7 p.m.) match against the Tennessee Volunteers (12-8, 4-2) and a Sunday afternoon (1 p.m.) battle with the Kentucky Wildcats (9-8, 2-4).

Area Boy and Girl Scouts will be the special guests of the Volleyball Bulldogs at Sunday's MSU-UK match. There is no charge for admission to matches in the Newell-Grissom Building.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/12/99 - Here is the latest MSU men's soccer team info.

This past weekend they defeated Ole Miss 5 to 1, which runs their record to a very impressive 10-0-1. They have now scored 67 goals to their opponents 7 goals.

According to my source, the Ole Miss game was a physical game, which MSU trailed 1-0 at the half. In the second half, the Bulldogs came alive as Patrick Stone scored three goals and Emillio Castillo two.

This weekend, the Bulldogs play Alabama at 3:30 p.m. in Tuscaloosa.

The Dawgs moved up from third to first in their regional NIRSA poll, which can be viewed at http://nirsa.org/nir16c1u.htm

10/11/99

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Mississippi State (3-12) stymied a very aggressive Columbia (7-3-1) offense for much of the first half, but a three-goal, second-half scoring surge helped the Ivy Leaguers cruise to a 4-0 victory Sunday afternoon at West Campus Field in Birmingham, Ala.

Mississippi State forced the Lions into 14 offside infractions, the most in program history by a Bulldog opponent, but an opportunistic Lion defense and wet field conditions slowed the Mississippi State attack.

Five different Mississippi State players recorded one shot apiece, while goalkeeper Kirstin Olson tied the Mississippi State single-season saves record with four stops on 13 Columbia shots. The junior, who moved her season total to 110 with the four saves on Sunday, now needs just one save over the course of the next five matches to eclipse the school record currently held by former MSU goalkeeper Jennifer Croisant, who tallied 110 during the 1995 season.

"Once again, we came out flat in the second half and we played stop and go soccer," said assistant coach Katie Anderson. "A few defensive breakdowns in the second half led to goals by them and that was the story of the game.

"If we put in a goal in the first half that bounces off the crossbar, the game has a different story. I thought that we dominated the first half. We created scoring opportunities for ourselves but we just couldn't finish."

Indeed, the two teams went nip and tuck for much of the first half until the 21st minute (20:12) when Kerry Martin found Stephanie Smith open in front of the net for a goal to put the Lions up 1-0 at the break.

Following the first half goal, the Bulldogs held the Lions in check for the next 46 minutes until Smith cashed in again, this time taking a Ali Lee assist and putting it past Olson in the 67th minute (66:43) to put Columbia up 2-0. Sarah Dobsevage scored twice in the remaining ticks of the match, once on a Meredith Corkery assist in the 71st minute (70:12) and again on an unassisted goal in the 79th minute (78:22) to provide the winning margin.

The neutral site match finished a three-game, four-day schedule swing for the Bulldogs who will again be in action on Friday when they travel to Nashville, Tenn., for a key Southeastern Conference match with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Game time is set for 6 p.m. under the lights of the Vanderbilt Soccer Field.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/10/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State head softball coach Kathy Arendsen will be among some of the nation's elite coaches this weekend as she travels to Oklahoma City to take part in the United States Olympic Committee/USA Softball High Performance Seminars, Oct. 9-10.

The High Performance Seminars will be jointly sponsored by the USOC and USA Softball organizations and will bring together some of the best coaches in the United States to study ways to standardize hitting, pitching and defense.

"For me, this is a tremendous honor," said Arendsen of her selection. "I will gain a great deal as a coach listening to the seminar and it*s a real compliment to be asked to share my knowledge as well.

"These seminars will help standardize the sport of softball by establishing guidelines for coaches worldwide. We will be covering everything from techniques to progressive drills to help the sport continue to develop around the world."

Don Sarno, U.S. Olympic Team pitching coach, will chair the pitching seminar and will be joined by Arendsen, Florida Atlantic coach Joan Joyce, Yale coach Barbara Reinalda, Club K (Nashville) coach Cheri Kempf, 1996 Olympic Team member Michelle Granger and Teresa Wilson from the University of Washington.

"Don Sarno is probably the best teaching coach in the world and Joan Joyce was a childhood hero of mine," Arendsen said. "To coach alongside of them is a thrill and an honor for me."

Mississippi State softball completed its fall season by running the table Saturday at the 1999 MSU Fall Fest, culminated by a 7-3 victory over MUW in the championship game. In the tournament, the Bulldogs placed five players, including Tournament MVP Kellie Wilkerson, on the All-Tournament team.

"I was very pleased with our depth, talent and our effort during the Fall season," Arendsen said. "Our players are very committed to the team this season. We have identified the areas that we need to work on and are anxiously awaiting the start of the 2000 season."

Individual workouts for members of the softball team will continue through the end of this month. Mississippi State will open its season at home on Feb. 5, 2000 against MUW at Bulldog Diamond.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/10/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State (3-11) put together its largest scoring output of the season, but could not counter a second half scoring surge by visiting Belmont (6-5) en route to a 4-2 loss at the MSU Soccer Field Friday afternoon.

Freshman points leader Jessica Kauffman scored her second career goal on eight shots to pace the Bulldog offense, while goalkeeper Kirstin Olson reached the century mark in saves, stopping 11 of 21 Bruins shots.

The junior now needs just 11 more saves over the course of the final six matches of the season to shatter the Mississippi State single-season saves record.

"We came out flat in the second half and, despite that, we still were able to score a goal and go up 2-1," said assistant coach Katie Anderson. "Defensively, we weren't keeping our shape in the game. There was too much space between our offense and our defense.

"However, the final 25 minutes of the game was the hardest I have seen this team play all season. We never gave up."

Belmont got the scoring started quickly when forward Maria Ho took a 30-yard wind-aided pass from Sandy Weingart and finished with a header past Olson to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute (3:55). However, Mississippi State answered less than 13 minutes later when, after a free kick from Kauffman squeaked through the defensive wall, senior Casey Newman took the deflection and fired in her second career goal to knot the match back up in the 17th minute (16:36).

"After their first goal, we came out and took control of the match," Anderson said. "We created opportunities and, when the opportunity came, we put it in the back of the net."

Just five minutes into the second half, State took its first lead of the match when freshman Katie McVie found Kauffman open down the right sideline. After Kauffman beat out one Belmont defender, the freshman fired a shot past an off-balance goalkeeper into the back of the net in the 51st minute (50:08) to give Mississippi State the 2-1 lead.

However, three goals in a span of the next 27 minutes by the Bruins sent the Bulldogs reeling as Mississippi State careened to its third consecutive loss.

The Bulldogs will again be in action on Sunday as they pack up their show and head to Birmingham, Ala., to face the Columbia Lions of the Ivy League in a neutral site contest. Game time is set for 12 p.m. at UAB's West Campus Field.

BU 1 3 4
MSU 1 1 2

BU (3:55) - Ho goal (Weingart)
MSU (16:36) - Newman goal (unassisted)
MSU (50:08) - Kauffman goal (McVie)
BU (54:45) - Jones goal (unassisted)
BU (65:35) - Harris goal (unassisted)
BU (77:08) - Jones goal (unassisted)

Shots: MSU 23 (Kauffman 8), BU 21 (Jones 7). Corner Kicks: MSU 12, BU 3. Keeper Saves: MSU 9 (Olson), BU 7 (Elder). Fouls: MSU 12, BU 11. Offside: MSU 3, BU 6. Att. - 103.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/10/99

COLLEGE STATION, Texas-- For the third consecutive outing, a freshman set the pace for the Bulldog harriers, as Joey Hansen took top team honors for Mississippi State during Friday's Texas A&M Invitational.

Hansen paced the Bulldogs for the second time this season, completing the 5,000 meter event in a time of 19:20 to place 39th overall. In her best performance so far as a collegiate, freshman Ronni Watjus had the second-best time for State finishing 48th with a time of 19:41.

Grabbing the No. 3 and No. 4 slots for MSU were senior Monika Haber (49th; 19:42) and freshman Martha Hudsonpillar (51st; 19:46). Rounding out the team scoring for Mississippi State was senior Karin Haber, who finished 56th in a time of 19:48.

Also running for the Bulldogs were sophomore LeeAnn Ripstra (71st; 20:07), junior Elizabeth Davis (75th; 20:13), freshman Katie Longmire (83rd; 20:29) and sophomore Kristen Tallent (112th; 21:35).

Tying for first-place team honors were Rice and host Texas A&M, both finishing with 41 points. MSU placed sixth in the 16-team field with 196 points. Shaquandra Roberson of Rice claimed individual honors with a winning effort of 17:51.

Mississippi State continues cross country action next Saturday at the Clemson Invitational in Clemson, S.C.

TEXAS A&M INVITATIONAL
Collge Station, Texas

TEAM STANDINGS -- 1. Rice 41; 1. Texas A&M 41; 3. TCU 91; 4. Houston 120; 5. Auburn 142; 6. MISSISSIPPI STATE 196; 7. Texas-Arlington 224; 8. Texas-San Antonio 237; 9. Sam Houston State 253; 10. Tarleton State 262; 11. Southwest Texas 284; 12. Louisiana-Monroe 316; 12. Texas-Pan American 316; 14. Texas A&M Kingsville 342; 15. Northwestern 350; 16. Prairie View 497.

MSU INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS 39. Joey Hansen, 19:20; 48. Ronni Watjus, 19:41; 49. Monika Haber, 19:42; 51. Martha Hudsonpillar, 19:46; 56. Karin Haber, 19:48; 71. LeeAnn Ripstra, 20:07; 75. Elizabeth Davis, 20:13; 83. Katie Longmire, 20:29; 112. Kristen Tallent, 21:35.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/07/99 (12:15 p.m.)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Following last week's open date, the Mississippi State cross country team returns to action Friday evening at the Texas A&M Invitational.

Coach Al Schmidt's squad will compete against 22 other schools including SEC foe Auburn, in the Texas A&M-hosted event.

Bulldog harriers LeeAnn Ripstra of Houston and Mission's Martha Hudsonpillar will return to their home state of Texas this weekend.

The Bulldogs have been paced by freshmen during their last two meets, with Katie Longmire leading the way for State two weeks ago at the Roy Griak Invitational and Joey Hansen taking team honors the week prior at the Crimson Classic.

Also expected to make the trip to the Lone Star State for MSU are seniors Karin and Monika Haber, junior Elizabeth Davis, sophomore Kristin Tallent and freshman Ronni Watjus.

Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Clemson Invitational in Clemson, S.C.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/07/99

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Mississippi State successfully opened a three-match road swing Wednesday night, blanking Samford 3-0 at Seibert Hall.

The Bulldogs (8-6) shook off early-match difficulties, overcoming a 13-10 deficit and 13 hitting errors to win the opening game 15-13. State bolted to a 6-0 lead en route to a 15-7 win in game two, and stretched a 6-0 lead into a 14-3 bulge in game three before quelling a Samford rally with a match-clinching 15-9 win. Samford, guided by former MSU standout and first-year SU coach Vickie Nichols, fell to 7-12.

"We got a good team effort tonight and at times played very well," said Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "We got to play all of our players and they all contributed to the win. Brianne (Smedley) and Jennifer (Shupe) stood out for us, and Misty (Hubenthal) came off the bench to make the most of her opportunities."

Shupe delivered match-high totals with 16 kills and 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the campaign. Smedley had 14 kills on a .480 hitting night and matched a season-best with six total blocks. Hubenthal, the lone freshman on the MSU squad, recorded six kills while sophomore Emily Mounger hit the court for her first collegiate competition.

Melanie DiMuzio added 12 kills and Christine Owen 10 as State out-hit Samford .264 to .195. Shellie Ouldhouse paced SU with 11 kills.

Mississippi State continues its road swing and returns to SEC competition in a 7 p.m. (ET) match Friday at Georgia.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/06/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Eager to break back into the win column, Mississippi State's Volleyball Bulldogs hit the road for a trio of matches in as many states this week. State opens the jaunt tonight in Birmingham, Ala., with a non-conference tussle against the Samford Bulldogs (7 p.m.). State then travels on to Athens, Ga., to meet the Georgia Bulldogs Friday (7 p.m. ET) and Columbia, S.C., for a weekend-ending Sunday match against the South Carolina Gamecocks (2 p.m. ET).

This week's competition wraps up a rugged run that will have taken the Bulldogs on the road for five of their six matches over the past two weeks.

The Bulldogs enter tonight's match with Samford (7-12) hitting at a .203 clip. Junior middle blocker Brianne Smedley leads the club with a .277 hitting percentage and 41 total blocks. Senior outside hitter Melanie DiMuzio has piled up team-leading totals in both kills (157) and digs (160).

Bulldog senior setter Jenny Hazelwood is seven digs away from becoming the eighth player in 25 years of MSU volleyball to reach the 1,000-dig milestone. Coach Brenda Bowlin, in her third year with the Volleyball Bulldogs, is also on the verge of earning a place in the MSU record book. Her next league win will be a school record-setting 10th against SEC competition.

"We're in a tough stretch of our schedule, playing our next three matches away from home," said MSU volleyball coach Brenda Bowlin. "I was extremely pleased with the way our team competed against a very good Florida team here last Friday. Good things will happen if our players can continue to play with that kind of intensity."

Senior Jennifer Shupe, who ranks among MSU's top five all-time career leaders in both kills and digs, registered her team-leading ninth double-digit kills total with a dozen in Friday's match with Florida. The Bulldogs scored 18 points in the loss (15-4, 15-7, 15-7), their most against the Gators since Florida's last trip to Starkville in 1996.

State, 1-12 after 13 matches last season, has made a remarkable turnaround on the court this fall and enters the week with a 7-6 mark. Following the road trip MSU resumes play at the Newell-Grissom Building October 15, hosting the Tennessee Volunteers in a 7 p.m. match.

Source: MSU Media Relations Department

10/05/99 - For those of you who don't know about the men's soccer team at MSU, they are an excellent soccer team which is a club sport at MSU for the foreseeable future. Here is the latest info on them.

They are presently 9-0-1 on the season, outscoring their opponents 62 to 4.

Their first weekend of action was in Athens, Georgia where they played a round-robin tournament with Florida, Georgia and Clemson. They defeated Florida 3 to 1, Georgia 3 to 1 and tied Clemson 2 to 2.

The next weekend, they defeated Southern Miss 12 to 0.

The following Wednesday, they defeated Brilla, a missionary team based out of Jackson, 3 to 0.

From there, they played in the SCSL Invitational Tournament at Ole Miss this past weekend. In bracket play, they defeated MUW 12 to 0, Tenn-Chattanooga 9 to 0, and Tennessee Tech 7 to 0. These three victories advanced them to the semi-finals where they defeated Georgia 4 to 2.

They were then pitted against Alabama in the finals where they won the SCSL Championship by defeating Bama 1 to 0.

If you are interested in going to one of their matches, here is their remaining schedule.

Date	Opponent (location)	Division	Time
10/10	@ Ole Miss*	W	1:30 PM
10/17	@ Alabama*	W	1:30 PM
10/24	Auburn* (new intramural fields)	E	1:30 PM
10/31	Murray State* (Girl’s field)	W	1:30 PM
11/5-6	SCSL Final Four (Meridian, MS)	-	TBA
11/18-20	NCSA National Tournament	-	TBA

* - Denotes conference match

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Jenny Hehnke's two-run double in the top of the seventh inning gave Mississippi State the lead for good, as the Bulldogs completed a come-from behind victory with a 7-3 win over MUW in the 1999 MSU Fall Fest Championship game.

Centerfielder Kellie Wilkerson turned in a 3-3 performance with a home run, double and one RBI and three runs scored to pace the Mississippi State offense, while third baseman Michelle Gates also turned in a perfect 3-3 performance with a RBI and a run scored.

Freshman pitcher Jennifer Pursell entered the game in relief of starter Kasey Whitehead in the sixth inning and pitched one and one thirds scoreless innings with four strikeouts, closing the door on the Blues, to get the win for the Bulldogs.

The victory completed a unblemished day for the Bulldogs who, earlier, recorded 7-0 and 4-0 victories over Delta State and Belmont, respectively. Including Wilkerson, who collected Tournament MVP honors, Mississippi State placed five players on the All-Tournament team.

"I was really pleased with the way that we played today," said Mississippi State head coach Kathy Arendsen. "I could go down a list of players that had good days today. We really played well. I am glad we played a very good team in the championship game. MUW gave us a really good game. They are a very competitive team and they will be one of the best Division II teams this season.

"We were able to do a lot of things today. The pitching staff rose to the occasion today. The staff is going to be deep and very strong for us this season."

As a team, Mississippi State recorded a tournament-best .372 team batting average with nine extra-base hits and 16 RBI. The Bulldog pitching staff turned in a perfect 3-0 performance with a 1.35 ERA after working 20 innings with 17 strikeouts and giving up just three runs in the three games combined.

Individually, Mississippi State was led by Wilkerson who hit .667 in the tournament with a home run, a triple, two doubles and six RBI. Whitehead and catcher Keri McCallum also turned in batting averages over the .500 plateau.

The Bulldogs will now have one more full week of practice before packing up for the remainder of the year. Mississippi State will open their 2000 campaign on Feb. 5 at home against MUW.

1999 MSU FALL FEST ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Pitchers (2) - Courtney Frank (MSU), Leslie Day (Belmont)
Catcher - Heidi Lane (Belmont)
First Base - Kai Paul (MUW)
Second Base - Vanessa Farrell (Delta State)
Third Base - Kim Jones (MUW)
Shortstop - Cinnamon Bentley (MUW)
Outfielders (3) - Kellie Wilkerson (MSU) Chris Bushby (MSU), Jennifer Smithson (Belmont)
Designated Player - Keri McCallum (MSU)
Utility - Jennifer Nelson (MSU)

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations.

10/04/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The fourth-ranked Florida Gators notched their 12th shutout win of the 1999 campaign Friday night at the Newell-Grissom Building, but not without a fight from the homestanding Bulldogs.

Florida (12-2, 3-0) raced to a 15-4 win in the opening game, but the Bulldogs battled back to make it interesting against the defending SEC tournament champs. MSU (7-6, 0-3) and Florida fought on near-even terms for the first half of the game two, with Florida pulling away from a 7-7 deadlock for a 15-7 win. State trailed 14-2 in the final game before staging a rally that ended with a match-clinching 15-7 Florida win.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of this team," said third-year Bulldog coach Brenda Bowlin. "They played with a lot of heart tonight and against a fine Florida team that could again challenge for the national championship.

"What I'm most proud of is that we didn't beat ourselves tonight," she continued. "That's what happened last weekend at Auburn and Alabama, and those losses were very disappointing. But we had a great week of practice, stayed with our game plan, and held our own against them for a while."

Florida, SEC tournament champs six of the last seven seasons, hit at a sizzling .400 mark, with Heather Wright's match-high 16 kills and .652 hitting percentage leading the way. Wright also made her presence felt at the net with five blocks. Jerrilyn Hattendorf carded the lone double-double of the match with 11 kills and 11 digs.

Mississippi State senior Jennifer Shupe set the pace for State with 12 kills and seven digs. Melanie DiMuzio, the lone Floridian on the State squad, had nine kills, Michele Gordon eight and both Brianne Smedley and Christine Owen seven.

A spirited crowd of 275 watched the action at the Newell-Grissom Building. "They were great," said Bowlin. "We play better at home, like most teams do, and I'd like to credit our fans for playing a role for us tonight. On top of that, they got to see some great volleyball and one of the best teams in the nation."

Elsewhere in the SEC Friday night, Arkansas (11-4, 1-1) defeated Georgia (4-6, 1-2) 3-0, South Carolina (12-2, 3-0) turned back LSU (7-8, 1-1) 3-1, Kentucky (8-6, 1-2) nipped Alabama (8-7, 2-1) 3-2 and Tennessee (8-7, 2-1) bested Auburn (11-4, 2-1).

Mississippi State resumes play with three road matches next week, visiting Samford Oct. 6, Georgia Oct. 8 and South Carolina Oct. 10. MSUs next home action is Oct. 15 when the Bulldogs entertain Tennessee.

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

10/01/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. - It has been nearly five months since the Mississippi State softball team walked off the field at South Commons Softball Stadium in Columbus, Ga., moments after a tough 2-0, nine-inning, season-ending heartbreaker to the LSU Tigers in the SEC Tournament.

But, it was an offseason of hard work, dedication and pride that led the Bulldogs back to the playing field with a sole purpose in mind for the 2000 season - getting to Oklahoma City.

The Bulldogs will begin their quest for the 2000 Women's College World Series Saturday morning as they culminate the Fall season with the four-team MSU Fall Fest at Bulldog Diamond. The tournament will consist of a round-robin format with each team - MSU, Delta State, Mississippi University for Women and Belmont - playing three games apiece.

The Bulldogs will open tournament play at 10 a.m. against Delta State and will take the rest of the afternoon off before closing out tournament play with Belmont at 6 p.m. and MUW in the nightcap at 8.

"We are pretty healthy right now," said head coach Kathy Arendsen. "Practice is going very well. Jennifer Pursell, Courtney Frank and Brooke Best were the last ones to come back from injuries. We are also extremely happy that the flu bug only hit a few of our players."

The Bulldogs will open tournament play with the opponent they are most familiar with after taking a 7-1 decision from Delta State last season in Starkville. However, Mississippi State will get its first look at the Belmont Bruins at 6 p.m. and will rekindle a decade-old rivalry when it faces the Blues of MUW in the tournament closer. The Bulldogs and Blues will meet for the first time since State defeated MUW 10-0 during the 1986 season.

"Rita Higginbotham does a good job at MUW," Arendsen said. "She always has her teams ready to play. We have seen Delta State before so we know that they are capable of knocking off any team and we are expecting a very competitive game from Belmont.

"We couldn't be happier about hosting the tournament this weekend. We are very excited that we will get the chance to play someone else. We know that we still have a long way to go, but this tournament will give us a chance to work on some things in a very competitive situation."

SATURDAY'S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
(All Games Played at Bulldog Diamond)

10 a.m. - Mississippi State vs. Delta State
12 p.m. - Belmont vs. Delta State
2 p.m. - Belmont vs. MUW
4 p.m. - Delta State vs. MUW
6 p.m. - Mississippi State vs. Belmont
8 p.m. - Mississippi State vs. MUW

Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations

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