Georgia's attack too much for MSU volleyball

DANNY P. SMITH

The Georgia Bulldogs went on the attack against Mississippi State in Southeastern Conference volleyball on Sunday.

There wasn't much the homestanding Bulldogs could do about it at Newell-Grissom Building as Georgia won a 3-1 decision.

Georgia was the aggressor by making good on a .303 hitting percentage, while Mississippi State's percentage dipped to .190 by the end of the match.

"Our outsides are in a little bit of a slump right now," MSU volleyball coach Jenny Hazelwood said. "We've got two middles who are doing a great job and we put Taylor Hackemack on the right side and she can do OK in spurts, but she's not going to be someone who is going to get the ball a lot. We need for Taylor Scott and Chanelle Baker to be a little more efficient.

"They are getting a little down on themselves, but in practice they are great all week, so they've got to learn how to handle pressure better. We need to figure it out and translate."

Mississippi State started the match well by winning the first set 26-24 behind the six kills of Lainey Wyman.

Georgia turned things up a notch in the second set and established a .404 hitting percentage in taking the frame handily 25-13. The visiting Bulldogs had a 10-1 run to take control of the set.

The momentum for Georgia continued in the third and fourth sets and even though there were times MSU showed signs of getting back into the match, the Peach State Bulldogs won 25-20 and 25-23.

Wyman had 14 kills to lead Mississippi State's attack, while Scott added 12 kills and Baker chipped in 10 kills. Roxanne McVey continued her hot digs pace with 19, and Paris Perret had 13 digs and 41 aces. It was the fourth double-double of the season for Perret.

MSU's records fell to 4-7 overall and 0-2 in the SEC.

With so many young players on the court, Hazelwood said learning experiences like the one on Sunday will continue as conference play progresses.

"We've got two upperclassmen on the floor and the rest are freshman and sophomores, so there is going to be some major learning this season," Hazelwood said. "True freshmen have got to learn how to figure out how to be successful and that can be hard at times."

Mississippi State travels to play rival Ole Miss in Oxford Friday at 7 p.m.