Alabama
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Mississippi State
Fourth-Set Rally Propels Alabama Volleyball to 3-1 Win Over Mississippi State
2/26/2021 10:21:00 PM | Volleyball
The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs rematch Saturday at 2 p.m. CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Trailing 23-21 late in the fourth set, needing a win to avoid sending it to a fifth, Alabama volleyball answered with four-straight points to take the set from Mississippi State, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.
Alabama (5-10) fell in a close opening set to Mississippi State (4-9), 25-23, before responding with three straight wins: 25-18, 25-23 and 25-23. The Crimson Tide hit a match-best .304 in the third set, with a 5-0 rally near the midpoint ultimately helping Alabama gain enough cushion to hold on and win the frame. Pressure at the service line kept the visitors off balance, with Alabama earning a season-high 11 aces.
Abby Marjama led the team with a season-high 20 kills, adding 10 digs for her third double-double of the season. Kendyl Reaugh also took a double-double in the same categories with 13 and 10, respectively, while Riley Fisbeck did so with 21 assists and 18 digs. Madelyn St. Germain led the back-row defense with a season-best 28 digs, with her, Marjama and Reaugh also combining for nine of the team's 11 aces.
FROM HEAD COACH LINDSEY DEVINE
"We've been talking a lot that you need to have a dog in you. You need to have that competitiveness. That's something we stressed over and over this week in practice and in our timeouts tonight. I think there was a lightbulb moment where they realized this is why we focus on these kinds of things every day. This is your home and there should be a lot of pride in defending your home court. Fans take time out of their day to come here and see us play so we have to make sure we show how hard we've been working and display the kind of pride the fans deserve to see. For tomorrow, our first ball contact needs to clean up and we need to trust the training on defense. We lean left and the ball swings right, so if we're just a little more balanced like we've been in practice I think we can improve on a dig number that I already thought was pretty good tonight."
STAT LEADERS
- Kills | Abbby Marjama - 20
- Assists | Emily Janek - 27
- Aces | Three tied - 3
- Digs | Madelyn St. Germain - 28
- Blocks | Alyiah Wells - 4
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Mississippi State 25, Alabama 23
- 2nd | Alabama 25, Mississippi State 18
- 3rd | Alabama 25, Mississippi State 23
- 4th | Alabama 25, Mississippi State 23
MATCH NOTES
- The win improves Alabama's active win streak to six matches against Mississippi State and an all-time record of 51-17 against the Bulldogs
- Three players finished the match with double-doubles, the most of any match this season for Alabama
- The Tide has had 10 or more service aces in two of its last four matches
- The 58 kills are the second-highest four set total of the season for Alabama, only trailing the 65 in the Nov. 15 win against LSU
UP NEXT
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Foster Auditorium
- Saturday, Feb. 27– 2 p.m. CT
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVBall on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
