Alabama volleyball fell short yet again Sunday with a loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The loss came in three sets (16-25, 18-25, 21-25) and marks the second time in a row that the Crimson Tide has lost.
Head coach Rashinda Reed said the game wasn’t lost from her team’s will to fight but from the little mistakes made.
“There’s a lot of points that we just gave them. And when you’re in matches that are 21-25, we have to eliminate some of those errors,” Reed said. “If it’s miscommunication, if it’s service errors, those are all little things. We have to be very meticulous about controlling the things that we control.”
Hitters Micah Gryniewicz and Kendyl Reaugh took charge in this game, scoring 11 and 7 points respectively. Middle blockers Chaise Campbell and Alyiah Wells closely followed with 6 points each. Together, these four players fostered a highly competitive atmosphere, challenging the Bulldogs’ defense. As a result, the Crimson Tide nearly staged a comeback in the second and third sets.
The team’s hitting percentage dipped below the season average, registering at .145. However, it was a significant improvement from Friday’s game against Ole Miss, where the percentage was a meager .084. The team’s overall hitting percentage stands impressively at .769.
Junior libero Sydney Gholson said that she was happy the team was stepping up, and that people should be ready to start seeing more wins from Alabama volleyball.
“I think our attackers went at it from like, ‘I’m going to put this ball down.’ And they were brave the entire time. We didn’t really go away from what was working. And so, I’m just really proud of us for pushing through,” Gholson said. “Even though it was a loss, we definitely made a lot of strides and I think that we’re going to start succeeding here pretty soon with the mentality that we went with in this game.”
Freshman setter Callie Kieffer took charge in the assists department, contributing 27 of the team’s 30 total assists, while Gholson chipped in with the remaining three. Out of Alabama’s 32 total kills, an impressive 30 were assisted, with the remaining two coming from quick, unexpected bumps over the net that caught the Bulldogs off guard.
While the team’s serving performance may have been lackluster, Reaugh managed to shine by securing a two-ace scoring run. This achievement, however, was quickly followed by three consecutive service errors. It’s clear that serving played a significant role in the Crimson Tide’s loss, with a total of 10 service errors recorded across the three sets.
“I think we need to work on keeping a consistently aggressive serve, but also constantly staying in it and starting right from the beginning of the game,” Reaugh said.
Campbell displayed dominance in the game, recording two solo blocks and one block assist without any errors. In comparison, Mississippi State’s top two blockers managed only one solo block and one block assist combined. Additionally, Mississippi State’s blocker Sanaa Williams had two block errors during the game, further highlighting Campbell’s standout performance at the net.
Kieffer showcased her defensive prowess with an impressive 13 digs, closely trailed by Gholson with nine and Reaugh with eight. Gholson’s defensive commitment was particularly evident, as she fearlessly threw herself at every ball in an attempt to make a play, regardless of who or what she might have collided with.
Despite the disappointing outcome, the Crimson Tide is already gearing up for its next game, against the University of Kentucky on Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. CDT.
