STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Volleyball team concluded the Maroon and White Invite with a nice and tidy sweep of South Alabama on Saturday afternoon.

MSU (7-1) took the first set by a score of 25-19, then followed with a statement 25-14 victory in the second. The Bulldogs closed out the match in a tight battle with a 25-23 win in the final set.

“What a good response from our group,” head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. “I thought they came out with good composure. They were communicating really well. Their energy was even keeled, but it’s exactly what we need to do to play good, clean volleyball. It’s also good to stay composed but stay energized and excited to play volleyball. Overall, it’s a great win for us at home.”

The Bulldogs offensive attack was led by All-Tournament team selection Rebecca Walk and graduate Gabby Waden. The duo registered 12 kills apiece. Walk stuffed the stat sheets with a .474 hitting percentage, 16 points and a team-high six blocks.

“Rebecca [Walk] was great,” Dennis said. “She is always a fun one. She transferred to us from South Alabama, so it is special to her to play against her old team. She is fantastic. She did a great job blocking and attacking. We were trying to feed her as many balls as possible and get her involved with the offense. I am very proud of everybody, but Rebecca had a nice day.”

On top of Waden’s 12 kills, she also garnered 12 digs, her second double-double on the season.

Lauren Myrick, an All-Tournament team selection, rattled home her second double-double on the season with 11 kills and 15 digs.

Lacey Jeffcoat earned a season-high and team-high 17 digs, followed by Lilly Gunter who recorded 15 digs.

Gabby Coulter captured her team-leading fourth double-double of the season with 40 assists and 11 digs. She also added three kills on the afternoon. This is the eighth time she has earned 30-plus assists for her 2022 campaign.

“[Gabby] Coulter did a really good job running the show tonight,” said Dennis. “It was a very balanced offense. We were just trying to move the ball around and attack South Alabama. They play crazy, scrappy defense.”

Shania Cromartie managed six kills and two blocks, while Sania Petties picked up five kills and one block.

As a team, the Maroon and White registered 52 kills, 46 assists, 77 digs and 12 blocks. MSU also held South Alabama to a .102 hitting percentage.

Mississippi State concludes its non-conference slate at the Michigan Challenge on September 15-16. The Bulldogs take on Bowling Green on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT, followed by Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m.

For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, visit HailState.com or search for “HailStateVB” on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.