Mississippi State made it back-to-back Southeastern Conference victories Friday night with a road sweep of Alabama, the second time the Bulldogs have defeated the Crimson Tide in straight sets this season.
Sophie Agee led MSU (11-9, 4-6 SEC) with 16 kills, and Karli Schmidt added 11 kills with just one error for a .500 hitting percentage. Setter Emily Oerther finished with 25 assists, and libero Lauren Myrick contributed 15 digs. Sanaa Williams had a big night defensively with six blocks.
The Bulldogs sprinted out to a 7-1 lead in the first set, thanks in part to three consecutive service aces from Myrick and three kills from Agee. Alabama (10-11, 0-10) pulled as close as a two-point deficit, but MSU held the hosts off, closing it out on a kill by Amina Shackelford.
The teams went back and forth in the second set, but the Bulldogs threw the last punch by winning six of the final eight points to go up two sets to none. MSU’s offense flowed through Agee, who had eight kills in the second set alone.
Rebecca Walk took over in the third set with six of her seven kills, including three in a row at one point. Shackelford also had five of her eight kills in the final set, with the last one coming on match point to seal the win.
Friday’s match was the first of four straight on the road for the Bulldogs, who visit Georgia on Sunday. UGA defeated MSU in straight sets on Oct. 6.
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