By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Ben Boynton)
Alabama found itself in the same position it put Georgia in on Friday night when the Crimson Tide trailed Mississippi State two sets to none heading into intermission. Alabama rallied with its back against the wall to win two sets but couldn’t finish the comeback, falling in five sets to the Bulldogs.
The third set saw Alabama use a 10-3 run early on to take an 11-6 lead after an early deficit. The Crimson Tide led for most of the set, as it built a 23-15 lead. The Bulldogs got within two points but couldn’t retake the lead, and Alabama extended the match with a 25-22 set win.
In the fourth set, Alabama led a tight one for the majority of the action to send it to a decisive fifth set. The fourth set was tied at 14 all before Alabama regained the lead and led 21-17 at Mississippi State’s second timeout. The Bulldogs took the next point before four straight for Alabama won the set 25-18.
Both teams swapped small streaks of consecutive points to start the fifth set. The Bulldogs found themselves with an 8-7 lead before Alabama took a 10-9 lead. The Bulldogs quickly retook the lead 12-10 and led the rest of the way, taking the fifth set 15-12 for the 3-2 match victory.
The Crimson Tide hit a season low hitting percentage of .145 in the match. Redshirt senior middle blocker Krystal Rivers had 26 kills after delivering 38 in the win against Georgia. Junior middle blocker Leah Lawrence tied her career high in blocks with nine, and senior outside hitter Brittany Thomas led the team in digs with 19. Freshman outside hitter Hayley McSparin also added 13 kills on a .345 hitting percentage.
The Crimson Tide falls to 13-4 on the year, and 2-2 in the SEC. Next week, Alabama continues its road trip at Auburn on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1:30 p.m.
Source:: The Crimson White Sports
