MURFREESBORO, Tennessee - Marist women's volleyball wrapped up its weekend at the Alumni Memorial Gym with a hard-fought effort, dropping a 3–0 decision (16–25, 12–25, 12–25) to undefeated Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Foxes (1–5) opened set one trading early points behind kills from
Mallory Reck and
Sarah Bumstead, but the Bulldogs used a 7–2 run mid-set to build separation. Marist rallied late on a
Sara Dasic kill and service ace, but Mississippi State closed the frame 25–16.
Set two saw Marist grab the first two points with Cecilia Potter-Pessoa setting the tone at the service line. Reck and
Savannah Smith chipped in kills, and
Caelyn Dumas dropped in an ace to tie it 7–7. Mississippi State responded with a 10–2 burst fueled by Mele Corral-Blagojevich and Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss, pulling away 25–12.
In the third, the Bulldogs' block proved decisive, jumping out to an 8–1 lead. Marist steadied behind Reck and Bumstead, while
Ava Lanzetta added a late kill, but the deficit was too large as Mississippi State closed 25–12.
For her efforts throughout the tournament, freshman Caeyln Dumas was named to the Blue Raider Bash All-Tournament team.
"This was a really good weekend for our development. There aren't many places we can compete against three teams with such different styles of play. We learned a lot about our makeup and what we can be great at moving forward." - Head Coach
Sean Byron.
Marist returns to action Friday, Sept. 12, traveling to Queens, New York to take on St. John's, Delaware State, and West Virginia.
