Volleyball Falls in Battle of Bulldogs :: Alyssa Whitehead narrowly misses fourth-straight double-double

Sept. 6, 2002

One year after defeating Mississippi State for the first time in its history, Samford was looking for a repeat effort on Friday night at the MSU/Ramada Classic hosted by Mississippi State. Unfortunately for the visiting Bulldogs, MSU came out fired up in its first home match and took a 3-0 victory over Samford.

Misty Hubenthal led the home-standing Bulldogs with 15 kills while Rachel Cooper added 14 kills. Samford junior Alyssa Whitehead led the visitors with nine kills and 15 digs just missing her fourth-straight double-double of the season.

"This was a disappointing effort," said Samford head coach Kris Dorn. "We did not play the way we are capable. Alyssa played very well and was our bright spot along with Kristin Berryman. We will get some rest tonight and give a better effort tomorrow."

Berryman had eight kills in the match. She and Whitehead accounted for almost half of the Bulldogs 35 kills on the night. MSU out hit Samford .308-.100 and out-blocked SU 15-3.

The loss drops Samford to 1-4 on the season while Mississippi State improves to 3-2. Samford will continue in the MSU/Ramada Classic on Saturday with a Noon match against Boston College and a 2 p.m. match against Lamar.