Bulldogs beat Southwest in 4 sets

PERKINSTON — A more aggressive Mississippi Gulf Coast volleyball team took down Southwest Mississippi in four sets Monday to close out the first half of its MACCC schedule.

The Bulldogs bounced back from a first-set setback to win 21-25, 25-16, 25-22, 28-26, staving off three set points in the decider.

"We put an emphasis in practice specifically on swinging hard out of system," Gulf Coast coach Shayna Walsh said. "Usually when we're out of system, they roll shot, or they tip; they try to play it safe. We've been putting an emphasis on that, and they did a great job executing." 

Gulf Coast, the first team in the conference to the halfway point, is now 9-6 overall, 3-5 in MACCC play. Southwest is 2-11, 2-5.

Dana Cool (Fr., Dothan, Ala./Northside Methodist Academy) got a kill to spark a five-point run to put Gulf Coast up 9-5 in the second set. The Bulldogs went on and closed that out but got behind in the third.

Down 14-12, Alexa Shinabery (Fr., Marion, Ark./Marion) served the Bulldogs to five straight points, punctuated by Reese Sorrells (Fr., Picayune/Picayune), who had a kill and teamed with Malorie Gaughf (Fr., Gulfport/Harrison Central) for a block.

"Reese was out for a week or two, but she's getting back in the groove," Walsh said. "Mallorie did great as usual. She is a real momentum changer for us. Whenever she comes in and gets a big kill, it fires us up."

Gaughf led the Bulldogs with 12 kills and had three blocks, as did Sorrells, who also had eight kills.

The Bears were on their way to forcing a fifth set, up 22-18, but Gulf Coast started chipping away. Gaughf had a kill followed by an ace by Sydney Tague (Fr., Olive Branch/DeSoto Central), which helped get it to 22-21. Gaughf's block tied it at 23, and she won another to tie it at 24.

Sorrells got a kill to tie it at 25, and the Bulldogs won three straight points after the Bears went up 26-25.

Mariah Hammond (Fr., Slidell, La./Northshore) had eight kills and a couple of blocks.

"Mariah has grown to be more confident, and it's showing," Walsh said. "It's just a confidence thing for her, and she's growing into it, and she's figuring it out."

Sydney Tague (Fr., Olive Branch/DeSoto Central) had 21 assists, and Lila Turner (Fr., Kiln/Hancock) had 15. Cambell Herrington (Fr., Brandon/Brandon) had 16 digs and three aces.

The Bulldogs have a couple of non-conference matches coming up. They host Bishop State on Wednesday, and Northwest-Shoals will visit next Monday. Tickets for both matches are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and they will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.