The Bulldog volleyball team (9-6) put up a fight this weekend as they took on two major SEC schools.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs were defeated in a lengthy five-set match against Kentucky (8-6).

The team won the first two sets, and just barely lost the third.  It was a great effort on both sides in the final two sets, but Kentucky went on to take the win.

Senior Valentina Gonzalez and redshirt freshman Kathleen Luft each finished the match with 17 attacks.

“I think we have done a great job refocusing our energy on the court,” Gonzalez said.  “We all have a positive attitude and know that we can come out and play our game in every match.”

Although the team was defeated in the second match of the weekend, explosive energy could be seen on the faces of every Bulldog on the court.

“It was an emotional weekend for us,” McCartney said.  “I am no less proud of our effort today than I was Friday night.  It’s tough to come up on the short end, but we will try to regroup and move forward for our upcoming matches this season.”

On Friday night, the team defeated Tennessee (9-3) in another five-set match.

“The truth is, we won this match on the defensive side tonight,” said head coach Joel McCartney on Friday. “We had great energy all day coming into this match and that kind of energy always converts to exceptional blocking.  In the end, that might have been the biggest difference.”

The Bulldogs took the first two sets in the match, but were defeated in the third.  The team lost the fourth set by a mere two points, but came back to win the fifth, securing the match.

“We feel really blessed to get a win against a great Tennessee team and I am very proud of our toughness to get one in five sets,” McCartney said.  “Our emotional maturity is growing and that showed in this match with girls like Kathleen Gates and Valentina Gonzalez leading the way.”

This weekend, the Bulldogs will take on Alabama (8-5) on Friday night and Mississippi State (9-4) on Sunday.

“I want to thank a great crowd for helping to keep our enthusiasm up this weekend and throughout the season,” said McCartney. “It’s always a great lift to have the Bulldog Nation standing across from us feeding energy into our game.”