CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College volleyball team enters the Gulf South Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed following a five-set victory over Montevallo on Friday, Nov. 4. It is the fourth, five-set victory of the season for the Choctaw, who wrapped up the regular season 23-6 and 12-4 in the conference.
 
MC now awaits the winner of sixth-seeded Valdosta State and seventh-seeded Auburn Montgomery on Monday, Nov. 7. First serve on Friday, Nov. 11 in Pensacola, Fla., is 1:30 p.m.
 
The win hands the program its first win over the Yellowhammer State institution since Oct. 7, 2017 and its first under head coach Shawna Laurendine against her alma mater. The victory snapped a seven-match skid in the series.
 
A quartet of Choctaw posted double figure kills in the victory led by Caroline Chastang with 18. Lydia Paulette added 15 while Lexie Laurendine and Kendall Platt in their final matches at home posted 12 kills each. Laurendine added a team-best 29 assists and compiled 16 digs for her a triple-double. It is the first of the season for the Clinton, Miss., native and the 14th of her career.
 
Ali Wiggins chimed in 24 assists while Missy Beber added a team-best 21 digs on the defensive end followed by Platt with 12. Sloane FitzHenry led the charge at the front of the net with a career-high seven blocks, including a career-best five solo rejections.
 
Trailing 2-1, the Navy and Gold rallied to claim the fourth set, 25-19, and send the contest to the deciding set. UM took charge early in the fifth as it opened on a 4-1 run. MC tracked down the Falcons and knotted the contest at 7-all behind a kill from Platt. The Purple and Gold responded as it regained the lead at 11-9 and again at 12-10, but again MC erased the narrow margin and on a kill from Chastang tied the contest at 13-all – the final deadlock of the contest. A Paulette hammer – off an assist from Wiggins – sent the set to match point and on a play at the net UM was whistled for a ball-handling error that clinched the match.
 
After a seesaw affair early in the fourth, the Navy and Gold went a 5-0 run at the 11-11 mark to take control of the set. MC marched the advantage out to as much as 22-14 down the stretch. UM narrowed the gap to within 23-18, but the Choctaw responded with two of the next three points to claim the six-point, set win.
 
The contest opened with a 26-24, MC victory that saw 17 ties and seven lead changes, but the Falcons responded with a 25-20 win in the second and a 25-19 decision following the intermission. The two sets combined for just three lead changes as the Purple and Gold took hold of the contest and setting up the late rally.

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