Box Score DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team ended up on the wrong side of a five-set thriller Friday, losing its season opener to Mississippi State, going down 27-25 in the fifth set. Seniors Lauren Mills and Katie Hegarty each eclipsed 20 kills en route to double-doubles. Hegarty hit .348 with 21 kills and 12 digs, while Mills led the team with 22 kills and had 13 digs.

The Bulldogs held a 12-10 lead in the fifth, but SMU scored the next three points. Back-to-back points by MSU set up the first match-point opportunity. There were 13 match-point serves between the two teams, with Khristian Carr scoring a kill on the Bulldogs sixth chance for the win.

Mississippi State took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-21 win in the third set. SMU scored three straight with two kills and a block, taking a 13-10 lead, but the Bulldogs answered with a 6-1 run, taking a 16-14 lead. The Mustangs rallied back, taking a 17-16 lead, and led 18-17 before an 8-3 run by the Bulldogs ended the set. Mills and Hegarty each had four kills, and SMU hit .269 in the set, but MSU hit .345 with 14 kills.

The Mustangs forced a fifth set with a 25-21 win in the fourth set. After SMU scored five of the first six points, MSU went on a 6-1 run to take a 7-6 lead. Neither team led by more than one point again until SMU scored two straight for a 19-17 lead. The Bulldogs kept it close, trailing 22-21 before SMU scored three straight for the win. SMU had 17 kills in the set, the most by either team in the match, hitting .316. The Bulldogs had 15 kills, but committed three service aces.

Freshman Julia DiBona served an ace on the first set-point attempt, giving the Mustangs a 25-20 win in the first set. SMU scored the first three points of the match, including an ace by Patterson, and never trailed against the Bulldogs. Hegarty scored four of SMU's 14 kills in the set, with SMU outhitting MSU .323-.143.

The Bulldogs tied the match, 1-1, with a 25-23 win in the second set. A 3-0 run, featuring a kill and two blocks, broke a 19-19 tie, and Mississippi State was able to hold on at the end. Trailing 24-21, SMU scored back-to-back points, including Patterson's second ace of the match. The next serve was long, giving the set victory to MSU. Mills led SMU with four kills, but it was the five blocks by the Bulldogs that made the difference.

SMU outhit the Bulldogs, .287-.250, but MSU had more kills, 72-70. The Mustangs had 72 digs, with sophomore Montana Watts accounting for 22 digs. Brittany Adams scored 10kills, and Kendall Patterson finished with 58 assists and eight digs. Kelly Brunstein scored five kills with four of SMU's seven blocks.

The Mustangs host Rice in Moody Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m. before closing out the SMU DoubleTree Invitational Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.