Bulldogs Travel to Fayetteville looking for SEC Road Win Friday

by Mary Catherine Molay, Graduate Assistant/Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - After a tough weekend, Mississippi State (5-13, 1-4 SEC) travels to Fayetteville to face Arkansas (7-9, 1-5 SEC) on Friday (Oct. 12).

The match will air on the SEC Network+ at 7 p.m., with Benjamin Kelly on play-by-play, and Caitlin Donahoe as the analyst. Fans can also access the match via the WatchESPN app.

"It is going to be another tough weekend as we hit the road for our match on Friday against a tough Arkansas team," head coach Julie Darty said. "This league is tough, top to bottom, and you have to bring it every time you step on the court. We are going to continue to talk about the process and focus on taking steps in the right direction. For us, it's always about our serve and pass game and staying dialed into the game plan. I am excited for this group to continue to get better and more efficient. Everytime we compete, we want to get a little bit better. I am hopeful that we can stay true to the process and keep on grinding as this season continues."

Arkansas leads the series 40-5 with 22 coming from Fayetteville. While visiting the Pine Tree State, Mississippi State trails in the series 1-21.

This Weeks Schedule ...

Friday, October 12
Mississippi State at Arkansas - 7 p.m.
Live Stats - https://hailst.at/2CvSpVG
SEC Network+ - https://hailst.at/2CwsCfT

Sunday, October 14
Mississippi State vs. Missouri - 1 p.m.
Live Stats - https://hailst.at/2CvSU20
SEC Network+ - https://hailst.at/2Cvy6aN

Admission to Barnhill Arena ...
For the 2018 season, admission is $5 for adults and free for everyone 17 and younger at Barnhill Arena.

Bulldogs Travel to Arkansas For 46th Meeting ...
MSU starts off week four of SEC play at Barnhill Arena against the Arkansas Razorbacks. This will be the 45th overall meeting between the two teams.

Outside hitter Hailey Dirrigl leads the Razorbacks with 179 kills. Middle blocker Elizabeth Pamphile tops the stat sheet with 55 total blocks. Setter Rachel Rippee has 511 assists and libero Okiana Valle owns 267 digs.

A Bulldog Win Would ...
•Give MSU its first SEC road win this season.
•Snap Arkansas' eight-game win streak against the Bulldogs.
• Give Julie Dartyher second SEC win this season.

Who's Leading the Bulldogs? ...
Kills: Amarrah Cooks, 150
Kills Per Set: Amarrah Cooks, 2.31
Assists: Morgan Kath, 442
Service Aces: Alleah Stamatis, 17
Digs:Kendall Murr, 261
Block Solos: Amarrah Cooks, 18
Block Assists: Deja Robinson, 38
Total Blocks: Deja Robinson, 55
Points: Amarrah Cooks, 185.0

Darty Picks Up Her First SEC Win ...
On Wednesday, Sep. 26, Julie Darty earned her first SEC win after defeating Auburn, 3-2, in Newell-Grissom on ESPNU. Darty's squad rallied from being two sets down to fight back and win the match.

Robinson, Shaw Earn SEC Freshman Player of the Week for the First Time Since 2013 …
Deja Robinson was named the SEC Freshman Player of the Week on Sept. 4 following an impressive performance at the Appalachian State Invitational where she had 4.08 points and 3.23 kills per set as well as a .443 hitting percentage. She was also named to the Appalachian State All-Tournament Team and posted a career-high 20 kills against Davidson.

Paige Shaw was named the Co-SEC Freshman Player of the Week on Oct. 1 after her unstoppable performance against Auburn on Sept. 26. The freshman tallied 18 kills, and her first service ace against the Tigers. Shaw also notched her first-career service ace and registered career highs in attack attempts (55), solo blocks (2), total blocks (4.0) and points (22.0). The match winning point came from a kill by Shaw.

The last time there were two recipients of the SEC Freshman of the Week award was in 2013 when Kimmy Gardiner won it twice. There have never been two separate players winning SEC Freshman of the Week in the same season.

Deja Robinson Finds Herself on the Freshman Block Solos List
Deja Robinson currently has 17 solo blocks in her career. She ties teammate Liv Benner's total from 2017 for the No. 8 spot. She is one away from the No. 5 spot and tying teammate Laura Rose Gray (2017), Sharyn Smith (1985) and Shauna Owens (1988), all with 18 solo blocks during their respective seasons.

Murr and Zgunda "dig" it done ...
Sophomore transfer Kendall Murr has 261 digs on the season. As of Oct. 8 she is No. 7 in the SEC and No. 173rd in the NCAA in digs.

Sophomore Gabby Zgunda finds herself with the second most digs on the squad at 158.

Cooks Leads the Team in Four Categories ...
Junior transfer Amarrah Cooksis on top of the stat sheets, leading the team with (150), hitting percentage (.271), block solos (18) and points (185.0). She is second on the team with total blocks (50.0) and block assists (32).

Kath Has Three Double-Doubles in 2018 ...
Senior Morgan Kathtallied 10 digs and 11 assists against Georgia State on Aug. 26 at the StarkVegas Classic. The Wisconsin native also had 10 digs and 54 assists against Clemson on Aug. 31 at the Appalachian Invitational. On Sept. 7 in Mobile at the Jaguar Invitational against Louisiana Tech, the senior registered 14 digs and 28 assists.

Hoosiers in StarkVegas ...
Four players on the 2018 roster hail from the state of Indiana (Gabby Zgunda, Kendall Murr, Kanani Price and Liv Benner). The Hoosier State is the most represented state on the squad.

MSU Heads Home to Face Missouri ...
After the match against Arkansas, the Bulldogs head back to Starkville to face Missouri. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network+.

For more information on Mississippi State volleyball, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateVB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."

Bulldogs Travel to Fayetteville looking for SEC Road Win Friday

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Players Mentioned

Liv Benner

Amarrah Cooks

Laura Rose Gray

Morgan Kath

Kendall Murr

Deja Robinson

Alleah Stamatis

Gabby Zgunda

Mississippi State University Athletics