Bulldogs Head to Auburn Seeking Season Sweep

Wednesday, November 21

Auburn, Ala.

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

Auburn

Bulldogs face Auburn on Wednesday (Nov. 21) seeking season sweep.

Bulldogs Head to Auburn Seeking Season Sweep

November 20, 2018 | Volleyball

Live Stats Match Notes Watch on the SEC Network +

by Mary Catherine Molay, Graduate Assistant/Communications

AUBURN, Ala. – Heading on the road for a two-match stint, Mississippi State (5-24, 1-15 SEC) faces Auburn (11-15, 4-12 SEC) on Wednesday (Nov. 21) inside Auburn Arena looking to win its second-straight match in the series.

The match will air on SEC Network+ with Britain Bowen on play-by-play and Kele Eveland as the analyst. Fans can also access the match via the ESPN app.

"We know that Auburn is going to be out for revenge on us, and we are excited for a battle with them on Wednesday night," head coach Julie Darty said. I think that both of us have gotten better since the last time we played and for us, we have tweaked our line-up a good bit, and I feel like we are really in the best possible line-up at this time. The team is excited to hit the road and get after it. They are hungry. They are excited, and I am just really pumped to be with them over Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for this group of players, for this season and for the growth we have all experienced together.

"There is a lot of emotion as we head into the last road trip of the season. After this weekend's two gutsy performances on our home court, you can tell that we are playing with a lot of heart and hustle. This team is still getting better, and to me that shows that we are committed to the process. I felt like Sunday versus Texas A&M, that was the hardest we have played in awhile and to see that kind of effort, energy and execution this late in the season is a really good sign for us."

Wednesday, November 21...
Mississippi State at Auburn – 7 p.m.
Live Stats - https://hailst.at/2DxQNKU
SEC Network+ - https://hailst.at/2DwFbHZ

Admission to Auburn Arena ...
For the 2018 season, admission is free at Auburn Arena.

Who's Leading the Bulldogs? ...
Kills: Amarrah Cooks, 225
Kills Per Set:Paige Shaw, 2.49
Assists: Morgan Kath, 642
Service Aces: Alleah Stamatis, 23
Digs: Kendall Murr, 396
Solo Blocks: Amarrah Cooks, 33
Block Assists: Deja Robinson, 59
Total Blocks:Amarrah Cooks, 86.0
Points: Amarrah Cooks, 285.5

Bulldogs Travel to Auburn Seeking Back-to-Back Wins In Series …
Mississippi State and Auburn meet the for the second time this season. In the last meeting, the Bulldogs won, 3-2, in Newell-Grissom on ESPNU after being down 2-0. On the all-time ledger, Auburn leads 39-22, and the Tigers own a 23-6 edge on the Plains.

Outside hitter Breanna McIlroy tops the stat sheets with 285 kills. McIlroy also leads the squad in service aces with 44. Middle blocker Anna Stevenson leads the team in blocks. She also has 85.0 total blocks on the season with 68 of them coming from block assists. Setter Mica Allison has 968 assists and 48.0 blocks accompanied by 182 digs.

A Bulldog Win Would ...
• Give MSU its first SEC road win this season
• Give MSU its second-straight win against the Tigers
• Give Julie Darty her second SEC win this season

Murr and Zgunda "dig" it done ...
Sophomore Kendall Murr has 396 digs on the season. As of Nov. 19, she is No. 8 in the SEC in digs.

Sophomore Gabby Zgunda finds herself with the second most digs on the squad at 256.

Cooks Leads the Team in Four Categories ...
Junior Amarrah Cooks is on top of the stat sheet for MSU in four categories. The middle blocker paces the squad in kills (225), solo blocks (33), total blocks (86.0) and points (285.5) She is also second on the team in block assists (53).

Kath Has Three Double-Doubles in 2018 ...
Senior Morgan Kath tallied 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. 7-8 in Mobile at the Jaguar Invitational against Louisiana Tech, the senior registered 14 digs and 28 assists.

Kath has 18 career double-doubles, including 12 during her two years at Stony Brook.

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, 21-25, 12-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-13.

Robinson, Shaw Earn SEC Freshman POW for the First Time Since 2013 …
Freshman Deja Robinson was named the SEC Freshman 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.

Rookie Paige Shaw was named the Co-SEC Freshman of the Week on Oct. 1 after her unstoppable performance against Auburn on Sept. 26. The freshman tallied 18 kills, and notched her first service ace against the Tigers. Shaw also registered career highs in attacks (55), solo blocks (2), total blocks (4.0) and points (22.0). The match winning point also came from, Shaw to earn head coach Julie Darty her first-career SEC win.

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 different MSU student-athletes win SEC Freshman of the Week in the same season.

Deja Robinson Finds Herself on the Freshman Block Solos List ...
Rookie Deja Robinson currently has 22 solo blocks in her first season on campus. She is tied for the No. 3 spot for most solo blocks as a freshman with Michelle Whitby (1986). Robinson is one away from the No. 2 spot and tying Theresa Hurley, who totaled 23 solo blocks in 1994.

Robinson also has 81.0 total blocks, which puts her in No. 5 place for most total blocks as a freshman. She is 11 blocks away from equaling Nicole Palazzo(2005) with 92 for the No. 4 spot.

Shaw Notches a Spot on the Freshman Attack Attempts List ...
Freshman Paige Shaw currently has 773 attack attempts during her first season in the Maroon and White. She is in the No. 7 spot for most attack attempts as a freshman, Shaw is 69 away from the No. 6 spot held by Sara Maddox (2017) with 842.

Cooks Etches a spot on the Individual Season Record Solo Blocks List ...
Junior Amarrah Cooks finds herself in the No. 4 spot for most solo blocks in a season with 33. She is two away from tying the No. 3 spot with Jennifer Koutnik, who totaled 35 solo blocks in 1995.

Kath Lands a spot on the Assists Individual Career Records List ...
Senior Morgan Kath has tallied 1,569 assists in her two-year span in Starkville (2017-18). That puts her in the No 8 spot for most career assists. She is 271 assists away from the No. 7 spot held by Blossom Sato (2015-16).

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.

Bulldogs Head to Georgia to Close Out 2018 Season ...
The Bulldogs face Georgia for the last match of the season. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network +. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

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