Mississippi State volleyball tips on Aug. 24 in Starkville.
Darty’s 2018 Volleyball Schedule Features 13 Home Matches
July 05, 2018 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A new era of volleyball known as the #DartyParty will officially be ushered in on Aug. 24 when newly-minted coach Julie Darty and her squad host the StarkVegas Classic at Newell-Grissom to kick-off an exciting 31-match season.
The Bulldogs look to make a statement in the opener against Mississippi Valley State before closing out with Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia State and Cal Baptist during the three-day tournament.
"We are really excited to play at home to open the 2018 season," first-year coach Julie Darty said. "I hope we can create a buzz on campus and really gain some new volleyball fans at The Griss this year.
"We have put in the effort to give the fans a totally new experience where there will be a lot more fan engagement and interaction thanks in part to the video board and some enhanced graphics to give our gym a whole different look and feel. We hope that new look and feel will translate onto the court, too, as we have a lot of new faces on the roster for us this year that should see time immediately."
Following the opening weekend, road trips become the theme as MSU will spend the next three tournaments on the road, starting with the Appalachian Invitational in Boone, N.C., facing Clemson, Davidson and host Appalachian State from Aug. 31 – Sept. 1.
The Bulldogs then travel to Mobile, Ala., for the Jaguar Invitational where they will battle Louisiana Tech, host team South Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana from Sept. 7-8. The team then closes out its non-conference slate in Dallas at the North Texas Tournament against North Texas, Cal Poly and Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 13-15.
"I love going on the road and getting tested, and that's exactly what we are going to do this year," Darty said. "We didn't shy away from tough opponents, and we are seeing some challenging teams very early. There isn't a match on the schedule that will be easy, and we are going to try and gain some valuable experience and competition early in the season. I want the team to totally embrace the grind of it all. Hitting the road and having to play tough opponents on their home court is a good way to do that."
On Friday, Sept. 21 Mississippi State begins SEC play at South Carolina before heading to Gainesville to face 2017 SEC Co-Champion Florida on Sept. 23. MSU then hosts Auburn on Sept. 26 to close out the month of September.
October starts by welcoming SEC Co-Champion Kentucky on Oct. 5. From there, Darty's squad travels to Tennessee (Oct. 7) and Arkansas (Oct. 12) before hosting Missouri on Oct. 14. Next begins a two-week slate of Wednesday/Sunday matches by traveling to Alabama (Oct. 17) and in-state rival Ole Miss (Oct. 21) before hosting Arkansas (Oct. 24) and Florida (Oct. 28).
During the month of November, MSU welcomes LSU to campus on Nov. 2 before traveling to Kentucky on Nov. 9. The last three home matches of the season are against Tennessee (Nov. 11), Alabama for Senior Night (Nov. 16) and Texas A&M (Nov. 18). The Bulldogs close out the 2018 regular season on the road at Auburn (Nov. 21) and Georgia (Nov. 23).
"The SEC schedule is always tough, but that's the most exciting part of our schedule and when we can get out there and show people that we are on a mission," Darty said. "This conference is such a tough league from top to bottom and hopefully after a tough preseason we will be ready to go against these opponents. The main goal of this first season is to show that we are going to be playing a different kind of volleyball, and that things are changing in Starkville. It's going to be a process, but the players and staff are bought in. We are ready to go."
Breaking Down the 2018 MSU Volleyball Schedule
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."
The Bulldogs look to make a statement in the opener against Mississippi Valley State before closing out with Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia State and Cal Baptist during the three-day tournament.
"We are really excited to play at home to open the 2018 season," first-year coach Julie Darty said. "I hope we can create a buzz on campus and really gain some new volleyball fans at The Griss this year.
"We have put in the effort to give the fans a totally new experience where there will be a lot more fan engagement and interaction thanks in part to the video board and some enhanced graphics to give our gym a whole different look and feel. We hope that new look and feel will translate onto the court, too, as we have a lot of new faces on the roster for us this year that should see time immediately."
Following the opening weekend, road trips become the theme as MSU will spend the next three tournaments on the road, starting with the Appalachian Invitational in Boone, N.C., facing Clemson, Davidson and host Appalachian State from Aug. 31 – Sept. 1.
The Bulldogs then travel to Mobile, Ala., for the Jaguar Invitational where they will battle Louisiana Tech, host team South Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana from Sept. 7-8. The team then closes out its non-conference slate in Dallas at the North Texas Tournament against North Texas, Cal Poly and Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 13-15.
"I love going on the road and getting tested, and that's exactly what we are going to do this year," Darty said. "We didn't shy away from tough opponents, and we are seeing some challenging teams very early. There isn't a match on the schedule that will be easy, and we are going to try and gain some valuable experience and competition early in the season. I want the team to totally embrace the grind of it all. Hitting the road and having to play tough opponents on their home court is a good way to do that."
On Friday, Sept. 21 Mississippi State begins SEC play at South Carolina before heading to Gainesville to face 2017 SEC Co-Champion Florida on Sept. 23. MSU then hosts Auburn on Sept. 26 to close out the month of September.
October starts by welcoming SEC Co-Champion Kentucky on Oct. 5. From there, Darty's squad travels to Tennessee (Oct. 7) and Arkansas (Oct. 12) before hosting Missouri on Oct. 14. Next begins a two-week slate of Wednesday/Sunday matches by traveling to Alabama (Oct. 17) and in-state rival Ole Miss (Oct. 21) before hosting Arkansas (Oct. 24) and Florida (Oct. 28).
During the month of November, MSU welcomes LSU to campus on Nov. 2 before traveling to Kentucky on Nov. 9. The last three home matches of the season are against Tennessee (Nov. 11), Alabama for Senior Night (Nov. 16) and Texas A&M (Nov. 18). The Bulldogs close out the 2018 regular season on the road at Auburn (Nov. 21) and Georgia (Nov. 23).
"The SEC schedule is always tough, but that's the most exciting part of our schedule and when we can get out there and show people that we are on a mission," Darty said. "This conference is such a tough league from top to bottom and hopefully after a tough preseason we will be ready to go against these opponents. The main goal of this first season is to show that we are going to be playing a different kind of volleyball, and that things are changing in Starkville. It's going to be a process, but the players and staff are bought in. We are ready to go."
Breaking Down the 2018 MSU Volleyball Schedule
- 31 total matches (13 home, 12 away, 6 neutral)
- Four non-conference tournaments
- Home: StarkVegas Classic (Aug. 24-26)
- Away: Appalachian Invitational (Aug. 31 – Sept. 1), Jaguar Invitational (Sept. 7-8), University of North Texas Tournament (Sept. 13-15)
- Season/Home Opener: Aug. 24 vs. Mississippi Valley State (11 a.m.)
- SEC Opener/Home Opener: Sept. 21 at South Carolina (6 p.m.)
- All game times are central
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."
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