White Wins Close Intrasquad Scrimmage, 3-2

Sunday, August 19

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

Maroon-White Scrimmage

White Wins Close Intrasquad Scrimmage, 3-2, on Sunday

White Wins Close Intrasquad Scrimmage, 3-2

August 19, 2018 | Volleyball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. - As the days wind down to the 2018 season opener this weekend, White claimed a 3-2 victory at the annual Maroon and White scrimmage at Newell-Grissom.

Both teams showcased an immense amount of agility and teamwork on Sunday afternoon as fans were able to get their first look at the 2018 Mississippi State volleyball program spearheaded by first-year coach Julie Darty.

"I'm pretty pleased with our overall team performance today," Darty said. "There wasn't a moment where the energy dropped off and both sides were fiercely competitive through all five sets. I saw a lot of bright spots with some of our younger players. Overall, I thought the chemistry on the both sides of the net got better as time went on."

Maroon took sets one and two winning 25-23 and 25-20. In the third set, White came out swinging tallying an early six-point lead. White held off a brief rally attempt by Maroon to win the set by a 25-16 mark. White forced the fifth set after taking control once again, 25-20.

In the final set, White continued the upward trend, taking a commanding 15-8 victory to complete the comeback and seal the victory.

Standouts on the court were freshman AJ Koele, who logged 28 kills on 45 swings with a .578 hitting percentage. Gabby Zgunda led both teams with 25 digs. Alleah Stamatis tallied 44 assists as well as seven kills for a .385 hitting percentage.

"If we can serve, pass and defend at the level I know we are capable of, thing will go smoothly," Darty said. "If we're the team that's always out-of-system, then we have our work cut out for us. We're excited to go back to work this week and get some practice in defending our home court before opening at home during the StarkVegas Classic."

On Friday, the Bulldogs welcome Mississippi Valley State, Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia State and Cal Baptist for the StarkVegas Classic to open the Darty era. State kicks off the three-day tournament at 11 a.m. against MVSU before taking on ULM in the nightcap at 7 p.m. Admission to all home matches at Newell-Grissom is free.

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."