MSU Begins Darty Era by hosting the StarkVegas Classic

Friday, August 24

Starkville

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

Mississippi Valley State

MSU kicks off the 2018 season against MVSU on Friday.

MSU Begins Darty Era by hosting the StarkVegas Classic

August 23, 2018 | Volleyball

Match Notes

by Mary Catherine Molay, Graduate Assistant

MSU Begins Darty Era by hosting the StarkVegas Classic
STARKVILLE – With a new look to The Griss and the team, Mississippi State opens its 2018 campaign, as the Bulldogs host the StarkVegas Classic, which is set to being Friday.

Mississippi State opens up the Julie Darty era with its lone home tournament of the fall, hosting Mississippi Valley State, Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia State and Cal Baptist in the nine-match event.

"I am beyond excited to open up the 2018 season on our home court," first-year head coach Julie Darty said. "We are really looking forward to the StarkVegas Classic and welcoming Georgia State, Louisiana-Monroe, Cal Baptist and Mississippi Valley State. The work we have put in during preseason will really show once we step out on the court and get to compete. We have had a competitive preseason and there is a lot of depth on the roster this year. I am looking forward to seeing how we respond to a real competitive setting where it's not maroon or white across the net."

MSU is scheduled to play twice on Friday by kicking off the tournament against Mississippi Valley State at 11 a.m. followed by a meeting with Louisiana-Monroe at 7 p.m. On Saturday, MSU battles Georgia State at 4:30 p.m. Sunday marks the end of the tournament as MSU has a showdown against Cal Baptist at 11 a.m.

"This is the first time with a team that I have coached that I felt like we don't have one big arm or stud attacker, but we have a lot of offensive diversity and depth," Darty said. "I think that the girls know that if we can pass the ball and stay in system, it will really help us. I want us to be able to handle the ball at a high level this weekend, especially since we are on our home court. We really need to get comfortable defending our home court. That's something we have been talking about as a team a lot. I know this is a big weekend, and I know there will be jitters, but I think that's alright. I expect to have some exciting volleyball in StarkVegas this weekend, and I hope that we can establish who we are and what we are about."

All matches will be broadcasted on SEC Network +, which is can be found on the WatchESPN app. Bart Gregory and Payton Harris are the commentators for the weekend.

2018 StarkVegas Classic Schedule
Friday, Aug. 24

Mississippi State vs. Mississippi Valley State @ 11 a.m.
- Watch ESPN:https://hailst.at/2w6oXzV
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2w3Rjeg
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Cal Baptist @ 2 p.m,
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2vNdLc1
Georgia State vs. Mississippi Valley State @ 4:30 p.m.
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2Ml3ezh
Mississippi State vs. Louisiana-Monroe @ 7 p.m.
- Watch ESPN:https://hailst.at/2w6oXzV
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2w30Imd

Saturday, Aug. 25

Georgia State vs. Cal Baptist @ 11 a.m.
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2vL595C
Louisiana Monroe vs. Mississippi Valley State @ 2 p.m.
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2Mj5oPU
Mississippi State vs. Georgia State @ 4:30 p.m.
- Watch ESPN:https://hailst.at/2w6oXzV
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2w4IhNP
Cal Baptist vs. Mississippi Valley State @ 7 p.m.
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2vLkovw

Sunday, Aug. 26

Mississippi State vs. Cal Baptist @ 11 a.m.
- Watch ESPN:https://hailst.at/2w6oXzV
- Live Stats:https://hailst.at/2w7Z7vc

Bulldogs Host MVSU To Open #DartyParty
State opens the 2018 slate on Friday against Mississippi Valley State. The Bulldogs have claimed the only two meetings between the in-state foes, last taking a 3-0 victory in Starkville in 2015 against the Devilettes.

MSU Welcomes Louisiana-Monroe to Newell-Grissom
MSU's second opponent in the StarkVegas Classic are the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. The Bulldogs are 10-4 all-time against ULM, including a perfect 6-0 in Starkville. Friday night's showdown will be the first meeting between the teams since 2015, when State took a 3-0 triumph in Newell-Grissom.

MSU Battles Georgia State
The third foe of the weekend for the Maroon and White is making its first-ever trip to Starkville. Georgia State and MSU have squared off six times in the history of the two programs, with the Bulldogs holding a 4-2 advantage in the series against the Panthers. The teams have not met since 2006, when State took a 3-0 win in Atlanta.

Scouting Cal Baptist
On Sunday, to wrap up the weekend's action, MSU will face Cal Baptist for the first time in program history. The Lancers are new to Division I, being named a member of the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2018.

White Completes Comeback To Win Annual Maroon-White Scrimmage
Freshman AJ Koele recorded 28 Kills on 45 attacks to earn a .578 attack percentage in Sunday's Maroon & White scrimmage. White rallied from down two sets to win the final three frames five-set win.

Gabby Zgunda had 25 digs in Sunday's scrimmage.
Kanani Price and Alleah Stamatis both racked up three service aces in Sunday's intrasquad matchup.
Senior Morgan Kath recorded 57 assists during Sunday's match.
Junior transfer Amarrah Cooks and Freshman Deja Robinson both recorded three blocks in Sunday's scrimmage.
Alleah Stamatis, a standout transfer from Jacksonville, tallied 44 assists and 7 kills for a .385 hitting percentage.

Top Blockers Back For More
The top two blockers from MSU's 2017 squad return in 2018, with Laura Rose Gray and Liv Benner each set for their second season of action. The middle blocker duo combined for 157 of MSU's 192 total blocks last season. Gray led the charge with 79 total blocks, while Benner was close behind with 78.

Zgunda prepares to "dig" it done
Gabby Zgunda turned in an impressive freshman campaign in 2017, becoming a reliable libero for the Maroon and White. The Muncie, Indiana, native finished eighth all-time in digs by a freshman with 275, which was second-most on the team.

Transfer Quartet Set To Make Bulldog Debuts
Four new faces on the squad are no stranger to the college game. Graduate transfer Taylor Haskins joins the fold after playing three seasons in Texas (2 at Texas Tech, 1 at North Texas). A trio of Bulldogs come to MSU after earning significant experience at Jacksonville--juniors Amarrah Cooks and Alleah Stamatis and sophomore libero Kendall Murr.

Shaw Set For Debut
One of the top players in the state of Alabama, Paige Shaw, is set to make her MSU debut this season after being rated as the No. 1 player on the AL.com A-List.

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.

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."