Friday, August 30
Starkville
12:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Chattanooga
Volleyball Hosts StarkVegas Classic to Open 2019 Season
August 29, 2019 | Volleyball
By Austin Coats, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – One of three Bulldog teams to open their season on Friday, August 30, Mississippi State volleyball gets to do it in front of a home crowd as it hosts the annual StarkVegas Classic, a two-day tournament.
MSU plays host to Chattanooga, Mississippi Valley State and Western Illinois for the weekend. The tournament, and State's 2019 campaign, will open with a noon CT first serve Friday, as the Bulldogs face Chattanooga at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Head coach Julie Darty's squad will also take on MVSU Friday, with the start time set for 7 p.m. CT, before a 2 p.m. Sunday matchup with Western Illinois closes the event. All three of State's matches will be broadcast live on SEC Network+. Admission to all six matches is free.
"We are so excited to open our 2019 campaign at home," Darty said. "It has been a productive preseason full of training and getting to know each other, on and off the court, and I can tell you this team is committed to getting better. They are invested and want it, and that's very exciting to see as their coach.
"I'm hoping we can step on the court and commit to playing hard for all three matches this weekend. Consistency is the goal and it starts Friday for us to figure out who we want to be this season."
The Bulldog roster returns nine student-athletes from 2018, including the team's three best offensive threats in senior Amarrah Cooks, who led the team with 251 kills, and sophomores Paige Shaw (248 kills) and Deja Robinson (203). Another sophomore, Gabby Waden, will look to add another threat on the net, as she led the squad with 15 kills on 24 attacks with just one error in MSU's preseason exhibition at Belmont last weekend.
Senior setter Alleah Stamatis will lead the offense for MSU in 2019. Last season, Stamatis led the team in service aces, finished No. 2 on the squad with 283 assists and placed No. 3 with 219 digs. She nearly earned a double-double at Belmont with 41 assists and nine digs.
"We have great leadership behind our three captains, Gabby Zgunda, Alleah Stamatis and Kendall Murr, but the growth we have seen and are most excited about is with Alleah," Darty said. "Her impact as a leader and as our setter is huge. She has done a great job of getting everyone ready and bought in.
"We continue to discuss a balanced offense with Alleah, and we feel like we have the pieces to be very well balanced offensively this year, which is great."
Promotions
Friday is Education Day at the Newell-Grissom Building as MSU volleyball welcomes students from two local elementary schools. Athletic marketing will also be giving away free StarkVegas Classic koozies before the match.
StarkVegas Classic Schedule
* All times central
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateVB.
STARKVILLE – One of three Bulldog teams to open their season on Friday, August 30, Mississippi State volleyball gets to do it in front of a home crowd as it hosts the annual StarkVegas Classic, a two-day tournament.
MSU plays host to Chattanooga, Mississippi Valley State and Western Illinois for the weekend. The tournament, and State's 2019 campaign, will open with a noon CT first serve Friday, as the Bulldogs face Chattanooga at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Head coach Julie Darty's squad will also take on MVSU Friday, with the start time set for 7 p.m. CT, before a 2 p.m. Sunday matchup with Western Illinois closes the event. All three of State's matches will be broadcast live on SEC Network+. Admission to all six matches is free.
"We are so excited to open our 2019 campaign at home," Darty said. "It has been a productive preseason full of training and getting to know each other, on and off the court, and I can tell you this team is committed to getting better. They are invested and want it, and that's very exciting to see as their coach.
"I'm hoping we can step on the court and commit to playing hard for all three matches this weekend. Consistency is the goal and it starts Friday for us to figure out who we want to be this season."
The Bulldog roster returns nine student-athletes from 2018, including the team's three best offensive threats in senior Amarrah Cooks, who led the team with 251 kills, and sophomores Paige Shaw (248 kills) and Deja Robinson (203). Another sophomore, Gabby Waden, will look to add another threat on the net, as she led the squad with 15 kills on 24 attacks with just one error in MSU's preseason exhibition at Belmont last weekend.
Senior setter Alleah Stamatis will lead the offense for MSU in 2019. Last season, Stamatis led the team in service aces, finished No. 2 on the squad with 283 assists and placed No. 3 with 219 digs. She nearly earned a double-double at Belmont with 41 assists and nine digs.
"We have great leadership behind our three captains, Gabby Zgunda, Alleah Stamatis and Kendall Murr, but the growth we have seen and are most excited about is with Alleah," Darty said. "Her impact as a leader and as our setter is huge. She has done a great job of getting everyone ready and bought in.
"We continue to discuss a balanced offense with Alleah, and we feel like we have the pieces to be very well balanced offensively this year, which is great."
Promotions
Friday is Education Day at the Newell-Grissom Building as MSU volleyball welcomes students from two local elementary schools. Athletic marketing will also be giving away free StarkVegas Classic koozies before the match.
StarkVegas Classic Schedule
| Date | Time | Matchup | Stream | Live Stats |
| Friday, Aug. 30 | Noon | Chattanooga at Mississippi State | SEC Network+ | https://hailst.at/323eweS |
| Friday, Aug. 30 | 2:30 p.m. | Mississippi Valley State vs. Western Illinois | N/A | http://hailst.at/2ADmqPs |
| Friday, Aug. 30 | 5 p.m. | Western Illinois vs. Chattanooga | N/A | http://hailst.at/2ADmqPs |
| Friday, Aug. 30 | 7 p.m. | Mississippi Valley State at Mississippi State | SEC Network+ | https://hailst.at/2UaGP8o |
| Saturday, Aug. 31 | Noon | Mississippi Valley State vs. Chattanooga | N/A | http://hailst.at/2ADmqPs |
| Saturday, Aug. 31 | 2 p.m. | Western Illinois at Mississippi State | SEC Network+ | https://hailst.at/30GQrdF |
* All times central
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateVB.
Players Mentioned
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