Preseason Update: October 2

The countdown for Mississippi State volleyball's first matchday is down to just over two weeks! Head coach Julie Darty Dennis, redshirt junior Logan Brown and graduate transfer Jessica Kemp gave their thoughts on the program's build up towards the 2020 fall season.

State fans will be able to participate in home gamedays in a new, safe way this fall, as Maroon Memories introduced "State Stand-Ins," stadium cutouts that will fill the Newell-Grissom Building. More information on how to purchase is available at MaroonMemories.com.

On October 1, SEC teams returned to their 20-hours-a-week practice schedule. Head coach Julie Darty Dennis talked about how the team has ramped practice up with the recent change.

JDD: As soon as we started 20-hour weeks on October 1, our gym just went to a new level of competitiveness. The girls were super excited to focus and get after it. I thought we had a great three-hour practice on that first day, and today was another awesome training block. We just got after it, we really went hard and we played a bunch of volleyball today. We wanted to just let them compete.

Things are trending in the right direction. I feel good about our block. That's an area that we're improving in immensely. Our coverage is getting a lot better, and I think we're playing scrappy, good defense. We're excited to get back in the gym next week.

After transferring from Arkansas, Logan Brown missed the entire 2019 season due to transfer restrictions. As a sophomore for the Razorbacks, Brown tallied 258 kills over 28 matches. Now, the redshirt junior is looking forward to her first competition wearing maroon and white.

Q: You haven't played in a competitive match since 2018 - describe your excitement to play again?
LB: I haven't played since Thanksgiving of 2018, haven't put a jersey on, haven't even seen a jersey in my locker […] I want to make sure that I still play the same way, play better, keep getting better. I am excited. There's a lot of excitement about it. I'm anxious, I'm excited, I'm thrilled. [There are] a lot of feelings behind it.

Q: How have you improved since coming to MSU? How has the team improved since last season?
LB: Individually, I think it was a lot of getting back to volleyball. Since I was also hurt last season, there was a long time where I didn't touch a volleyball. There were a lot of times where I was just trying to figure out where my game was at again. Getting all of that back is an improvement in itself.

The competitiveness is our biggest improvement. I don't think any Mississippi State volleyball team has ever competed the way that we're trying to compete right now. That's something that we've grown massively in from even this year to last year, that competitiveness in the gym and that grit that we actually want to win games. It's not a "can we win a set? Can we win a match?" It's, "we're going to win matches."

Q: You aren't a "newcomer," but this will be your first time wearing maroon and white on the court. What's this season going to be like for the many student-athletes wearing maroon and white for the first time?
LB: It's going to be really special for them. Whatever this season looks like, whether it's everything they imagine, or if it's something completely different […] With this class, they all have something so different than the other to bring to the table.

Lauren Myrick, coming in, was a complete wild card. She's settled in so well and come out of her shell beautifully. Lilly Gunter, I think she's done the exact same thing. She's gained so much control over the court and control with her passing. There's a lot of maturity that's coming out of this class that you're seeing them age through all of these struggles that we've had in 2020.

Jessica Kemp is one of two graduate transfers on the 2020 Bulldog squad. As a senior at NC State in 2019, she finished No. 2 on the squad in kills (312) and blocks (87). The 6-3 middle blocker and right side hitter adds height to the MSU front row.

Q: As a graduate transfer, what do you bring to the table for this team?
JK: Maturity-wise and culture-wise, I feel like I can bring a lot to the table in those aspects. On the court, I can bring experience and support and be a consistent person that's always there.

Q: How has this team faced the challenges of 2020?
JK: We've taken everything that was thrown at us and we used it as a learning, building experience. It's honestly pushed us further in the right direction and made us ready for SEC play.

Q: You got to join the team in the spring. How have you improved since then?
JK: When I first got here, I was still trying to feel out my role and what was asked of me on this team compared to NC State. In the spring I spent a lot of time working on myself and figuring out my role, and now that fall is here, I'm trying to focus more on the team and what the team needs from me rather than getting more individualistic.

Q: How excited are you to start the season in a couple of weeks?
JK: I'm so excited. I feel like I haven't played in like five years honestly. I'm just excited because I feel like we're ready. I think we have a great team this year and I think we're going to surprise a lot of people.

Q: You smile a lot while you're out on the court. What do you attribute that too?
JK: I'm just so happy to be out there! Volleyball just brings me a lot of joy.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Logan Brown

Lilly Gunter

Jessica Kemp

Lauren Myrick

Related Videos