Preseason Update: October 9

Mississippi State volleyball opens its season next weekend (Oct. 17-18) when it hosts Arkansas in a two-match series against SEC opponent Arkansas. Graduate transfer Margaret Dean and sophomore middle blocker Burgundy Walters sounded off as they make final preparations for the new campaign.

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.

Margaret Dean participated in back-to-back NCAA Tournament runs as a member of the SFA Ladyjacks in 2018 and 2019 before joining the Bulldogs in Starkville as a graduate transfer. The setter from Bedford, Texas, compiled 550 assists in her final season at SFA.

Q: Describe your time in Starkville since joining the team this summer.
MD: It's been really great. It's a completely different experience from what I've had, coming into the SEC, but everybody's welcomed me with open arms, and that's helped the transition go smoothly.

Q: What do you that this group of transfers brings to the table?
MD: I think we all bring something so unique. Everybody has experience under their belt for such a young team, and I think that's really important and really cool how everybody's implementing it into their play.

Q: How have you improved since coming to MSU? How has the team improved since last season?
MD: My personal growth is just really being able to focus on the relationships because you have to learn a lot of new people coming in as a transfer. Being able to build outside relationships has been something that I've been able to thrive in, and that's obviously going to translate to the court.

As a team, every day everybody comes in and really wants to get at it. Everybody has their own great practices, and everybody gets better every day.

Q: How has this team faced the different challenges that 2020 has brought?
MD: Everybody has taken whatever punch in gut we've had with a grain of salt, adapted and grown into the role that we needed them to, and is just ready to get going no matter who's on the court across from us. We're all really ready and have a level of trust that whoever's behind us is going to do [their job], no matter who it is.

Q: In your graduate season, what kind of mark do you want to leave on this program?
MD: I really just want to set a really high standard for the years to come, create a leadership role that people want to follow and want to look forward to and make Mississippi State volleyball something that people get excited about.

Burgundy Walters is set to begin her sophomore season in maroon and white. Walters appeared in seven matches for the Bulldogs as a freshman, including one start against Ole Miss.

Q: What is unique about this 2020 group?
BW: We have a lot of girls that are on the younger side. But, with the older girls, there's a nice balance. So, we have this youthful energy and this kind of fun magnetism to us when we're out here on the court, and even just in the locker room.

Q: How has this team faced the different challenges that 2020 has brought?
BW: The best thing we've done to face these challenges is really just talking to one another. We know when someone's having a bad day. We know when someone is going through something, and the best thing we've done is just said, "Hey, if you're going through something, we're here for you. You need to talk about it. What can we do to help you? What can you do to help us?" That's really the only way we're going to get through any of this, is just having that communication line always open. It's 100 percent truthful, 100 percent honest all the time, because that's the only way we're going to get through it.

Q: How have you improved since the end of last season, and what kind of goals do you have personally, and for the team?
BW: Personally, coming in here, working off the freshman jitterbugs, that's been something that I feel like I've overcome. Now I'm in here with the mindset of, "OK, it's really time to get to work. Let's see what I can prove to this team and what I can prove to this state. I'm here to represent this team and this program and Coach Darty [Dennis] the best that I can. So, what can I do with that as a player and as a person to do that?

As a team, obviously, our goal is to work our way up in that ranking system, but also to be a name and a sports team that someone comes here to see. Everyone comes here to see football and baseball, but the goal is to be, "Ok, let's go watch the volleyball team," for people to come here and fill the stands and for someone to come here and say, "I want to see Mississippi State volleyball." That's what we want to do.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Margaret Dean

Burgundy Walters

Related Videos