Signing Day: Volleyball Adds Fitzgerald, Petties

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State volleyball added a pair of talented attackers on Wednesday (Nov. 11) as high school seniors Avery Fitzgerald and Sania Petties signed to play in maroon and white.

Fitzgerald, an outside hitter from Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Sania Petties, a middle blocker and right side hitter from Houston, Texas, bring strong prep résumés to Julie Darty Dennis's 2021 signing class.

Avery Fitzgerald | 6-0 | Outside Hitter | Fort Smith, Arkansas/Southside

On Wednesday (Nov. 11), Avery Fitzgerald was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association/Under Armour honorable mention All-American following a strong senior campaign.

"Avery is one of the [bounciest players] on and off the court," Darty Dennis said. "She's just a bunch of fun, and she's a really good outside hitter. She has a really explosive arm, she can score a lot of points [and she has an] aggressive serve."

Fitzgerald led Southside High School to three straight class 6A state finals beginning her sophomore season. In each of those seasons, Fitzgerald was also an Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year nominee and an all-state selection.

"She's somebody that we've been watching and that we've gotten to know throughout the years, and, I think, regionally, this is a perfect fit for her [because] she's from the state of Arkansas [and] she's coming to an SEC school," Darty Dennis said.

Fitzgerald tallied 1,164 kills, 498 digs and 215 aces over her three-year varsity career.

"She's going to be someone that I'm really going to enjoy watching blossom and mature and grow up as she comes into our program," Darty Dennis said. "She's very excited as a player, and she gets really pumped over those big plays. She's going to fit in right away with what we're trying to do here, and she's going to help us with depth on the pin."

Sania Petties | 6-1 | Middle Blocker | Houston, Texas/Episcopal

"I could not be more excited for [Sania]," Darty Dennis said. "She is somebody that we saw super early on, and we saw so much potential in her. Her potential has turned into production and polish."

Petties helped Episcopal High School to Southwest Preparatory Conference championships as a freshman and as a junior and earned all-tournament honors at the 2019 SoCal Invitational and at the Houston Open Tournament as a sophomore and junior.

"She is a phenomenal middle blocker," Darty Dennis said. "She has a lot of experience playing a lot of different positions […] That experience lends itself to why she's so savvy and why she has such a good IQ and good eyes. She's really smooth, she's really fluid. She's a fast twitch middle blocker that I think is going to come in and make an immediate impact for us."

On the club circuit, she played for Houston Skyline, the No. 3 club in the nation in 2019. Prior to her senior season, Petties was named to the AVCA/Under Armour All-America watch list.

Petties was a three-sport athlete at Episcopal High School, also competing in basketball and track and field.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateVB.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Signing Day: Volleyball Adds Fitzgerald, Petties

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