PREVIEW: Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Versus Hawaii

SEATTLE – Mississippi State volleyball is set to open the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament against Hawaii on Friday, Dec. 3, with first serve slated for 6 p.m. CT at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be streamed on ESPN+ (www.ESPN.com/watch and the ESPN app) for subscribers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE (25-5, 16-2 SEC) vs. HAWAII (21-7, 18-2 BWC)

Dates: Friday, Dec. 3
Times: 6 p.m. CT (4 p.m. PT)
Location: Seattle, Wash. (Alaska Airlines Arena)
Watch: ESPN+

NOTABLES

Mississippi State is making the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance after earning an at-large bid during Sunday's Selection Show. The Bulldogs will head to Seattle for the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 3-4. Friday's match will mark the first meeting between the two teams in volleyball. The No. 15-seeded Washington Huskies will host Brown in the second game on Friday. The winner of both matches will meet in the second round on Saturday in Seattle.

After leading Mississippi State to the most successful season in program history, Julie Darty Dennis was tabbed as the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year. Dennis is the first coach in MSU volleyball history to take home SEC Coach of the Year honors. Gabby Waden was also named to the league's All-SEC Team for the second straight season, making her just the second back-to-back all-conference selection for the Bulldogs in school history and the first since Christine Owen was named All-SEC in 1997-98.

The Dawgs enter the postseason having won 13 straight matches (all vs. SEC opponents) with seven of those victories coming at home and six on the road. MSU ended the season with a 14-1 record at home and an unblemished 9-0 record at home in SEC matches. The 13 straight wins is the longest streak in program history.

The Bulldogs rewrote the Mississippi State record books in 2021 after posting a 25-5 overall record and 16-2 mark in SEC play to finish second overall in the conference. Both the 25 overall and 16 SEC win totals broke previous MSU single-season records (Previous records: 22 overall wins, 8 SEC wins).

On Nov. 22, Mississippi State debuted at No. 24 in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the first time in school history. Entering the NCAA Tournament, the Dawgs moved up one spot to the No. 23 ranking. The Bulldogs come in at No. 25 in the latest RPI listings. MSU has posted nine victories over fellow RPI top 50 opponents with a 9-4 record this season against those teams.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateVB' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PREVIEW: Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Versus Hawaii

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gabby Waden

Mississippi State University Athletics

PREVIEW: Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Versus Hawaii

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gabby Waden

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