PREVIEW: Volleyball Welcomes Ole Miss to Open Home Stand

STARKVILLE – College volleyball's battle for bragging rights in the state of Mississippi will take place in the Newell-Grissom Building this week.

Mississippi State volleyball (2-8, 2-8 SEC) is set to open a four-match home stand with a two-match series against in-state rival Ole Miss (0-10, 0-10 SEC) Thursday and Friday (Feb. 11-12) afternoon in Starkville.

"We are really excited for play this rivalry series as our home opener," MSU volleyball head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We had a gritty showing in the final match at South Carolina, and we are optimistic about the style of volleyball we are playing right now. We are really looking forward to playing some volleyball at The Griss this week, and I know our group has worked hard to in order to play this hybrid season.

"We know that Ole Miss is going to come in focused and dialed in with a good game plan on us. They run a solid offense, and have some solid attackers that we will have to find ways to stop. I am hopeful that we can continue to run a balanced offense when we stay focused on our first contact. We know we will always get solid numbers from Gabby Waden on the right, but we are really working on finding ways to score from all other positions too."

First serve for both matches is set for noon CT. Fans can watch the series opener on the SEC Network+ digital platform, while the second match will appear on SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Jenny Hazelwood on the call.

In their most recent matchup - their only meeting during the 2019 season - the Bulldogs and Rebels battled to five sets in The Griss with the Rebels taking the 3-2 victory. Gabby Waden tallied 20 kills on a .357 hitting percentage and Deja Robinson had eight kills and nine total blocks despite the outcome.

Ole Miss is coming off of two five-set losses to Alabama last weekend (Feb. 5-6) in Oxford. The Rebels hit for a season-best .313 hitting average in the series finale.

In accordance with guidelines provided by the SEC and the state of Mississippi, the Newell-Grissom Building operates at 10 percent capacity for 2021 spring home matches. Entry is free to all fans on a first-come, first-served basis, and the maximum capacity cap will be strictly enforced. Fans should not attend if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 or a fever above 100.4 degrees.

Match Information

Match 1
Opponent: Ole Miss
Location: Newell-Grissom Building | Starkville, Miss.
Date & Time: Thursday, Feb. 11 | Noon CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+ (Bart Gregory, Summer Seage)

Match 2
Opponent: Ole Miss
Location: Newell-Grissom Building | Starkville, Miss.
Date & Time: Friday, Feb. 12 | Noon CT
Broadcast: SEC Network (Paul Sunderland, Jenny Hazelwood)

Series History

Overall: 26-73
at MSU: 15-26
at Ole Miss: 8-34
Neutral: 3-13
Last Meeting: Oct. 4, 2019 | Starkville, Miss. | Ole Miss won, 3-2

Team Notes

Junior setter Gabby Coulter comes into the weekend eyeing her 1,500th assist. Having collected 1,442 in three seasons thus far, Coulter needs 58 this weekend to reach the milestone. During the South Carolina series, Coulter made her MSU debut in the series opener, then followed with her first double-double (29 assists, 12 digs) in maroon and white the next evening.
Junior right side hitter Gabby Waden ranks No. 9 in the SEC in kills (3.68 per set), the second-best mark among the league's right side hitters. Among the SEC's top 10 leaders in kills, Waden is one of three with a hitting percentage above .300.
Sophomore outside hitter Callie Minshew, who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday (Feb. 9), is the only active member of the 2020-21 roster from Mississippi (Brandon) as the Bulldogs face in-state rival Ole Miss.
With 55 solo blocks over three seasons, junior Deja Robinson is one away from a three-way tie for seventh among MSU's career leaders in the category.

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

Mississippi State University Athletics

PREVIEW: Volleyball Welcomes Ole Miss to Open Home Stand

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