PREVIEW: Mississippi State Volleyball Travels to Tuscaloosa, Begins Road Stretch

Friday, February 26

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

PREVIEW: Mississippi State Volleyball Travels to Tuscaloosa, Begins Road Stretch

February 25, 2021 | Volleyball

Match Notes Match Day Information Watch | Match 1 Watch | Match 2 Live Stats | Match 1 Live Stats | Match 2

STARKVILLE – A trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is up next for Mississippi State volleyball.

The Bulldogs (4-8, 4-8 SEC) will make the short trek across U.S. Highway 82 for a two-match road series against Alabama (4-10, 4-10 SEC) on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 26-27) in Foster Auditorium. The contest will kick off a six-match, three-series road swing for the Bulldogs.

MSU is two weeks removed from its last competition, a series sweep of in-state rival Ole Miss. Last week's home series against No. 9 Florida was postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Florida program.

"We have had a good stretch of strong practices, and we have taken advantage of the time off from competition to get better and focus on us for a little bit," MSU volleyball head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We have put in the work, and I know the team is hungry to compete. We are very excited for this trip to Tuscaloosa.

"We have to control what we can on our side of the net. If we can remain dialed in on our game plan, the results will take care of themselves. We are focused on winning the serve and pass game and staying true to who we are. Foster Auditorium is a tough place to play, and we are going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable very quick."

First serve for the Friday match is set for 6 p.m. CT, while the series finale will kick off at 2 p.m. CT Saturday. Fans can watch both matches on the SEC Network+ digital platform.

Alabama is also coming off of a two-week break. In its last series, the Crimson Tide fell in both matches against Arkansas on the road in mid-February. Alabama also owns a pair of wins against Ole Miss, as well as single victories over LSU and Georgia.

Match Information

Match 1
Opponent: Alabama
Location: Foster Auditorium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Date & Time: Friday, Feb. 26 | 6 p.m. CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+

Match 2
Opponent: Alabama
Location: Foster Auditorium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Date & Time: Saturday, Feb. 27 | 2 p.m. CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+

Series History

Overall: 17-49
at MSU: 11-19
at Alabama: 5-25
Neutral: 1-5
Last Meeting: Oct. 9, 2019 | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Alabama won, 1-3

First Serve

As a team, Mississippi State has recorded season-high single-match hitting percentages in each of its last three matches. The Bulldogs are averaging a .259 mark over that span compared to a .186 season clip.
Junior setter Gabby Coulter comes into the weekend eyeing her 1,500th assist. Having collected 1,488 assists in three seasons thus far, Coulter needs 12 this weekend to reach the milestone.
Freshman libero Lilly Gunter has averaged 3.25 digs per set in her first collegiate season, which ranks No. 10 in the league and No. 3 among SEC freshmen. Following MSU's series against Ole Miss, Gunter earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Junior right side hitter Gabby Waden ranks No. 8 in the SEC in kills (3.79 per set), the second-best mark among the league's right side hitters, and No. 9 in points (4.05 per set). This spring, Waden has averaged 4.07 kills per set on a .333 hitting percentage.
Graduate middle blocker Jessica Kemp has collected at least three total blocks in five straight matches.
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.