Volleyball Opening Weekend At The Griss

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State volleyball program turns its attention to the 2021 campaign and begins its fourth season under Julie Darty Dennis as the Bulldogs welcome Gonzaga and Southeastern Louisiana for the StarkVegas Classic over the weekend at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Mississippi State and Gonzaga will meet Friday at 4 p.m. CT and Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. Then, the Bulldogs cap the weekend with a Saturday 4 p.m. CT tilt with Southeastern Louisiana. All three matches will be streamed live courtesy of SEC Network+ and available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.

Admission is free for all home volleyball matches with gates opening one hour prior to first serve.

In accordance with Mississippi State University policies, face coverings are required to be worn at all times during all indoor athletic events unless fans are actively eating or drinking. Mississippi State Athletics has designed a socially distanced seating plan to welcome fans to the Newell-Grissom Building in the healthiest manner possible for 2021 season.

Mississippi State fired back to take the final three sets of a 3-1 exhibition win over Southern Miss last weekend. The Bulldogs had three players register 10-plus kills and three players collect double-doubles.

Gabby Waden, a 2020-21 All-SEC selection, ripped 15 of her match-leading 17 kills over the final three sets. Shania Cromartie added 15 kills, followed by Lauren Myrick's 11 kills and 12 digs during sets two, three and four off the bench.

"Big themes our team has been talking about is the depth we have, being able to be resilient, embrace opportunities and step up when you get a chance," Dennis said. "Our gym has really dialed into these concepts, has a desire to win and compete like crazy. Our players are putting aside their own agendas for the sake the team. The main goals are to go out there, get wins and play good volleyball. I thought we had really good glimpses at Southern Miss, and I believe that will carry over to this weekend. We're starting to come together as a team. I want our team to continue to focus on dictating the pace, the tempo and the style of play. I'm really excited for our team to get together, really figure out who we are and try to open up with a few wins next to our name."

Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean combined to dish out 39 assists, headed by Coulter's 24 helpers and 16 digs. Lilly Gunter, a 2020-21 All-SEC Freshman pick, secured 19 digs and 12 assists to headline the back row in Hattiesburg.

Offensively, Mississippi State returns 89.1 percent of its kills (794-of-891) from a season ago. Waden and Myrick are joined by Jessica Kemp, Callie Minshew and Deja Robinson who also tacked on over a kill per set last season.

Itching to see an expanded role from 2020-21 are Katie Culumovic, Francesca McBride, Burgundy Walters and Alden Willis. Rebecca Walk, a native of Bay St. Louis, is ready to contribute after being named the 2020 Sun Belt's Freshman of the Year at South Alabama.

Mississippi State's freshmen class is eager and zealous to make an instant impact and features Yuliana Amador, Avery Fitzgerald, Sania Petties and Laughlin Murray. Petties contributed a solid all-around effort with six kills, five blocks, eight digs and three aces at Southern Miss.

Additional keys to State's exhibition win over the Golden Eagles was a 10-3 blocking advance, a 68.2 percent sideout clip and a .259 team hitting percentage.

"Our film sessions have been a lot about us, controlling our side, doing what we do and playing our system really well," Dennis concurred. "I believe the team will come up with similar goals to what we had at Southern Miss where we're trying to set our middles five times each set, pass around a 2.2, sideout above 60 percent and hit .250 as a team. If we can do those things, I think we'll be pleased with the level of volleyball we play and how clean we can be. We want to learn and get better. We've talked a lot about mistakes and failures as lessons. There's no finality with failure. We're just trying to continue to grow as a team and peak at the right time. We want to continue to get a little bit better every time we take the floor. If we're able to do that, I think we're going to have a great season."

After opening weekend, Mississippi State plays its next six matches on the road at tournaments hosted by Houston and Georgia Tech before returning home to conclude its non-conference slate versus Syracuse, South Alabama and Jackson State at the Hail State Invitational from September 17-19.

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.

Volleyball Opening Weekend At The Griss

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Players Mentioned

Yuliana Amador

Gabby Coulter

Shania Cromartie

Katie Culumovic

Margaret Dean

Avery Fitzgerald

Lilly Gunter

Jessica Kemp

Francesca McBride

Callie Minshew

Laughlin Murray

Lauren Myrick

Sania Petties

Deja Robinson

Gabby Waden

Rebecca Walk

Burgundy Walters

Alden Willis

Mississippi State University Athletics