Volleyball Turns Attention To LSU For SEC Home Opener

Friday, October 1

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

LSU

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Volleyball Turns Attention To LSU For SEC Home Opener

September 30, 2021 | Volleyball

Match Notes (PDF)Watch: MSU vs. LSU - Friday 6 PM Watch: MSU vs. LSU - Saturday 4 PM Stats: MSU vs. LSU - Friday 6 PM Stats: MSU vs. LSU - Saturday 4 PM

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball team is riding high after a historic victory at No. 17 Florida on SEC opening weekend and will look to validate its success when LSU visits the Newell-Grissom Building for a two-game series.

The Bulldogs (10-4, 1-1 SEC) and the Tigers (5-6, 1-1 SEC) will head into the SEC's second weekend in a four-way logjam with Ole Miss and South Carolina for fifth place in the conference standings. State is continuing a run of its first five SEC matches versus the top three teams chosen by the league coaches in the SEC preseason poll.

"We were pumped about making history in Gainesville, but we're so excited to get back in-front of our fans at The Griss," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "I've been seeing all the love from our fans on social media about people coming to our matches this weekend. We need our Maroon and White family. We need them to make our gym loud and get it rocking like they always do."

"This is a very good LSU team," Dennis continued. "They're very physical, they're very talented and they've got a lot of people with experience. It's going to take special effort. I think that's what our team is most excited about is another opportunity to play hard, get better and have another opportunity to know that we're capable of playing anyone in the league from top-to-bottom. We want to make sure that people know and expect that what happened in Gainesville isn't a one-time thing. We hope to show that we're the real deal and have been working hard to prove ourselves all season long."

First serve for Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m. CT followed by a 4 p.m. CT tilt on Saturday afternoon. Both matches will be streamed live by SEC Network+, available online courtesy of www.ESPN.com/watch and via the ESPN app.

Admission is free for all home volleyball matches with gates opening one hour prior to first serve. Marketing promotions include t-shirts on Friday and a corn dog giveaway scheduled for Saturday.

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 the 2021 season.

The Bulldogs continue to rank among the SEC's top six in kills per set (13.78 – 5th), assists per set (12.48 – 6th), and hitting percentage (.258 – 6th). The Maroon and White has connected for over a .250 hitting clip in seven matches this season, fueled by over a .300 mark in four of their six home matches.

Mississippi State's victory at No. 17 Florida was fueled by several monumental performances led by Shania Cromartie who captured the SEC's Player and the SEC's Offensive Player of the Week awards. She buried five of her career-best 25 kills during the fifth set and also tacked on 10 digs to tuck away her third double-double of the season (09/24).

For the season, Cromartie has managed 2.68 kills, 2.02 digs and 0.16 aces per set as a six-rotation outside hitter. She has powered home 10-plus kills in three of her last four matches and four of her last six outings.

Lilly Gunter racked up a career-best 33 digs during the Florida victory (09/24). It marked the third time that Gunter has eclipsed 20-plus digs, and her 33 digs are the most by a SEC player in 2021.

The Oviedo, Florida, native has provided 10-plus digs in 11 of 13 matches wearing the libero jersey. The 11 outings of 10-plus digs is tied for third on the SEC leaderboard. Gunter's 3.96 digs per set is sixth-best in the SEC rankings.

Lauren Myrick and Gabby Waden have combined for 10-plus kills on 19 occasions this season. Myrick has ripped a team-leading 3.43 kills per set, coupled with 2.61 digs and 0.35 aces per frame. The 0.35 aces are good enough for eighth place in the SEC.

Myrick is tied for second place among SEC players with 11 matches of double-digit kills and has amassed seven double-doubles. She has garnered a double-double in three consecutive matches and double dips in four of her last five outings. Myrick piled up 19 kills and a career-high 18 digs at No. 17 Florida (09/23).

Gabby Waden has belted 2.98 kills per set on an impressive .314 attack percentage as a three-rotation right side hitter. She has dialed up 10-plus kills in seven of her last 10 appearances. Waden secured 14 kills, four digs and three blocks in the Florida win (09/24).

"We talk a lot about roles," Dennis said. "Every single person adds value in something on the court, off the court and whatever that role is. The best thing about this team this year in my opinion is we have depth. Our team just wants to win. Everyone is putting the team first and doing the best they can. We really talk a lot about opportunities and making the most out of your opportunities. We also talk about just being a great teammate and celebrating the team's success. Shania is the perfect example. She couldn't do what she has done if we weren't passing the ball and going fast. The setters were locating super well, but everybody can't do what they're doing without their teammates. That's why it's a team sport. We have to continue to lean on each other and rely on each other. The team has really embraced that this year."

Gabby Coulter and Margaret Dean have paired up to hand out 10.74 assists per set on the season, which would rank fifth among SEC setters if running a 5-1 offensive system. The veteran duo has combined for 3,175 career assists and seven double-doubles on the season.

Dean equaled her season's best with 28 assists during the Florida win (09/24), whereas Coulter averaged 26.5 assists and 6.0 digs in her two matches against the Gators.

Sania Petties has put together a strong start to her freshmen campaign as one of the league's top freshmen middles. She has notched 1.63 kills and 0.78 blocks per set, while her .376 hitting ratio is tops among SEC freshmen and eighth overall on the SEC ledger. Petties tallied a season-high 10 kills at Houston (09/03) and matched a season's best six blocks against Oklahoma (09/10).

Deja Robinson has collected 1.33 kills and a team-best 1.10 blocks per set. Her .342 attack percentage and her 1.10 blocks are just outside the SEC's top 10. Robinson has tallied five-plus blocks on five occasions, which is tied for seventh-most in the SEC. Her season-highs are 11 kills and eight blocks at Houston (09/03).

Jessica Kemp has registered five-plus kills off the bench in seven of her 13 appearances, and Francesca McBride gave a boost from the bench with eight kills and seven blocks over nine frames of action during the two matches at No. 17 Florida.

"I thought Francesca was a spark off the bench at Florida," Dennis said. "We saw it a little bit against Syracuse as well. That's a tough role being able to come off the bench, but she made the most of the opportunity. I feel she gives us a different look physically where opposing attackers have to think about our block a little bit more. She does it every day in practice. We're hoping that she can continue to be consistent when we get into match situations, and we're really excited about her potential."

"If we can serve tough like we did in Gainesville and continue to get after it from the service line – I feel like our serve is our best defense," Dennis continued. "We say that all the time. If we can be in-system and have a lot of balance with our offense, that makes it very unpredictable. That allows us to beat people with speed. If we can do that, we will be in a good spot, but it takes that first contact on both sides of the net for us to be successful."

After a trip to defending NCAA champion and No. 7 Kentucky on Wednesday, the Bulldogs continue a stretch of five of seven matches inside the Newell-Grissom Building. State's next home match is against South Carolina on Wednesday, October 13th slated for a 6 p.m. CT first serve. Admission is free for all home volleyball matches with gates opening one hour prior to first serve.

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.