Bulldogs Back At Home To Host No. 13 Florida For A Pair Of Matches

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State volleyball hosts No. 13 Florida for a pair of matches at the Newell-Grissom Building on Oct. 14-15.

First serve on Friday is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be aired on SEC Network. Saturday's match will begin at 5 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+. Both matches will be available through live stats on StatBroadcast.

"It's always great to be playing at home and I hope that our fans will help us pack the Griss as we welcome the Gators to StarkVegas," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We have had a nice week of practice to prepare for Florida and they are an extremely tough team and are ranked in the top 25 for a reason. I say it all the time, but I will say it again – this league is extremely tough, and we know we will have to be playing our best volleyball to have success against a tough opponent. I am hoping that we can get into a rhythm early and just stay focused on executing our game plan with each point. We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete."

Mississippi State ranks among the SEC's top five in digs (15.98 – 1st), kills (13.89 – 2nd) and assists (13.07 – 2nd). The Bulldogs have connected for a .256 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth in the SEC rankings.

Gabby Waden has belted a team-leading 3.67 kills per set on a .315 hitting percentage. Her 3.67 kills per set sits at the No. 8 spot in the SEC standings. She has totaled 10-plus kills during 15 of her last 16 outings. Waden has produced two double-doubles on the season, recording 12 kills and 14 digs against Milwaukee (08/26) and 12 kills and 12 digs against South Alabama (09/10).

Lauren Myrick has powered home 3.20 kills per set to go along with 2.26 digs and 0.23 aces per set. Myrick has collected six double-doubles on the season. Her latest double-double came at Texas A&M on Oct. 7 when she had 10 kills and 12 digs.

Outside hitter Shania Cromartie has registered 2.91 kills and 2.33 digs per set. Cromartie cranked out six double-doubles, with five coming in the past five matches. She issued 14 kills and 11 digs at Auburn (09/28), had 14 kills and 14 digs against Arkansas on Oct. 1, 19 kills and 16 digs on Oct. 2, 12 kills and 12 digs at Texas A&M on Oct. 7 and 12 kills and 13 digs on Oct. 8.

Sania Petties has chipped in 1.53 kills and 0.61 blocks per set, while compiling a .280 attacking percentage. Deja Robinson has tucked away 0.96 blocks per set, while recording 1.62 kills per set. Robinson has also registered a .381 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the SEC.

Setter Gabby Coulter has distributed 10.03 assist per set on the season, which ranks fifth among SEC setters. She has cranked out a team-leading ten double-doubles this year, with her latest coming against at Texas A&M when she produced 35 assists and 10 digs on Oct. 8.

Lilly Gunter has sprawled out 10-plus digs in 15 of her 16 starts while wearing the libero jersey. Her 3.98 digs per set are tied for fifth among SEC liberos and first on the MSU squad.

For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateVB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Bulldogs Back At Home To Host No. 13 Florida For A Pair Of Matches

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Players Mentioned

Gabby Coulter

Shania Cromartie

Lilly Gunter

Lauren Myrick

Sania Petties

Deja Robinson

Gabby Waden

Mississippi State University Athletics