Preview: Southern Miss Invitational

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Mississippi State volleyball will travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to compete in the Southern Miss Invitational.

The Bulldogs will take on Mercer at noon on Saturday and the hosts at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The match against Southern Miss will be available to stream on ESPN+.

Gameday Information
Saturday, September 13 (12 p.m.) vs Mercer
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/42qO1S7
Sunday, September 14 (1 p.m.) vs Southern Miss
Live Video: https://hailst.at/4gn8WeK
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/46BpcoU

The First Serve

State is on its best season opening run in recent history, currently 7-0 and only dropping two sets, both of which against Duke.
MSU is ranked first overall in the SEC in hitting percentage, while also ranking in the top ten for every team statistic.
Lindsey Mangelson earned her first career double-double against Duke, earning 15 digs and 14 kills.
Cayley Hanson, Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss and Mangelson are each second in the conference in individual statistics.
Freshman Lindsey Mangelson is currently in the top ten nationally in points per set, averaging 5.44.

Scouting the opponent: Mercer

Mercer is 1-7 so far this season, picking up its sole win over UNC Wilmington.
Sophia Henry leads the squad in kills, totaling 63 over eight matches.
Aubri Martin leads the team in digs with 124 total between 28 sets played.
The team totals 57 blocks, led by Avery Wilks with 25.
Sophia Henry was named to the SOCON Preseason All-Conference team.

Scouting the opponent: Southern Miss

Southern Miss is 4-2 over the season, most recently dropping in straight sets against Saint Thomas.
The team is led in kills by Sadie McAda, earning 83 so far this season.
Sunni Sheppard leads the Golden Eagles in digs at 95 so far this season.
The team has earned 44 blocks this season, led by Lillie Johnson with 10.
Sunni Sheppard was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Libero of the Year.

Series History

The Bulldogs play Southern Mississippi this weekend, making it the 60th face-off between the two universities. MSU currently leads all-time with a record of 46-13.
Coach Julie Darty Dennis faces her alma mater on Saturday when the squad faces Mercer University.
State is 2-0 against Mercer, winning the last match 3-0 in 2002.

Visitwww.HailState.com for the latest news and information on volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateVB' onX,Facebook andInstagram.

Preview: Southern Miss Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cayley Hanson

Lindsey Mangelson

Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss

Mississippi State University Athletics

Preview: Southern Miss Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cayley Hanson

Lindsey Mangelson

Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss

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