Volleyball Opens Season At Jaguar Classic

Friday, August 28

Mobile, Ala.

2 p.m.

Mississippi State

Georgia State

Volleyball Opens Season At Jaguar Classic

August 27, 2026 | Volleyball

Match Notes

By: Will Simmons, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The wait is over for Mississippi State volleyball, as the team is set to make their 2026 regular season debut in Mobile, Alabama, in the Jaguar Classic. The Bulldogs begin the season on Friday against Georgia State. From there, the Dawgs will matchup with the hosts, South Alabama, on Saturday and will conclude the invitational by playing Rice on Sunday.

MATCH ONE
Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Georgia State (0-0, 0-0 SBC)
Date: Friday, August 28, 2 p.m. CT
Location: Mobile, Ala. (Jaguar Gym)

MATCH TWO
Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC) at South Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SBC)
Date: Saturday, August 29, 6 p.m. CT
Location: Mobile, Ala. (Jaguar Gym)
Watch: ESPN+

MATCH THREE
Rice (0-0, 0-0 AAC) vs. Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Date: Sunday, August 30, 11 a.m. CT
Mobile, Ala. (Jaguar Gym)

NOTES:

Mississippi State volleyball finished with a 16-10 record during the 2025 campaign, the highest win total since the Bulldogs made their NCAA Tournament debut in 2021 with a 25-6 record.
The Bulldogs return 10 players from the '25 squad, including the only six players to start ten or more matches last season.
State returns over 90 percent of their production in assists (99.4), solo blocks (96.4), digs (92.0) and block assists (91.2).
On top of those numbers, State returns 82.7 percent of their points production and 79.9 percent of their kills from the 2025 season.
Head Coach Julie Darty Dennis enters her ninth season at the helm of the Bulldog volleyball program, the longest tenure of any coach in program history.
Entering the 2026 season, Dennis needs 16 more victories to become the winningest coach in program history.
Lindsey Mangelson returns for her sophomore campaign after finishing last season with All-SEC Second Team and Freshman Team honors.
Mangelson tallied 387 kills in her freshman campaign ranking third among all Bulldog freshmen in program history
Cayley Hanson picked up 953 assists last season, the most by a Bulldog setter since 2022.
Hanson's 6-2 frame also allowed her to make an impact at the net, as she was apart of 59 total blocks last season, marking the first time an MSU setter was involved in 50 or more blocks since the 2011 season.
McKenna Yates returns after starting every game as the libero during the 2025 season.
Yates has led the team in digs during her first two seasons and became the first freshman to lead the Bulldogs in digs since the 2014 season when she did such in 2024 (295 as a freshman, 372 as a sophomore).
The Bulldogs return all three middle blockers from last season in the form of Ava Anderson, Noella Obi and Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Georgia State enters the season under first year head coach Jorge Martinez.
The Panthers went 18-10 last season, including a 9-7 record in the Sun Belt.
South Alabama is led by sixth year head coach Jessie Ortiz, who led the Jaguars to a 15-14 record.
Rice concluded last season with a 21-10 record, dropping only one matchup in conference play en route to their first American Conference championship.

SERIES HISTORY:

Mississippi State lost their last matchup to Georgia State in 2018 but lead the all-time series 4-3.
The Bulldogs have won three straight over South Alabama, including a 3-1 victory over the Jaguars in Starkville last season. State leads the all-time series 11-5.
Mississippi State have dropped all four contests in series history to Rice. They last faced off in 2017, with the Bulldogs dropping the contest 3-1 in Starkville.

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