Preview: Maroon and White Invite

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to have their home opener this weekend in the Maroon and White Invite as they face SEMO on Friday, Grambling on Saturday and North Alabama on Sunday.

The matches will take place at The Griss, with the opposing teams playing one another throughout the weekend. This weekend marks the season opener for all competing teams. All MSU matches will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

Gameday Information
Friday, August 29 (6 p.m.) vs SEMO
Live Video: https://hailst.at/4fVs0jR
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/45ZWfli
Saturday, August 30 (7 p.m.) vs Grambling
Live Video: https://hailst.at/4lNuRws
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/41Y3s3W
Sunday, August 31 (2 p.m.) vs North Alabama
Live Video: https://hailst.at/3HN0mZW
Live Stats: https://hailst.at/45GT8Qc

The First Serve

The Bulldogs will make their season opener this weekend, after beating Memphis in the exhibition match 3-1 last weekend.
Nine new faces will be donning Maroon and White for the first time. Five of the nine are transfers, while four are freshmen.
McKenna Yates, a two-time SEC Defensive Athlete of the Week as a freshman, will return to the court for the Bulldogs this weekend. Yates racked up 295 digs in her freshman season.
Mele Corral-Blagojevich returns after leading the team with 31 service aces last season.
Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss will make her MSU debut this weekend. As a transfer from Delaware, Whitfield-Moss racked up 323 kills in her first two seasons, leading the team ahead of the first match.

Scouting the opponent: SEMO

This will be the fifth match between State and SEMO, with the most recent matchup in 2014.
SEMO was the top seed in the OVC Preseason Poll, with 15 first-place votes by the league's head coaches.
The Redhawks are coming off a 19-14 season with a 15-3 conference record in 2024.
SEMO returns two All-OVC first-team selections in outside hitter Lucy Arndt and libero Nina Schuberth.

Scouting the opponent: Grambling

Grambling finished seventh in the SWAC Preseason Poll.
The latest matchup was last season in New Orleans, where State swept the Tigers in three sets.
Grambling is coming off a 3-1 win in its exhibition match against ULM.
The Tigers went 10-19 overall and 6-10 in the SWAC in the 2024 season.

Scouting the opponent: North Alabama

The North Alabama Lions tied for fifth in the ASUN Preseason Poll.
The Lions return eight players from the 2024 roster.
Three of the top five leaders in points and kills return from last season, including the top block leader and service ace specialist.
Reese Ricketts is the top returner for the Lions, leading in points and kills. Ricketts was also the ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2024.

Series History

The all-time series between State and North Alabama sits at 2-2, with the most recent matchup being in 1986.
This will be the fifth matchup between Grambling and State, with State never dropping a set to the Tigers.
The all-time series between State and SEMO is 2-2, with the latest match being a five-set win in Bloomington, Indiana, in 2014.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateVB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.

Preview: Maroon and White Invite

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mele Corral-Blagojevich

Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss

McKenna Yates

Mississippi State University Athletics

Preview: Maroon and White Invite

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mele Corral-Blagojevich

Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss

McKenna Yates

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