Preview: Florida And Auburn

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State Volleyball will be on the road this weekend to kick off conference play, taking on both Florida and Auburn.

The first match of the weekend will take place on Friday at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida. The match will start at 7:00 p.m. and is available to stream on SEC Network+.

The weekend will conclude on Sunday at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama. The match will start at 2:00 p.m. and is available to stream on SEC Network+.

Gameday Information
Friday, September 26 (6:00 p.m. CT) at Florida
Live Video: hailst.at/46nDlGj
Live Stats: hailst.at/42P1Zxc
Sunday, September 28 (2:00 p.m. CT) at Auburn
Live Video: hailst.at/3Kf1HcV
Live Stats: hailst.at/3KeImIP

The First Serve

The Bulldogs are on their best season-opening streak since 2005, sitting at 10-0.
Mississippi State is one of eight programs still undefeated in the country. They are joined by Texas as the only undefeated teams in the SEC.
Cayley Hanson is fourth nationally and second in the SEC in assists per set.
Freshman Lindsey Mangelson currently leads the SEC in points per set and kills per set. She ranks in the top five nationally in both statistics.
State is in the top five for seven different statistical categories within the SEC.
Head coach Julie Darty Dennis is currently at 97 wins at MSU.

Scouting the Opponent: Florida

Florida is 5-4 on the season, currently on a two-match losing streak, losing to Marquette and #7 Wisconsin.
The Gators have notable wins against #3 Pitt, #25 North Carolina, and #20 Baylor.
The squad is currently ranked #19 nationally.
Jordyn Byrd leads the Gators in kills with 129 on the season.
Ella Vogel leads the squad with 17 service aces, where she also ranks third in the SEC for total aces.
Alexis Stucky has 272 assists on the season, leading the Gators.

Series History: Florida

The Gators hold the series lead over Mississippi State 55-2, with this being the 58^th matchup between the two schools.
The last matchup between MSU and Florida was in 2024, where the Bulldogs were defeated 1-3.

Scouting the Opponent: Auburn

Auburn is 9-2 on the season, currently on a three-match win streak.
Kate Mansfield leads the squad in blocks per set with 1.70 on the season, where she ranks second in the SEC and sixth nationally. She also leads the squad with 63 total blocks, and she ranks first in the conference.
Alexis Dacosta leads the squad with 4.14 digs per set, where she also ranks fifth in the SEC. She also ranks third in the conference in total digs, with 153 on the season.
Shanelle Puetz leads the Tigers in assists, with 219 on the season.
Lauren Dreves leads the squad in kills, with 145 total marks.

Series History: Auburn

Auburn leads the series over the Bulldogs 42-26, with this being the 69^th meeting between the two universities.
The last matchup between MSU and Auburn was in 2024, where the Bulldogs fell to the Tigers 1-3.

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Players Mentioned

Cayley Hanson

Lindsey Mangelson

Mississippi State University Athletics