Mississippi State volleyball begins its 2026 season in Mobile, Alabama, at the Jaguar Classic. The Bulldogs open Friday against Georgia State before facing South Alabama on Saturday and Rice on Sunday, according to team officials.
The opening match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Jaguar Gym in Mobile. The Bulldogs will then play South Alabama at 6 p.m. Saturday and conclude the invitational Sunday at 11 a.m., with all matches held at Jaguar Gym. Fans can watch the Saturday game against South Alabama via ESPN+ and follow live stats online.
Last season, Mississippi State finished with a 16-10 record, its best since making the NCAA Tournament in 2021 with a 25-6 record. The team returns 10 players from that squad, including six who started at least 10 matches last season. The Bulldogs also bring back more than 90 percent of their offensive and defensive production, according to team notes.
Head coach Julie Darty Dennis, in her ninth season, is close to becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach, needing just 16 victories to reach that milestone. Notable returning players include Lindsey Mangelson, who earned All-SEC Second Team honors last season with 387 kills. Cayley Hanson, a setter, contributed 953 assists and was involved in 59 blocks, the most for a Bulldog setter since 2011.
Other key players include libero McKenna Yates, who led the team in digs during her first two seasons, and the middle blockers Ava Anderson, Noella Obi, and Gha’Naye Whitfield-Moss. The Bulldogs face challenging opponents in Georgia State, South Alabama, and Rice, who all had successful seasons last year. The series history favors Mississippi State, which leads 11-5 overall, though the Bulldogs have lost all four matchups against Rice.
