Bulldogs announce 28-match schedule
The Mississippi State volleyball program and head coach Julie Darty Dennis have announced a 28-match schedule for 2023, which includes a pair of home tournaments and 14 matches inside the Newell-grissom Building.
MSU'S schedule features eight opponents who competed in the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Championship – non-conference UCF and Southeastern Conference foes Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee.
"We are really excited for our 2023 schedule," Dennis said. "We have a lot of great non-conference opponents before we get into the always tough SEC slate. We are really excited to host a couple non-conference tournaments at home and give our fans a lot of opportunities to come check out their Volleydawgs this season. This is a tough schedule for a younger team and we will gain valuable experience with every set and match we play. I can't wait to kick things off in 'The Griss' on August 19 with an exhibition versus UAB. We hope to see our family there! Hail State!"
Before the regular season begins, the Bulldogs will host UAB on Aug. 19 for an exhibition match.
Mississippi State will kick off the 2023 campaign by hosting the Starkvegas Classic on Aug. 25-27. The season starts on Aug. 25 as MSU takes on Eastern Kentucky, followed by Northwestern State the next day. The Starkvegas Classic closes with a match versus Louisiana on Sunday, Aug. 27.
September begins with five-straight road matches, including four against teams with winning records from a season ago. A trip down to the Sunshine State for the UCF Challenge will open the month, as State will play UCF (Sept. 1) and FIU (Sept. 2) in the tournament. The following weekend, the Bulldogs travel to the Kennesaw State Tournament to face a field that includes Western Michigan (Sept. 8), Kennesaw State (Sept. 9) and Wake Forest (Sept. 10).
The final tune-up before SEC play begins will run from Sept. 14-16 inside the Newell-grissom Building, with MSU hosting the Maroon & White Invite. The field will include Lipscomb (Sept. 14), who the Bulldogs faced for the first time last season, and a new opponent in Abilene Christian (Sept. 16).
The opening week of conference play will send State to College Station, Texas to face Texas A&M on Sept. 20. After facing the Aggies on the road, MSU returns home to host Alabama (Sept. 24) and Tennessee (Sept. 29).
To open the month of October, Mississippi State will head south to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on LSU (Oct. 1) before returning home for a three-match homestand. MSU returns home to host Georgia Oct. 6 followed by Texas A&M on Oct. 8. To end the three-match homestand, the Bulldogs will face Florida on Oct. 13.
State will hit the road to head to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Wildcats on Oct. 20. After facing Kentucky on the road, MSU returns home to host Ole Miss (Oct. 22) ahead of a fourmatch road swing.
A trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Oct. 27 is followed by a stop at Georgia on Oct. 29 to close out the month of October.to open November, the Bulldogs head to Missouri on Nov. 3 and close out the four-match road trip at Arkansas on Nov. 5.
Mississippi State then returns home to host South Carolina on Nov. 8 and a week later Auburn on Nov. 15. MSU then hits the road for the last time to face Ole Miss (Nov. 19) and Tennessee (Nov. 22). The regular season finale will match the Bulldogs with LSU for the second time in 2023 on Nov. 25.