Mississippi State volleyball takes three-match winning streak to Memphis
Mississippi State volleyball, riding a three-match winning streak, will compete in the Carrie Yerty Classic in Memphis with matches against Alcorn State on Friday and Memphis on Saturday.
The Bulldogs, 5-1, will face winless Alcorn State at 3 p.m. Friday at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Mississippi State will then play Memphis, 2-4, at 3 p.m. Saturday at the same venue. Both matches are scheduled to air on ESPN+.
Mississippi State defeated Wake Forest in the ACC/SEC Showdown for its third consecutive victory. Lindsey Mangleson recorded at least 15 kills for the fourth straight match and added a season-high 14 digs. McKenna Yates had 21 digs, while Bernardita Aguilar posted her third consecutive double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs.
The Bulldogs also went 2-0 in the Big Ten x SEC Challenge. Against Iowa, Aguilar recorded 20 kills, 17 digs, three aces and 24.5 total points. During the challenge, Mangleson averaged 4.50 kills per set with a .367 hitting percentage, and Yates averaged 4.50 digs per set while recording a season-high 22 digs against Iowa.
Mangleson enters the weekend with 479 career kills and is pursuing 500 kills. Cayley Hanson leads Mississippi State with 10.14 assists per set, the seventh-best mark in the SEC.
Memphis won its home debut Thursday against Alcorn State. Caitlyn Little leads Memphis with 93 kills, averaging 3.88 per set. Alcorn State is seeking its first victory after seven losses, with Rylan Jones leading the team with 68 kills, or 2.62 per set.
Saturday's match will be the 30th meeting between Mississippi State and Memphis in a series dating to 1975 and the teams' first regular-season meeting since 2015. Mississippi State and Alcorn State will meet for the first time since 1989, when the Bulldogs won the last matchup in straight sets.
Source: Mississippi State Athletics.
