Mississippi State Volleyball Hosts No. 4 Florida and Auburn This Weekend

Mississippi State volleyball enters a high-stakes weekend at the Newell-Grissom Building to close out the regular season against two SEC opponents.

The Bulldogs, holding a 17-7 record and a 7-6 mark in conference play, face a gauntlet that includes the top-ranked program in the SEC. According to Mississippi State, the home series begins Friday, November 13, against the No. 4 Florida Gators, followed by a Sunday, November 15, matchup against the Auburn Tigers.

Friday night's contest matters to both programs. The Gators arrive in Starkville with a 21-2 overall record and an impressive 12-1 standing in the SEC, having recently secured the conference regular-season title after defeating Georgia. Mississippi State enters the match looking to defend a perfect 7-0 home record.

Mississippi State’s ability to disrupt opponents will be tested by a Florida squad that currently leads the SEC in blocks per set with an average of 2.80. The Gators also hold the top spot in the conference for match win-loss percentage at .913 and have limited opponents to a .160 hitting percentage.

To counter this, the Bulldogs will rely on a defense that currently ranks first in the conference for digs per set, averaging 15.33. Defensive specialist McKenna Yates has been a central figure in this statistical lead, ranking second in the SEC in both total digs with 372 and digs per set at 4.48.

The statistical matchup between the two teams highlights a clash of specialized strengths:

Metric	Mississippi State	No. 4 Florida
Overall Record	17-7	21-2
SEC Record	7-6	12-1
Digs Per Set	15.33 (1st in SEC)	—
Blocks Per Set	—	2.80 (1st in SEC)

Florida’s offensive pressure is driven by Alec Rothe, who holds the second-highest hitting percentage in the SEC at .431 and has recorded 100 total blocks. For the Bulldogs to remain competitive, they will need offensive contributions from players like Bernardita Aguilar, who recently tallied eight kills against Kentucky, and Gha’Naye Whitfield Moss, who recorded 10 kills against Tennessee.

Following the Friday night match, the Bulldogs shift focus to Auburn on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The series between these two programs is historically balanced, with the Bulldogs and Tigers tied at 15-15 over their last 30 matchups, Mississippi State reported.

Auburn enters the weekend with a 14-12 record and a 4-10 conference standing. While the Tigers have struggled in the SEC, they have strong defensive momentum, currently ranking first in the conference in team digs with 1,347. Auburn is also coming off a strong performance characterized by 11 blocks and a .322 hitting percentage.

The Tigers’ defensive unit is anchored by junior middle blocker Grace Havlicek, who recently climbed into ninth place in Auburn history by reaching 108 total career blocks.

Mississippi State has scheduled several events to engage the Starkville community during this final stretch of the season. Friday’s match features a “Darty Party” theme, where the first 300 fans will receive a free t-shirt and students will have access to free pizza.

Sunday’s match against Auburn will serve as Senior Day at the Newell-Grissom Building. The program will host senior festivities prior to the match, with player autographs scheduled to take place after the game.

Both matches will be broadcast live on SECN+.