Still seeking its first conference win, the Mississippi State volleyball team hosts Tennessee and Alabama this weekend. The matches will return to the Newell Grissom building after the team’s last home matches were played at Humphrey Coliseum for Homecoming.
Senior outside hitter and co-captain Chanelle Baker said she is more comfortable playing in the Newell Grissom building as opposed to the Hump.
“The Hump is large and spread out,” Baker said. “Newell Grissom has a better environment. It’s smaller and the fans are closer, creating a greater impact on the game.”
The Bulldogs will need an exciting environment Friday at 7 p.m. as they host the Tennessee Volunteers. The Volunteers are the defending SEC champions and are currently No. 3 in the Eastern division and No. 5 overall in the conference.
MSU head coach Jenny Hazelwood said Tennessee is an experienced and talented team, returning everyone from the previous season.
“Tennessee is a strong and athletic team,” Hazelwood said. “We have to play great defense, stop its best hitters and keep the team off balance.”
After dropping back-to-back road matches against Florida and LSU, Hazelwood said there are some areas that need improvement before entering this weekend’s matchups.
“This week in practice we’ve really been focusing on fundamentals,” Hazelwood said. “We’ve really struggled on defense and passing the ball offensively.”
Tonight will be bittersweet for Baker as she goes head-to-head with her younger sister, Tiffany, who is an outside hitter for the Volunteers.
“My sister and I are very close, so we want each other to perform well,” said Baker. “But we’re both competitive and want to win, so there may be some trash talking.”
With six of their eight matches being on the road during October, Hazelwood said both the players and coaches are a little more at ease having more home matches during November.
“We knew October was going to be a tough month, so it’s great to be back at home with the support of our fans,” Hazelwood said.
According to Baker, the girls have more opportunities to practice and work on things when they are at home.
“We have shorter practices preparing for away games because we spend most of our time traveling,” Baker said.
Freshman libero Roxanne McVey said although she loves home matches and playing in front of fans, playing on the road is also exciting.
“This is my first year, so it’s exciting to travel and experience other SEC schools and their environments,” McVey said.
Whether McVey plays at home or on the road, the standout freshman has found success. She currently leads the SEC in digs and has earned herself a position on MSU’s top 10 list for digs in a season with 420 so far.
McVey said she credits her accomplishments to hard work and dedication.
“It feels great to lead the conference in digs because I have worked my tail off, and the coaches have pushed me to be a better player,” McVey said.
After registering her fourth 25-plus dig match Sunday at LSU (26 digs), McVey is 91 digs away from tying the school’s single-season digs record of 511, set by Megan Lukasek in 2007.
McVey said was not aware she was so close to breaking this record, but if she continues to register 20 plus dig games, then she will be well on her way to either tie or break Lukasek’s record.     
“My main focus is helping my team win, but if I’m able to do it, I would love to get it done,” McVey said.
Not only will the Bulldogs need to be focused on Tennessee, but they have another chance at a conference win Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against SEC West rival Alabama. The Crimson Tide is currently No. 6 in the West, one spot ahead of MSU.