2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball

If you are looking for information about this year's team, go to
current Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball page.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball has had relatively little impact in college volleyball since the program started in 1975. They have no SEC Volleyball championships or significant NCAA tournament accomplishments. Head coach Tina Seals, in her fifth season with the Dogs, has surpassed former coach Samye Johnson for the third most wins in MSU volleyball history and is hoping to finally lead the team to a truly successful season in 2008.

Mississippi State Volleyball finished the 2007 season with a record of 12-17. In 2008 Mississippi State launches its 34th season of volleyball. MSU head coach Tina Seals enters the 2008 campaign with a 58-58 mark in four seasons with State. She registered her 500th career coaching win when the Bulldogs knocked off Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., last October.

The Bulldogs are very young but look promising for 2008. Senior outside hitter Cristina Jucan and sophomore defensive specialist Kayla Woodard are the returning starters, though junior outside hitter Ioana Demian and sophomore middle hitter Ashley Newsome, both 10-match starters, saw good playing time last fall. Five seniors are among a school-record 14 Mississippi State University volleyball players awarded varsity letters for the 2007 season.

The senior letter-winners include three players that earned their fourth letters opposite hitter Jamie Joyner, Libero Megan, Lukasek and middle blocker Erin Seago .The other two senior letter-winners are setter Eva Kriegel and middle blocker Lauren Kowal.

Five freshmen saw playing time for the Bulldogs in 2007 and earned their initial letters. That group includes opposite hitter outside hitter Miranda Bauman, outside hitter Ashley Newsome (Florence, Ala.), Meaghan Schlueter setter Kaitlin Wheatley, and defensive specialist Kayla Woodard.

Junior outside hitter Cristina Jucan lettered for the third year while three sophomores --- outside hitter Ioana Demian, setter Dorey Gray and defensive specialist Jennifer Hauskey all lettered for the second time.

The bottom line is that in 2008, MSU volleyball head coach Tina Seals faces a major task in rebuilding a Lady Bulldog volleyball team that is loaded with promise but short on experience.

We think they'll end up in the middle of the pack in the SEC. But, they will be better next year….

2007 Discussion: The Lady Bulldogs are actually coming off one of their best years ever. MSU had a 17-13 record in 2006, recording their highest number of wins in ten years. They ranked fifth in the SEC West with an 8-12 conference record.

The team benefited from great plays from Martina Gregusova, who earned SEC Freshman of the Week three times and was named to the SEC Volleyball All-Freshman Team (the first MSU player to ever receive that honor).

Rising junior Eva Kriegel had fifty-seven aces and over 1,100 assists as starting setter. Kriegel is expected to switch off with fellow setter Andrea Mead this year. Junior Megan Lukasek will be back on defense this year after battling a back injury for much of the 2006 season. Another key player on defense is Erin Seago, who led MSU with solo blocks and assisted blocks last year.

MSU has been making noise off the court this year with five team members being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, including rising sophomores Ioana Demian, Dorey Gray, and Jennifer Hauskey.

Coach Seals recently requested the hiring of Don Perkins for the assistant coach position, to replace Jozsef Forman who left in June for a head coaching position at the University of New Orleans. Perkins, who spent three years as head coach for the North Country Albany Junior Volleyball Club, will begin coaching in the 2007 season after the University's Board of Trustees accepts him.

Despite this solid talent, the Lady Dogs have some tough competition in the SEC this year. We think Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball will battle with Auburn for last place in the SEC West.

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Check out our 2009 Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball page.

2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball Schedule:

August 25 Murray State 10:00 am Home

August 25 Arkansas-Little Rock 6:00 pm Home

August 26 Clemson 1:30 pm Home

August 31 Oregon 4:00 pm Away

September 01 Baylor 1:00 pm Away

September 01 Stephen F. Austin 5:00 pm Away

September 07 Nicholls State 4:30 pm Away

September 08 Austin Peay 11:30 am Away

September 08 Memphis Invitational 7:00 pm Away

September 14 Kentucky 6:00 pm Away

September 16 Tennessee 12:30 pm Away

September 19 Alabama 7:00 pm Home

September 21 Arkansas 7:00 pm Home

September 28 Florida 7:00 pm Home

September 30 South Carolina 1:30 pm Home

October 05 Mississippi 7:00 pm Away

October 07 LSU 1:30 pm Away

October 12 Georgia 7:00 pm Home

October 14 Auburn 1:30 pm Home

October 19 Tennessee 7:00 pm Home

October 21 Kentucky 1:00 pm Home

October 24 Alabama 7:00 pm Away

October 28 Arkansas 1:30 pm Away

November 02 Auburn 7:00 pm Away

November 04 Georgia 1:00 pm Away

November 09 LSU 7:00 pm Home

November 11 Mississippi 1:30 pm Home

November 16 South Carolina 6:00 pm Away

November 18 Florida 12:30 pm Away

2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball Roster:

1 Eva Kriegel S 5'11" Senior Jaszbereny, Hungary

2 Megan Schlueter OPP 6'4" Freshman Lampasas, Texas

3 Ioana Demian OH 6'0" Sophomore Baia Mare, Romania

4 Miranda Bauman OH 6'0" Freshman Killen, Alabama

9 Ashley Newsome OH/MB 6'0" Freshman Florence, Alabama

10 Cristina Jucan OH 5'11" Junior Cluj, Romania

11 Jamie Joyner OPP 6'2" St. Louis, Missouri

12 Jennifer Hauskey L/DS 5'2" Sophomore Springdale, Arkansas

15 Kaitlin Wheatley S 5'6" Freshman Lexington, Kentucky

16 Lauren Kowal MB 6'3" Senior Chesterfield, Missouri

17 Megan Lukasek L 5'8" Senior St. Louis, Missouri

18 Dorey Gray S 6'0" Sophomore Indian Harbour, FL

26 Stefanie Joyner MB 6'2" Freshman St. Louis, Missouri

28 Kayla Woodard DS/L 5'5" Freshman Arley, Alabama

35 Erin Seago MB 6'2" Senior Rockford, Illinois

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2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs Volleyball