Gabby Waden Named SEC Volleyball Offensive Player Of The Week
Mississippi State Volleyball is off to a historic start so far in the season. Julie Darty-Dennis has her team at 14-5 (5-2) so far on the year, a win total that is the best since 2015.
Through upsets at The Swamp and thrilling comebacks against Ole Miss, there has been one constant factor: Gabby Waden.
Waden, a former Blythewood High School standout, has dominated so far this season. Waden leads the team in kills so far this season and it isn’t even close. Through 19 games this season, she totals 245 kills compared to the next highest of 208 from Lauren Myrick.
This weekend, though, she was on a different level. Players often make themselves known in big rivalry games, and Waden did just that with a career-high 31 kills. It’s incredibly important to note that 24 of those kills came in the final 3 sets, which were all won to complete the 3-2 comeback victory. Maybe even more impressive than her kills was her .481 hitting percentage throughout the weekend. Waden has now earned her first award since being named to the All-SEC team in the 2020-21 season.
She is only the third player in Mississippi State Volleyball’s history to earn the honor of SEC Player of the Week and the fifth player to be named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. 2 of the 3 players to have earned the award were under the coaching of Julie Darty-Dennis.
The Bulldogs head into a big-time matchup at home this weekend against Texas A&M and look to continue their unprecedented success. This weekend is crucial for the team who just picked up two different Top 50 RPI victories and will be that much more important for Texas A&M who is now sitting at 11-7 on the year. As is true every weekend for the VolleyDawgs, admission is free for all who attend.